Chef at 13:38, 12 April 2014

2014-04-12T13:38:01Z

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|title=Mexican recipes (a Cookipedia Wiki category page)
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|description=In this category you will find recipes from Mexico. The staples of Mexican cuisine are typically corn and beans
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[[Image:Half Moon Bay, from Akumal in Quintana Roo.jpg|thumb|right|300px|thumb|right|300px|Half Moon Bay, from Akumal in Quintana Roo]]
In this category you will find recipes from Mexico.
The staples of Mexican cuisine are typically [[corn]] and [[beans]]. [[Corn]], traditionally Mexico's staple grain, is eaten fresh, on the cob, and as a component of a number of dishes. Most [[corn]], however, is used to make [[masa harina]], a dough for [[tamales]], [[tortillas]], gorditas, and many other [[corn]]-based foods. [[Squash]] and [[peppers]] also play important roles in Mexican cuisine. The most important and frequently used spices in Mexican cuisine are [[chilli powder]], [[cumin]], [[oregano]], [[coriander]], [[epazote]], [[cinnamon]], and [[cocoa]]. [[Chipotle]], a smoke-dried [[Jalapeños|jalapeño chilli]], is also common in Mexican cuisine. Many Mexican dishes also contain [[garlic]] and [[onions]].

Next to [[corn]], [[rice]] is the most common grain in Mexican cuisine. According to food writer Karen Hursh Graber, the initial introduction of [[rice]] to Spain from North Africa in the 4th Century led to the Spanish introduction of [[rice]] into Mexico at the port of Veracruz in the 1520s. This, Graber says, created one of the earliest instances of the world's greatest fusion cuisines. The word "[[chocolate]]" originates in Mexico's Aztec cuisine, derived from the Nahuatl word xocolatl. [[Chocolate]] was first drunk rather than eaten.
====Conquistadores====
When conquistadores arrived in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), they found that the people's diet consisted largely of [[corn]]-based dishes with [[chillies]] and [[herbs]], usually complemented with [[beans]] and [[tomatoes]] or [[nopales]]. The diet of the indigenous peoples of Pre-Columbian Mexico also included [[chocolate]], [[tomatillos]], huitlacoche, [[vanilla]], [[avocado]], [[guava]], [[papaya]], sapote, mamey, [[pineapple]], soursop, [[jicama]], [[squash]], [[sweet potato]], [[peanuts]], [[achiote]], [[turkey]] and [[fish]]. In the 1520s, while Spanish conquistadors were invading Mexico, they introduced a variety of animals, including cattle, [[chickens]], [[goats]], sheep, and pigs. [[Rice]], [[wheat]], and [[barley]] were also introduced as were [[olive oil]], [[almonds]], wine, [[parsley]], and many [[spices]]. The imported Spanish cuisine was eventually incorporated into the indigenous cuisine.

====Chocolate====
[[Chocolate]] played an important part in the history of Mexican cuisine. In the past, the Maya civilization grew cacao trees and used the cacao seeds it produced to make a frothy, bitter drink. The drink, called xocoatl, and was often flavoured with [[vanilla]], [[chilli pepper]], and [[achiote]] (also known as [[annatto]]). [[Chocolate]] was also an important luxury good throughout pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and cacao beans were often used as currency. For example, the Aztecs used a system in which one [[turkey]] cost one hundred cacao beans and one fresh [[avocado]] was worth three beans; and all of the areas that were conquered by the Aztecs that grew cacao beans were ordered to pay them as a tax, or as the Aztecs called it, a "tribute". Today [[chocolate]] is used in a wide array of Mexican foods, from savoury dishes such as chicken mole to traditional Mexican style hot chocolate and champurrados, both of which are prepared with a molinillo.

====Regional food====
Mexican food varies by region, because of local climate and geography and ethnic differences among the indigenous inhabitants and because these different populations were influenced by the Spaniards in varying degrees. The north of Mexico is known for its [[beef]], [[goat]] and [[ostrich]] production and [[meat]] dishes, in particular the well-known arrachera cut. The six regions of Mexico differ greatly in their cuisines. In the Yucatan, for instance, a unique, natural sweetness (instead of spiciness) exists in the widely used local produce along with an unusual love for [[achiote]] seasoning. In contrast, the Oaxacan region is known for its savory [[tamales]] and celebratory moles, while the mountainous regions of the West (Jalisco, etc) are known for [[goat]] [[birria]] ([[goat]] in a spicy [[tomato]]-based sauce).

Central Mexico's cuisine is largely influenced by the rest of the country, but has unique dishes such as barbacoa, pozole, menudo and [[carnitas]].

Chapulines, or roasted grasshoppers, for sale in a Oaxacan market. Southeastern Mexico, on the other hand, is known for its spicy [[vegetable]] and [[chicken]]-based dishes. The cuisine of Southeastern Mexico has a considerable Caribbean influence due to its location. [[Seafood]] is commonly prepared in states that border the Pacific Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico, the latter having a famous reputation for its [[fish]] dishes, a la veracruzana.

In the Yucatán, the Mayan people have practiced beekeeping for thousands of years. [[Honey]] is an important ingredient in many Mexican dishes, such as the rosca de miel, a bundt-like cake, and in beverages such as balché. In villages, there are also more exotic dishes, cooked in the Aztec or Mayan style (known as comida prehispánica) with ingredients ranging from iguana to rattlesnake, deer, spider monkey, chapulines, ant eggs, and other kinds of insects.

Recently other cuisines of the world have acquired popularity in Mexico, thus adopting a Mexican fusion. For example, sushi in Mexico is often made with a variety of [[sauces]] based on [[mango]] or [[tamarind]], and very often served with [[Serrano chillies|serrano chilli]]-blended [[soy sauce]], or complimented with [[habanero]] and [[chipotle]] [[peppers]].
====Mexican restaurants====
We don't normally review restaurants on [[Cookipedia]], but after a visit to Thomasina Miers' Wahaca in Covent Garden, UK, I felt the urge to write about it: [[Wahaca - Mexican Market Eating - Uk Restaurant chain]]
=MEXICAN RECIPES=
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Category:Mexican recipes - Revision history

Chef at 13:38, 12 April 2014