A popular slogan goes, "The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach". Many have been helped by this idiom in winning the man they loved, but, many have been fooled as well. But with regards to tourism anyhow, let's rephrase it this way: "Any place's secret to attracting hordes of visitors lies in its tastebud delights". After your exciting rainforest adventures at Mexico, it's time for you to learn about their culinary style that the UNESCO declared as one of the world’s "intangible cultural heritage".
It is no doubt that Mexican style of cooking has influenced almost all cultures around the globe. Simply put, almost everyone has developed Mexican appetites. Who wouldn't have loved those delightful filling of pita bread that we know as tacos? Who wouldn't have enjoyed bonding moments without these crunchy nachos? We can barely say that Mexican cuisines are really part of everyone's foodie history.
Mexican food is primarily a combination of native American ingredients coupled with European elements brought by colonization in the area. However, the primary elements of cooking retain the culture and tradition of MesoAmerica while being incorporated by Spanish-introduced ingredients like meat and various spices. At present, what we can see and taste as premium Mexican cooking is a result of historical, cultural, and even agricultural progress that took place in Mexico. Now, let's take a brief glimpse at Mexican food evolution that started more or less 9,000 years ago:
During the early times, the Mayan gourmet consists of almost every wild plant and animals that can be gathered around the area. Potatoes, fruits and insects are the main elements of every Mayan diet at that time. This group of people are also concerned about the nutrients they are getting, that's why they catch various insects including ants that serves as their protein supplier. Meanwhile, the Pre-Columbian period served as the 'Corn Era' at Mexican gourmet history. Here the Mexicans started utilizing corn that can be easily harvested and made into different dishes. Also, it is in this period that ancient Mexicans became prevalent in hunting wild animals and include those in their diet. Hunted animals include deer, armadillos, turkeys and quails. Mixed-crop Method in agriculture was also introduced that enable the early Mexicans to have a variety of crops for meals at the same time of the year.
The Spanish conquest opened doors for international trade of products, thus, the traditional Mexican cooking was greatly impacted by outside influences, especially Spain and India. As mentioned, the Spaniards are the ones who brought meat from domesticated animals to be used for cooking, a variety of spices and herbs are also adopted as cooking essentials of the Mexicans.
The Basics
The basic essentials of Mexican cooking include corn and chilli peppers. Proven in the tortilla that accompanies almost all Mexican dish, it can be said that corn is the most important food in Mexico. Utilized and converted into several ingredients, almost all elements of their cookery include corn as its basic unit. On the other hand, if you're wondering why almost all Mexican dishes are spicy, it's because chilli pepper is also one of the primary feature of every dish they are cooking. This condiment is considered of much importance to Mexicans that they believe it is an essential factor of their national identity.
No questions asked, food is considered as a national treasure by Mexicans. Refined and improved by historical, social, and cultural factors, it is a great delight that there is genuine Mexican food that symbolizes its people values and experiences. That's why next time you head on to Mexico, do not forget to try any of their esteemed dishes and learn more of their precious culture.
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