Mexican cuisine – worldwide popular food
06 September 2012
Lots of people all around the world like Mexican food. This cuisine is rich for flavours, colours and spices. Hot spicy dishes made of many ingredients are the main part of Mexican cuisine. To prepare Mexican food you should take native to this country vegetables, herbs and spices. Mexican recipes are rather easy, but food is beautiful and delicious.
The main ingredients of Mexican food:
- corn (it is used to cook lots of corn-based dishes. Also corn is eaten without any other ingredients, like corn on the cob, barbequed corn);
- beans (this ingredient is very important for casseroles, chilli);
- chili peppers (one of main ingredients);
- rice (one of the main cereals in this cuisine);
- honey (maybe it surprises somebody, but honey is widely used in Mexican cuisine);
- wide variety of spices (oregano, chili powder, cinnamon, cilantro, epazote, cocoa etc).
Mexico is rather large country, so its food varies a lot by region. It depends on climate, ethnic peculiarities, population and other factors. To make it short, in Southern and Southeastern Mexico cuisine is based on spicy vegetables and chicken meat. The coastal regions use seafood widely. Central Mexico is known for the mix of different regional cooking types. Here you'll find both unique dishes, cooked only in this region, and different dishes from all other regions of Mexico. The West Mexico is known for using spiced goat and lamb meat in cooking. While in Northern Mexico spiced beef is preferable.
Nowadays Mexican cuisine suffers from large influence of other countries. Many people began to cook Chinese (e.g. sushi, noodles), American (e.g. barbeques, hamburgers), Italian (pizza, pasta) dishes. Mexicans are loosing their native peculiarities in food and cooking techniques. But they still like and cook native dishes, and, of course, lots of tourists delight unique Mexican food. In US Mexican food is very popular today. Americans cook, buy and eat tacos, picadas, enchiladas, chilli, salsa and so on.
The most popular and typical Mexican dishes:
- tortillas – ordinary Mexican dish made of flour or maize. Mostly tortillas are used for tacos, enchiladas and quesadillas. But this dish also substitutes bread sometimes;
- chilies – chilli peppers can be used as one of the main ingredients in garnishes or they are served by their own;
- chiles renellos – large chillies stuffed with cheese or spicy meat. Actually, chillies are not too hot, but the sauce for this dish mostly is;
- enchiladas – tortillas coated in a tomato and chili sauce. They are also stuffed with either vegetables, or chicken / pork meat. Then enchiladas are folded and baked;
- tacos – fried, crispy tortillas, served with different fillings;
- guacamole – nice dip to a garnish. It is made of avocado, chilli peppers, onions and coriander, all mashed;
- salsa – sauce made of tomatoes, chili, onion and coriander.
Mexican Recipes
Mexican dishes with meat
Alabama Chilli with Rice or Pasta
Skewered Meatballs with Chilli, Olive and Nut Sauce
Mexican Chicken Casserole recipe
Mexican veggie dishes
Mexican prawn kebabs with coriander