PREHISPANIC FOOD OF MEXICO

PREHISPANIC FOOD OF MEXICO

Thanks to pre-Hispanic and Spanish influences, Mexican cuisine, with more than 20 centuries of tradition, brings together the flavors of two continents with colorful and delicious dishes. The key to Mexican gastronomy is the vast number of ingredients used, including corn, beans, chili peppers, vegetables and domestic meats; however at times some of the food products can come from Europe as well. The wide range of flavors, colors and textures, the manner in which the dishes are presented, and the local culinary techniques used are all part of the unique experience.

MEXICO’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WORLD

Mexico is a source of grand gastronomical richness, not only because of the variety of modern-day ingredients, but also because of the vast culinary offerings that continue to influence the cuisine of other countries. Consider the origins of the following:

The Tomato: a fruit whose consumption in salads and Mexican antojitos (snacks of indigenous and Spanish mixed origin) is also the sauce base of international fame like in ketchup, of British origin; or soups like the Spanish gazpacho and popular Italian plates like pizza, cannelloni and spaghetti.

Chocolate: famous worldwide, an element made by splitting the cacao seed and had its origin in Mexico. In the pre-Hispanic era, the ancient Mexicans considered it a sacred element since Quetzalcóatl, one of the most important gods of pre-Columbian worship, gave it to the people so that they could use it in their offerings and rituals. In our days, this element has transcended borders, inventing itself in different nations around the world where it is sold in varying forms.

Corn: a native grain of Mexico, was the basic food of the American cultures who considered it a gift of the gods and the substance from which the first men were created. It is used in the preparation of dishes like polenta (ground and cooked), consumed in Italy, Bulgaria and Romania, where it is produced with the flour of this grain. From corn we also get huitlacoche, the fungus of the corn ear, considered a very important ingredient in dishes of high cuisine in Europe and the United States of America.

The chile: an ingredient of a thousand flavors, is enjoyed in diverse types of sauces that add flavor to innumerable dishes. This condiment is also known by the names of ají(red pepper) or Indian pepper, and is one of the most important ingredients in the preparation of typical dishes in the United States, India, Pakistan and Indonesia not to mention Eastern Europe and Central America.

The avocado: native fruit of the high altitudes of Central and Eastern Mexico, has multiplied its cultivation in different parts of the globe, distinguishing itself by its smooth texture and flavor. You can enjoy it in varying recipes of high cuisine, such as tartar desalmón y aguacate (salmon and avocado mousse) of the Canary Islands in Spain, or avocado and pecan ice cream, created in Israel.

Vanilla: whose sweet essence owes its origin to an orchid native of the Papantla area in the state of Veracruz, has become an essential ingredient in desserts, candies and cakes all around the world.

Guajolote (turkey), a bird whose meat is much valued in preparing special dishes in times like Christmas or Thanksgiving Day.

The nopal: a cactus native to the desert regions of Mexico, which has been consumed since the pre-Hispanic era, not only for its gastronomical qualities but also for its medicinal and industrial value. The use of the nopal is fundamental in the preparation of salads and sauces of Peruvian gastronomy, where it is known by the name of its fruit (tuna), while in Spain the tunas are served cool in syrup mixed with sugar and other fruits.

TRADITIONAL FLAVORS

To taste the traditional foods of each region of Mexico is like journeying through a collection of maps, and regional histories, where the culinary wealth of different countries intermingles with traditional Mexican cuisine.

Pre-Hispanic flavors are still inherent in exquisite dishes, sauces, fruit and herbs. Amongst these, tamales (a popular snack of cooked corn paste prepared with meat or fruit, wrapped in banana or corn leaves and steamed) together with tomato and chili sauces prepared in molcajetes (querns) and served with tortillas, are particularly remarkable. Other native grains and plants that define the quintessential Mexican kitchen include pumpkin seeds, pumpkin flowers and huitlacoche (a type

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