About Mexican Cuisine

The popularity of Mexican food like Chinese food can be gauged from the fact that in most towns and cities throughout the western world you’ll typically find a Mexican Restaurant.

Colourful and spicy its' popularity stems from the three main ingredients maize (corn), red beans and rice and the variety of ways these foods can be combined.

Mexican Food can trace its' earliest influences to old Indian traditions combined later with the influences of Spanish colonialists who arrived in Yucatan in 1521.

Before the Spanish, native Indians including Aztecs, Toltecs, Mayans, and Zapotecs staple diet consisted of maize or corn, which was then softened with water and lime, ground then fashioned into tortillas (pancakes made of flour or corn) and combined with chilies, beans and squash. They also produced chocolate, pumpkins and other crops that would become world culinary players.

Later the Spanish conquistadors added domestic animals such as pigs, sugar, rice cultivation, cheese, garlic, onions and the technique of frying. Before the Spanish food was generally steamed with a small amount of liquid.

Mexican food is also very colourful due to the rich variety of vegetables and spices. North Mexico is more for beef farming and thus beef based dishes are more prevalent than in the south. Southern Mexico, particularly the southeast is known for spicy vegetables and chicken dishes.

If you're really looking for Mexican culinary adventure try some comida prehispanica (prehistoric food) cooked in the Aztec or Maya tradition. Ingredients include spider, insects, deer, iguana, monkey and rattlesnake.

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