Mexican cuisine
Mexican cuisine, a style of food that originates in Mexico, is known for its varied flavors, colourful decoration and variety of spices and ingredients, most of which are native to the country. The cuisine of Mexico has evolved through thousands of years of blending indigenous cultures, with later European elements added after the 16th century. In November 2010, Mexican cuisine was added by UNESCO to its lists of the world's "intangible cultural heritage" The staples of Mexican foods are typically corn and beans. Corn is used to make masa, a dough for tamales, tortillas, gorditas, and many other corn-based foods. Corn is also eaten fresh, as corn on the cob and as a component of a number of dishes. Squash andchili peppers are also prominent in Mexican cuisine. Mexican cuisine is considered one of the most varied in the world, after Chinese and Indian. The most frequently used herbs and spices in Mexican cuisine are chiles, oregano, cilantro, epazote, cinnamon, and cocoa.Chipotle, a smoke-dried jalapeo chilli, is also common in Mexican cuisine. Many Mexican dishes also contain garlic and onions. Honey is an important ingredient in many Mexican dishes, such as the rosca de miel, a bundt-like cake, and in beverages such as balch. 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 ofVeracruz in the 1520s. This, Graber says, created one of the earliest instances of the world's greatest fusion cuisines. Alcoholic beverages native to Mexico include mescal, pulque, and tequila. Beer in Mexico has a long history. While Mesoamerican cultures knew of fermented alcoholic beverages, including a corn beer, long before the Spanish conquest, European-style beer brewed with barley was introduced with the Spanish soon after Hernn Corts arrival. The arrival of German immigrants and the shortlived empire of Austrian Maximilian I in the 19th century provided the impetus for the opening of many breweries in various parts of the country. There are also international award-winning Mexican wineries that produce and export wine.
Mexican food varies by region because of Mexico's large size, local climate and geography, 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.
Northern Mexico is also known for its carne asada (lit., "grilled meat"), an item that consists of thin beef steak. The meat can be marinated by rubbing with olive oil and sea salt or with spice rubs such as lemon and pepper or garlic salt, lime and Worcestershire sauce, before being cooked on a grill. The dish is traditionall in the states of Sonora, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Coahuila, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Nuevo Len, Durango, andTamaulipas.
In the Yucatn, a unique, natural sweetness (instead of spiciness) exists in the widely used local produce along with significant use of achiote seasoning. In contrast, the Oaxacan region is known
for its savory tamales, celebratory moles, and simple tlayudas, 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 and tasty dishes such as pozole, menudo, barbacoaand carnitas. Southeastern Mexico is known for its spicy vegetable and chicken-based dishes. Cochinita pibil (also puerco pibil) is a traditional Mexican slow-roasted pork dish from the Yucatn Pennsula. 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, la veracruzana. According to the book "Mexico One Plate At A Time," even though the dish ceviche has been a part of traditional Mexican coastal cuisine for centuries, ceviche is not a dish native to Mexico. Despite this, Mexican ceviche has developed its own distinct styles that make it unique from the other variations available. The origin of ceviche is disputed but its a seafood dish popular in the coastal regions of the Americas. Mexican laws state that tequila can be produced only in the state of Jalisco and limited regions in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacn,Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. Mexico has claimed the exclusive international right to the word "tequila". The truest tequila of all is said to come solely from the highlands of Jalisco. In a similar fashion, Mezcal is distinctly known to originate and be exclusive to the Sierra regions ofOaxaca. In pueblos or villages, there are also more exotic dishes, cooked in the Aztec or Mayan style (known as comida prehispnica) with ingredients ranging from iguana to rattlesnake, deer, corn fungus, spider monkey, chapulines, ant eggs, and other kinds of insects.
