In the first article of this series we covered the common ingredients in Mexican food. Items like corn, maize, hominy, papaya, chamoy, Agave, and nopal. Now we will discuss the spices and herbs used to create the distinctive flavors of Mexican cuisine, minus the chili pepper which deserves a category all on its own!
Chocolate
It may not be the first thing to come to mind, but chocolate is one of the main ingredients in Mexico's most iconic sauce: mole sauce. The cocoa bean is crushed, ground and mixed with a very tiny amount of agave nectar or honey and added to the base mole sauce. Of course chocolate in a more sweetened form is found in other dishes as well.
Sesame
The little white flower that produces sesame seeds is highly valued for its diversity of use in Mexican culture and referred to as Ajonjoli. Sesame oil is used for cooking more commonly than olive oil, and the seeds are sprinkled on buns, salads, sauces and alegrias.
Vanilla
Vanilla beans are derived from a type of orchid native to Mexico, so it is only natural for vanilla to be used in many Mexican dishes. The whole pod is sometime boiled is soups or sauces, extract is added to ground cocoa beans and powdered pods are ground and blended with sugar to add to sweetbreads.
Tamarind
The Tamarind tree and its flavored offerings are very usual in Indian food, but also in Mexican. The fruit is sometimes dried, salted and sold as a snack. Alternatively it may be candied and added to a beverage. Mexico's pelon pelo rico is a very traditional tamarind snack in pod form, or in a paste to be used in cooking.
Pickling
Much like the Asian practice of pickled fruit, a Mexican snack and sauce is made with pickled fruit. Fruit such as guava, apple, prickly pears, or dragon fruit is left to dry in brine and vinegar for several days. The left over dried fruit is eaten as a snack, but the leftover mixture is spiced up and used as a sauce called chamoy, making pickling a large part of Mexican cuisine.
The traditional flavors of Mexican food, or any food of any nationality, is based upon more than just spices. The local flora and fauna of the land provides the backdrop of the food. Previous to the Spanish invasions, the food of the Mexican region was simple and fresh with no dairy. After the Spanish landed the overall flavors didn't change too much, but began to incorporate the new items brought to the land. In the next article we will discuss some of the traditional dishes of Mexican culture.
Chocolate
It may not be the first thing to come to mind, but chocolate is one of the main ingredients in Mexico's most iconic sauce: mole sauce. The cocoa bean is crushed, ground and mixed with a very tiny amount of agave nectar or honey and added to the base mole sauce. Of course chocolate in a more sweetened form is found in other dishes as well.
Sesame
The little white flower that produces sesame seeds is highly valued for its diversity of use in Mexican culture and referred to as Ajonjoli. Sesame oil is used for cooking more commonly than olive oil, and the seeds are sprinkled on buns, salads, sauces and alegrias.
Vanilla
Vanilla beans are derived from a type of orchid native to Mexico, so it is only natural for vanilla to be used in many Mexican dishes. The whole pod is sometime boiled is soups or sauces, extract is added to ground cocoa beans and powdered pods are ground and blended with sugar to add to sweetbreads.
Tamarind
The Tamarind tree and its flavored offerings are very usual in Indian food, but also in Mexican. The fruit is sometimes dried, salted and sold as a snack. Alternatively it may be candied and added to a beverage. Mexico's pelon pelo rico is a very traditional tamarind snack in pod form, or in a paste to be used in cooking.
Pickling
Much like the Asian practice of pickled fruit, a Mexican snack and sauce is made with pickled fruit. Fruit such as guava, apple, prickly pears, or dragon fruit is left to dry in brine and vinegar for several days. The left over dried fruit is eaten as a snack, but the leftover mixture is spiced up and used as a sauce called chamoy, making pickling a large part of Mexican cuisine.
The traditional flavors of Mexican food, or any food of any nationality, is based upon more than just spices. The local flora and fauna of the land provides the backdrop of the food. Previous to the Spanish invasions, the food of the Mexican region was simple and fresh with no dairy. After the Spanish landed the overall flavors didn't change too much, but began to incorporate the new items brought to the land. In the next article we will discuss some of the traditional dishes of Mexican culture.
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