Mexican Food

1
Mexican Food
2
Important Background

• What is the official name of the country?
• When is Mexican Independence Day?
• (hint, in 1821)
• What does the flag symbolize?
• Who is the President of Mexico

3
Food and Culture of Mexico

• Food and history
• The Conquest of Mexico in 1521 gave rise to one
  of the richest culinary revolutions in history. 
• Native chocolate, peanuts, vanilla, beans,
  squash, avocados, coconuts, corn and tomatoes,
  and peppers , quail, turkey, fish.
• Spanish brought pork, beef, lamb, citrus fruits,
  garlic, onions, sugar cane, cheese, milk, wheat,
  vinegar and wine. 

4
Food and Culture of Mexico

• Spanish and Mexican fusion.
• Catholic Church Nuns played an important role
  in the cuisine development of Mexico.
• 1864 Monarchy Austro-Hungarian, Italian and
  French influences.
• Dictatorship High European influence

5
Food and Culture of Mexico

• Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) soldaderas based
  their cooking on masa and local ingredients.
• The Golden Age (1930-1950) Great artists
  Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, José
  Clemente Orozco. Great efforts to interpret the
  values of Mexicos past and increase the peoples
  pride in their heritage.

6
Food and Culture of Mexico

• Key Mexican Ingredients
• Tortilla (and corn) price set by Mexican
  government
• Beans
• Peppers
• More varieties in Mexico than any country
• Salsas
• Worlds largest producer of avocados and asparagus
• Major exporter of chocolate (2nd), peppers (2nd),
  banana (8th), and beans (4th).

7
Tacos and Taco Shops
8
Food and Culture of Mexico

• Tacos
• Rolled, can be soft or fried
• Tamales
• Traditional, steamed often associated with
  Holidays
• Sauces
• Green sauces and moles southern
• Red sauces northern

9
Food and Culture of Mexico

• The Maya World Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Campeche,
  Chiapas
• Isthmus of Tehuantepec Tabasco, Oaxaca,
  Veracruz
• Central Mexico México, DF, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala,
  Puebla, Morelos
• Pacific Coast Guerrero, Michoacán, Jalisco,
  Colima, Nayarit, Sinaloa

10
Food and Culture of Mexico

• Colonial Guanajuato, Querétaro, Aguascalientes,
  Jalisco, Michoacán, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas
• The Frontier BCN, BCS, Sonora, Chihuahua, Nuevo
  León, Durango, Tamaulipas

11
Gusano Worms
Mole
12
Tex-Mex and Southwestern

• Tex-Mex
• Fajitas (Houston, 1973)
• Chile con carne (Texas cowboy range food)
• Folded fried tacos (Los Angeles, 1930s,
  popularized by Taco Bell, 1962)
• Mexican Corn breads
• Nachos (Texas State Fair, 1964)
• Chimichangas (Tucson, 1950)
• Southwestern
• Game and birds
• Acorns and seeds
• Sweet corn
• Incorporate more Native American flavors

13
Tequila

• Tequila is an alcoholic drink made in the arid
  highlands of central Mexico, from fermented and
  distilled sap of the agave (also called a
  maguey), an indigenous plant (a succulent, not a
  cactus)

14
Tequila

• Tequila Myth 1 There's a worm in tequila.
• Tequila Myth 2 Tequila is made from cactus.
• Blue Agave

15
Tequila

• Tequila Myth 3 Tequila and mezcal are the same
  thing.
• Tequila is from only Weber blue agave. Mezcal can
  be made from five different varieties of agave
• Mezcal is produced around the city of Oaxaca (and
  states of Guerrero, Durango, San Luis Potosi and
  Zacatecas). Tequila comes from the northwestern
  state of Jalisco.
• Tequila is double distilled.
• Best Tequilas cost about 50, excellent versions
  are reposados or stilled, these are aged
  about 6 months to 1 year. Less expensive
  reposados cost about 15.