Mexican cuisine - by food author Howard Hillman

Mexican cuisine

An insightful guide

to Mexican cuisine

for diners and travelers

by an established authority

Why Mexican Cuisine
is special

Mexican dishes stimulate the taste buds in exciting ways. This I learned firsthand at an early age (I lived in Mexico for a year as a kid and have revisited Mexico dozens of times since).

Regional cuisines

There are many regional cooking styles but, you could say, no one Mexican cuisine because of the country's markedly varied climates, ranging from arid to tropical. I discuss the Central, Northern, Coastal and Southern regional cuisines below. For insights on Mexican cuisine overall, see the "National characteristics" section later on this page.

Central region

For themost sophisticated Mexican cuisine, visit the inland semi-temperate plateaus of central Mexico, as in the Mexico City area. A key to its culinary triumphs is that it enjoys a broader, more interesting array of ingredients than typically found elsewhere in Mexico.

Central Mexico has become a culinary melting pot of dishes from outlying regions and foreign countries. Typically, the local cooks adopt an imported dish, then put their own stamp on it by adjusting it to their liking. Still, Central Mexico has its originals. The most famous is:

Mole Poblano - Turkey braised in a complex sauce incorporating dozens of ingredients, including chili and chocolate (though you shouldn't taste more than a hint of the chocolate.).

Northern Mexican Cuisine

This arid and thinly populated area has a cuisine that can best be described as simple, comfort food - heavy in fats and starches. The regional Mexican cuisine has inspired the cliché combination dishes that are popular in restaurants outside of Mexico (plates crammed with tacos, enchiladas, tamales and tostados with tortillas, rice and refried beans). When most foreigners think of Mexican cuisine, they think of this cooking style rather than of the more sophisticated Central regional style (see above).

Coastal Regions

The cooks of the coastal areas - such as those around Acapulco on the Pacific and Veracruz on the Caribbean side of the country - rely more on the natural goodness of their fresh ingredients than on a complicated cooking style. Seafood and tropical fruits are star ingredients. Famous dishes include:

Huachinango a la Veracruzana - Red snapper marinated in lime juice and baked with chili, tomato puree, olives and capers. This Veracruz city classic is one of the world's great peasant dishes:

Caldillo de Mariscos - A thick, hearty soup or stew made wit h a medley of fresh fish and shellfish.

Southern Region

The Yucatan Peninsula is the most interesting culinary area of Mexico's southern Mexican cuisine region. Its cooking influences date back to the ancient Mayans who once inhabited this lush tropical land. The three most famous Yucatan dishes are:

Pollo Pibil - Chicken marinated with reddish annato spice, rolled in banana leaves, and steamed in an outdoor pit.

Sopa de Lima - Lime-infused chicken soup garnished with sizzling tortilla fragments.

Pozole - A chili-rich concoction of hominy and smoked pork. The Yucatan version is chili-hotter than those cooked elsewhere in Mexico.

National characteristics

Mexican cuisine wouldn't be the same without the chili, a native New World fruit. There are many varieties. The chili poblano is large, green and mild. The chipotle, pequin and jalapeno are examples of hot chilies.

Certain other flavoring agents are also popular: cumin, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, oregano, onions, garlic, and lemon or lime juice.

In addition, red and green tomatoes, avocados, plantains, bananas, and other fruits play a prominent role in Mexico's cuisine.

Other Mexican cuisine favorites include the chayote (a large, sweet squash often served as a fruit), nopales (an edible cactus leaves), jicama (a starchy vegetables), cherimoya (often eaten raw with cinnamon and lime juice).

Eggs are widely used in cooking. Huevos rancheros ("ranch eggs") is a popular dish.

Mexico's main starchy staples are corn (maize), rice, and beans. The principal meats are beef in the cattle-grazing lands in the north and pork, kid, chicken and turkey in the central and southern areas. Fish and shellfish - especially shrimp - are popular along the coasts.

Tortillas, which can be made of wheat or corn, are the bread of Mexico - and appear in almost every meal. In the north, where rainfall is insufficient for growing reliable corn crops, the tortilla is often made with wheat flour. The rest of Mexico uses the corn-based tortilla, just as the Aztecs did more than a half-millennium ago.

Guacamole is lightly mashed fresh avocado seasoned with chopped tomatoes and onions. It has many uses, including as a dipping sauce for tortilla chips and as an ingredient in fresh salads and appetizers.

Salsa Cruda is a freshly made condiment of chopped tomatoes, onions, chilies, and coriander leaves. It is popular throughout Mexico and accompanies almost every meal.

Many desserts originated in the convents established by the Spanish. Mexico's preference for sweet desserts, such as flan, can also be traced to Spain, which originally gained its sweet tooth from the Middle East via the Moors. Street vendors throughout Mexico sell candies, sometimes made of sweet potato-and-sugar paste, and rich cakes.

Traditionally, the midday meal (comida) is the main meal of the day and has many courses.

Beverages of Mexico

For me, an icy bottle of beer is the best accompaniment to most spicy Mexican meals.

Before or after a meal, think Pulque, a 12-proof drink made from the fermented sap of the maguey plant. It is enjoyed by many Mexicans, and a few foreigners. Visitors are, in general, fonder of Tequila, a strong drink distilled from the cactus-like agave plant. The aged, darker hued Tequila has more character than the clear product.

Mexico is well-known for its frothy, hot chocolate. It is traditionally whipped up in the cup with a molinillo, a carved wooden stick. The Aztecs restricted this drink to royalty; the Spanish added sugar and cinnamon and democratized the beverage.

Also learn
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