As the name suggests, Mexican cuisine is a kind of food that originated in Mexico, with some dishes that have an influence of Spanish and Middle Eastern cuisine. Mexican cuisine uses a variety of local spices and other ingredients and is known for its diverse flavors and decorated colorfully known.
Mexican cuisine has a long and interesting history and its culture, cooking methods and into the variety of foods, all blended. It is already 320 AD, a date that is inscribed on a JadePlate discovered in North-Tikal Guatemala. The museum in Leiden, The Netherlands houses of this plate, which gave an insight into the early Mayan culture. The Maya Indian Empire included the regions of Guatemala, Belize, Veracruz, Yucatan, and the entire southeast of Mexico up to the present-day Mexico City.
The period from 700 AD-1000 AD saw fierce fighting between the Toltecs from the north of Mexico and the Maya Indians, who are in the Toltecs, the dominant force in theRegion. For the next 200 years the Aztecs, Toltecs and Mayas fought with and took control of the region. They brought avocados, honey, squash, guava and raised ducks, pigs and turkeys. However, rice, beans and maize was the staple food of the Mayas.
The earliest Maya were basically hunters and gatherers and were followed everywhere where the food was. You could eat well, if the food was in abundance but had sparingly, if food was a shortage. As they grew their ownFood in the form of maize, beans and spices, but also for food with people changed from neighboring regions. In fact, were part of the economic exchange and trade standards.
Maize was the staple food of the Mayas, which was used fresh in salsas, and then made to dry in order to preserve it. How dry grain was not easy to grind by hand, would the women in lime-boil water to soak for some time and overnight. The skin of the corn kernels would burst and expand as a result, the water absorbs.The women then removed his skin and flushed to remove a couple of times, to the lime. The whole kernels (today) hominy, could then be used in a cold weather stew or dried to make just nixtamal. This nixtamal was subsequently ground on a metate and mano to masa or dough for tortillas and tamales. The Mayans used the same method with molcajete and tejolote for spices and other ingredients for guacamole and salsa to grind.
The Mayan culture discourages waste of food, so people saved in the fineFlour from the grinding to mix it with water to make a cool drink. In fact, she only drank water that was mixed with fruit juice or corn flour.
It is interesting that the Mayan way of life changed with location. Those who live on the coast had a lot of seafood in their diet, collected fruits, berries and vegetables grown chili peppers and squash. The fresh foods were eaten either raw / lightly grilled or made into sauces. Consequently, they had a healthy and balanced diet.On the other hand, people with low and hunted upland gathered wild animals, fruits and berries, and cultivated a few vegetables and fresh foods have as their meals.
A number of Mexican Indian food historians claim that the Aztecs were the first, the introduction of chocolate. However, some believe that the Mayan Chocolate, which have been used for hundreds of years before the Aztecs and the Aztecs simply increased its lead as the only drink for nobles, warriors, and for events. Theybelieved that chocolate or cocoa, the "Food of the Gods" and any person violating this practice has been sentenced to death. Like the Aztecs, Toltecs also believed that their kings were descendants of the gods and warriors, and so were the drink just for them.
The chocolate was a gift to the new world of the ancient world, when Hernando Cortes took a piece of chocolate to Spain in 1519. 2 years later, Spain was Mexico and brought several new foods such as pigs, cows, dairy products and spicesWhich had a large impact on Mexican food.
The tropical rain forests near the equator had an ideal climate for the cultivation of cocoa beans, as it only has two seasons, was dry and wet. The beans, after they obtained from the fruit of the cacao tree were harvested and dried, either as a currency for trade with neighboring tribes or ground used to make chocolate for a special occasion. This resulted in the people's awareness of the value of the cocoa plants. The Toltec, Mixtec, Aztec and Spaniards were desperate,Cocoa plant possess the lands and fought against the Mayas for them.
The influence of the invading troops from major changes in the traditional Mayan food, but even then, they were healthy foods. Mexican food began with fresh ingredients. Today, with our advanced food processing and storage techniques, we shared a healthy and fresh Mexican food for harmful calories, minerals and preservatives. No wonder that Mexican food has changed drastically.
MEXICAN DIET
A typicalMexican table has an assortment of foods. Stews, soups and sauces are common, and the food is of the quick pan fry slowly prepared.
Below are some of the most important ingredients in Mexican food:
Corn: It is the most commonly used for tortillas, use the warm and flat laps accompanying different dishes. They are also used for tacos (tortillas with chicken, beef or fish filling) and steamed tamales (and stuffed with vegetables and meat).
Chilies: They are usedboth fresh and dried. The white veins and seed pods are the hottest part of chilli and indeed a resounding success. Mexicans love the distinction between heat and flavor, which can not do a lot of people. Some of the most popular varieties are jalapeno chili, poblano, guajillo, ancho, chipotle, mulato, pasilla and cascabel.
Beans: They range from kidney and lentils and beans can be found in various soups and stews. Small beans are a multiple refrito served fried (in lard,delicious, but heavy) or de la olla (boiled and served) in a light broth.
Tomatoes: These are the essential ingredients for a mouth-watering salsa Mexicana and are also used in sauces for fish and meat dishes. Tomatillos are small green tomatoes covered in a stiff shell. They have more austere and often have a powerful Tomatillo salsa laced with spicy chilies.
Fruit: mangoes are eaten papayas, coconuts and pineapple, fresh or used in sauces and desserts. Nopales (prickly) Are pear cactus paddles fried and eaten as a vegetable, but also found as sweeteners in desserts.
Special ingredients: Flor de calabaza (squash blossoms) are used in almost everything from soups sauces. Huitlacoche is a small and dark mushroom that grows on a bush, and corn is creamy and delicious. Crepas de huitlacoche (huitlacoche crepes in a dreamy cheese sauce) is a wonderful treat Mexican. Romeritos and epazote are two spicy herbs that special flavor in theFish, beef and chicken dishes. Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) are in sauces (like pipian) are used, and at the top for many chicken dishes.
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