We, Mexicans are very
proud of our cultural culinary arts. The popularity of the Mexican
cuisine around the world attests to the tremendous variety of
dishes coming from far and wide across our country. Love of
Mexican food shows an appreciation not only for the constant
process of search and discovery of the right combination of the
ingredients, but for the great Mexican imagination.
The richness of our cuisine flows from our concern for the sensory
experience of eating, for we know that the taste, smell, and look
of food can enrich and inspire the spirit. It is often said that
"cuisine is culture", and to understand the development of Mexican
cuisine it is important to know something of the history of
Mexico.
In the pre-Colombian period, the diet of Mexican ancestors was
purely native, with nutrition based on the great product of
Mexican agriculture, corn. When thrashed and boiled into a "pozole",
the corn could be made into flavorful tortillas and tamales, or
rendered into flour for other variations.
The diet of corn was supplemented with vegetables and meat. A
great variety of spices, known as "chile," could be combined with
sweet potato, beans, squash, "chayote", and "jicama".
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Mexicans
also relied on herbs such as "Quelites", "Quintoniles", "Huazontles",
and a wide range of mushrooms. Indigenous wildlife such as deer,
rabbits, armadillos, raccoons, "tepezcuintles", and birds such as
turkeys, pigeons, and quails could also be served.
After the Conquest and during the colonial period, the country's
cuisine changed dramatically with the culinary influences brought
along by the Spanish. With the conquistadores and their
descendents came a taste for "cebada", rice, olives, wines, spices
from India, beef, and different kinds of fruit. Today's Mexican
cuisine is a blend of the original Indian fare with the Spanish.
Some of the greatest innovations in Mexican cuisine came from the
inspiration of nuns, among whose activities were to cook for the
monks and priests. In great feasts held in the honor of the
Viceroy, the nuns of the famous convents in Puebla, Michoacan and
Oaxaca attained brilliance in traditional bakery. The nuns
developed many new pastries and covered sweets, including "natillas",
"jamoncillos", "cajetas", and "buñuelos". The most famous of the
nuns creations is the spicy "mole poblano" sauce born from the "mulli"
a typical sauce of the "nahuas" which combines a variety of "chiles".
For a dinner to receive a new archbishop, one of the nuns of the
Convento de Santa Rosa de Puebla decided to alter the "mulli" by
adding other seasonings such as chocolate, peanuts, sesame and
cinnamon just to reduce its overwhelming spicyness.
During the 19th century, Mexican woman played a profound role in
domestic life, their knowledge, great skills, talent and gift for
improvisation contributed much to the recipes which have been
handed down to us. The demand for their delicious dishes around
the world is a testament to them. |
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