Essay On Mexican Cuisine

The History of the Mexican Cuisine

Mexico has 31 states and a Federal District and each has its own unique cooking techniques and different traditional dishes according to their geography. The Mexican gastronomy was greatly influenced by the Spanish when Hernan Cortez arrived in 1521 and by the French During the 1800’s. The Aztecs and Mayan had their own ways of cooking and unique ingredients that we still have on our tables today. Mexico’s cuisine has being influence by different cultures, it has a huge repertoire but the tex-mex style predominates and many people in the US pensive it like that.
The Aztecs dominated the middle part of Mexico, and they used to cultivate corn, it was their staple grain; it used to be ground into flour and used to make tortillas, tamales and drinks. The Aztecs cultivated chilies, tomatoes, limes, cashews, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, and cocoa. Raw chilies and tomatoes were use to make salsa. Bees where domesticated for honey, and turkeys for their meat and eggs. Dogs and ducks were also domesticated. The Aztecs were hunters and fishers also. Deer, rabbits, iguana, fish and shrimp was on their diet as well. The Maguey leaves were popular to bundle food in it and cooked it. The Maguey leaves are still in use today to make barbacoa (smoked and steamed meat) a very famous dish. They harvested the cocoa bean and used
Many of the items taken to Europe are still in use today and have had become part of the Europeans. Many things have change since the conquistadors came but one of the things that haven’t change much is the use of the corn which still plays a very important part on their diet. Mexico has done very well preserving their indigenous roots by keeping the ancient ways of cooking. This amazing food is now famous around the world for being so flavorful, colorful and