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Fish and shellfish from Mexico’s extensive coastlines and its inland waters are grilled, served in ceviches and cocktails, and turned into a varied array of cooked dishes.” As corn was improved and adapted, specific varieties of maize were created such as a dry popcorn type or a moister cacahuacintle for pozole (hominy stew). The zapalote chico type is used to make totopos (tortilla chips) in Oaxaca; they are a dry sort of tortilla especially appropriate for travel rations. In the northern states of Sonora and Sinaloa the coricos or tacuarines, a popular kind of cookie or cracker, are made from tender corn from Sonora. Other varieties of maize were created: some suitable for making dough malleable enough to make tortillas, while other varieties have many other uses. When a cook has several types on hand, a specific one is used for a given dish. The systematic work of farmers has resulted in sixty-four native varieties of corn and thousands of types adapted to different ecosystems and preferred by local cooks. Nixtamalization of corn, a process that releases niacin and assimilable calcium, is another important technological contribution of ancient Mexico to the world. Tortillas made from nixtamalized dough have different diameters, thicknesses, and colors; there are different ways to grind the corn used for tlayudas (large thin tortilla with toppings), tostada-like chalupas and raspadas, thick filled peneques or memelas, and unfilled tlatlaoyos. The broad-ranging white corn can be converted into tortillas used in the preparation of tacos, enchiladas, chilaquiles, and quesadillas with unique flavors specific to each region of Mexico. The same thing happens with tamales, as they vary in both form and flavor and are wrapped in different kinds of leaves. In one book there are 300 recipes for tamales with their particularities, corresponding to the distinct geographical zones. The beverage known as atole also tastes different from one region to the next Around 118 food plants are native to Mexico including beans, tomatoes, chiles, sweet potatoes, amaranth, chía, vanilla, cacao, and many kinds of fruit such as pineapple and papaya. Many of them are now part of diverse gastronomies in other parts of the world. Chiles are a typical ingredient in traditional cuisine, used as a condiment in numerous salsas. They are also used as a container, as in the case of stuffed chiles, for which there are more than 350 recipes. They are added to give color to food preparations, and their flexibility makes them ideal for adding aroma and flavor to mole sauces, salsas, stews, and soups. Currently more than 200 different chiles with specific qualities are grown and harvested and used in regional cuisines. Furthermore, tomatoes can be found in soups, salsas, salads, and other dishes. The widespread tradition of hunting and fishing, along with the domestication of livestock permitted easy access to animal protein. Fish and shellfish from Mexico’s extensive coastlines and its inland waters are grilled, used in ceviches and cocktails, and turned into many kinds of cooked dishes. Since Antiquity a number of flowers have been cooked and served in the kitchen; we have counted more than forty of them. The consumption of insects is another source of well-being and enjoyment. Greens from the milpa, flowers, and fruit are seasonal delicacies that are eagerly awaited. Local fruits are transformed into drinks, whether fresh or fermented and distilled. We can mention pulque, tesgüino, balché, mezcals and tequilas, and there are others as well. Many objects devised by the advanced cultures that dwelled in these lands can be found as cooking implements in traditional kitchens. They are made from a wide array of materials, such as stone, clay, wood, calabash (Lagenaria siceraria) shells, and gourds (Crescentia cujete). Some relics were decorated with techniques used even today, such as incised lacquer from Olinalá, Guerrero. There are archaeological remains of a wide range of ceramic pieces, including two-tier plates, steamers, trays, distillers, griddles, salsa containers, small braziers to keep food warm, bottles, footed bowls, large basins known as apaxtles, oven dishes, pitchers, squat cups and taller drinking vessels, strainers, and graters. Although they have changed over time, most are still used today. Two other kitchen utensils that have not fallen by the wayside are the metate (grinding stone) and the molcajete (grinding bowl), ideal for crushing, whether by friction, impact, or pressure. During the pre-Hispanic era and until the seventeenth century, besides obsidian knives and blades, they used maguey fibers for cutting. Within Mexico there are cultures with their own character and an enduring ongoing history. Today when we talk about traditional Mexican cuisine, it is understood to refer to all of the cuisines of the indigenous groups in addition to regional cooking. 28 — Ven a Comer Traditional Mexican Cuisine — 29
Mexican gastronomy today offers wide-ranging possibilities for exploring vast areas where we encounter new sensations and tastes.” Before contact with the Europeans, the cuisine of the vibrant advanced cultures that inhabited these lands was already completely formed. After contact with other latitudes, each of today’s cultures has been able to appropriate for itself and further develop how to use ingredients from abroad. This is the case of the Philippines. Every one of the Manila galleons brought ingredients as well as techniques to Acapulco. We adopted them and gave them a local touch. One example is the mango or the technique for making a refreshing drink known as tuba from the coconut palm. The Europeans brought wheat, sugarcane, cattle, sheep, and goats to the New World and all of these have been integrated into Mexican cuisine. An ancient technical concept that is a constant and helped diminish the human impact on nature is the idea of using diverse parts of a species. For instance, different parts of plants are used at different stages of the plant’s maturity. This technique is employed with corn, squash, maguey, beans, and chiles, among others. Mexican gastronomy today offers wide-ranging possibilities for exploring new sensations and tastes. Anywhere this rich and varied cuisine is prepared, we can expect surprises and opportunities to find out about and take part in new experiences. If we focus on the environment, it is equally surprising to note how cooking ingredients and other products have changed in tandem with the ecosystems of the different regions or according to the cultures that produced these refined expressions. The wealth of our cuisine is part of our identity and is based on natural and cultural diversity. Traditional cooking is present in most Mexican homes and adheres to processes of continuity and change in a natural way. Parallel to this, many chefs trained in specialized schools come up with new approaches and attempts to innovate preparations and presentations. There are also groups that align their proposals with what is currently trendy. An example of this is the so-called “kitchen on wheels.” Others assign new names to ways they attempt to make new enduring classics by taking elements from traditional cuisine that they call new, avant-garde, modern, innovative, contemporary, up-to-date. In cosmopolitan cities it is possible to eat dishes from other parts of the world and, of course, those that are traditional in Mexico. If we venture out of the city to smaller communities, there are plenty of places where we can approach our flavors: restaurants, small eateries, markets, establishments that serve traditional Mexican dishes, and restaurants specializing in supper. For an opportunity to sample food specially made for celebrations, a visitor can try to approach the fiesta site and if he or she shows interest, it is highly likely that the individual will be welcomed as a guest and invited to take part in the festivities. Without exaggeration, it would be fair to say that few countries can offer an array of traditional cuisine as broad as Mexico’s. ■■■ 30 — Ven a Comer Traditional Mexican Cuisine — 31
Page 3 and 4: general COORDINATION: María Luisa
Page 5 and 6: MEXICO IS ONE OF a HANDFUL OF MEGAD
Page 7 and 8: come to eat Mexico n Gloria López
Page 9 and 10: Conquered by Mexico! n joan roca My
Page 11 and 12: Mexican Cuisine, a Millenary Histor
Page 13 and 14: In the same period, Totonac culture
Page 15: Traditional Mexican Cuisine n marco
Page 19 and 20: CORN Maize is the core of the Mexic
Page 21 and 22: sea and desert sea and desert baja
Page 23 and 24: sea and desert FISH OF THE DAY serv
Page 25 and 26: sea and desert AGUACHILE The sea’
Page 27 and 28: sea and desert COLD AND WARM SHELLF
Page 29 and 30: sea and desert the tomato, Mexican
Page 31 and 32: sea and desert Tomato and serrano c
Page 33 and 34: sea and desert Mexican Wine n Hugo
Page 35 and 36: sea and desert 90% of Mexican wines
Page 37 and 38: The Central Pacific Coast THE CENTR
Page 39 and 40: The Central Pacific Coast JICAMA AN
Page 41 and 42: The Central Pacific Coast tortas ah
Page 43 and 44: GREEN CEVICHE The Central Pacific C
Page 45 and 46: The Central Pacific Coast THE AVOCA
Page 47 and 48: The Central Pacific Coast Torta de
Page 49 and 50: The Central Pacific Coast May I Off
Page 51 and 52: The Central Pacific Coast coctel ma
Page 53 and 54: etween two oceans between two ocean
Page 55 and 56: etween two oceans FILLED OCOSINGO C
Page 57 and 58: etween two oceans CLAY COOKING POTS
Page 59 and 60: etween two oceans BEAN ROLL serves
Page 61 and 62: etween two oceans Mexico and Its Ch
Page 63 and 64: etween two oceans Cheese soup at Qu
Page 65 and 66: etween two oceans The Many Faces of
Page 67 and 68:
etween two oceans containing the wa
Page 69 and 70:
t h e NORtheast the northeast Coahu
Page 71 and 72:
t h e NORtheast CHILES STUFFED WITH
Page 73 and 74:
t h e NORtheast Gulf of Mexico; to
Page 75 and 76:
t h e NORtheast PORK BELLY TACOS se
Page 77 and 78:
t h e NORtheast Cabrito, Flavor of
Page 79 and 80:
t h e NORtheast A plate of cabrito
Page 81 and 82:
t h e NORtheast The Navigable River
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t h e NORtheast 6 TH place worldwid
Page 85 and 86:
COUNTRY AND CITY country and city a
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COUNTRY AND CITY FLOATING PRICKLY P
Page 89 and 90:
COUNTRY AND CITY taco placero= Tort
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COUNTRY AND CITY LAMB MIXIOTES WITH
Page 93 and 94:
COUNTRY AND CITY maIze GODDESS ILAM
Page 95 and 96:
COUNTRY AND CITY Preparing corundas
Page 97 and 98:
COUNTRY AND CITY pulque n josé N.
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COUNTRY AND CITY with a white (unfl
Page 101 and 102:
T H E Southeast the Southeast campe
Page 103 and 104:
T H E Southeast ONIONS WITH RECADO
Page 105 and 106:
T H E Southeast tiny oblong chile p
Page 107 and 108:
T H E Southeast fish in season, GRE
Page 109 and 110:
T H E Southeast Spiciness for the W
Page 111 and 112:
T H E Southeast The egg that wants
Page 113 and 114:
T H E Southeast Libations of Fire a
Page 115 and 116:
T H E Southeast 27,619 tons of caca
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GLOSSARY 230 — Ven a Comer GLOSSA
Page 119 and 120:
cream, cheese, some sort of shredde
Page 121 and 122:
are two basic kinds: the one that g
Page 123 and 124:
Arisbeth Araujo FOOD WRITER Héctor
Page 125:
acknowledgments For their recipes:
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