Mexican Food

1
Mexican Food
2
Important Background

• What is the official name of the country
• When is Mexican Independence Day
• (hint in 1821)
• What does the flag symbolize
• Who is the President of Mexico

3
Food and Culture of Mexico

• Food and history
• The Conquest of Mexico in 1521 gave rise to one
  of the richest culinary revolutions in history. 
• Native chocolate peanuts vanilla beans
  squash avocados coconuts corn and tomatoes
  and peppers  quail turkey fish.
• Spanish brought pork beef lamb citrus fruits
  garlic onions sugar cane cheese milk wheat
  vinegar and wine. 

4
Food and Culture of Mexico

• Spanish and Mexican fusion.
• Catholic Church Nuns played an important role
  in the cuisine development of Mexico.
• 1864 Monarchy Austro-Hungarian Italian and
  French influences.
• Dictatorship High European influence

5
Food and Culture of Mexico

• Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) soldaderas based
  their cooking on masa and local ingredients.
• The Golden Age (1930-1950) Great artists
  Diego Rivera David Alfaro Siqueiros José
  Clemente Orozco. Great efforts to interpret the
  values of Mexicos past and increase the peoples
  pride in their heritage.

6
Food and Culture of Mexico

• Key Mexican Ingredients
• Tortilla (and corn) price set by Mexican
  government
• Beans
• Peppers
• More varieties in Mexico than any country
• Salsas
• Worlds largest producer of avocados and asparagus
• Major exporter of chocolate (2nd) peppers (2nd)
  banana (8th) and beans (4th).

7
Tacos and Taco Shops
8
Food and Culture of Mexico

• Tacos
• Rolled can be soft or fried
• Tamales
• Traditional steamed often associated with
  Holidays
• Sauces
• Green sauces and moles southern
• Red sauces northern

9
Food and Culture of Mexico

• The Maya World Quintana Roo Yucatán Campeche
  Chiapas
• Isthmus of Tehuantepec Tabasco Oaxaca
  Veracruz
• Central Mexico México DF Hidalgo Tlaxcala
  Puebla Morelos
• Pacific Coast Guerrero Michoacán Jalisco
  Colima Nayarit Sinaloa

10
Food and Culture of Mexico

• Colonial Guanajuato Querétaro Aguascalientes
  Jalisco Michoacán San Luis Potosí Zacatecas
• The Frontier BCN BCS Sonora Chihuahua Nuevo
  León Durango Tamaulipas

11
Gusano Worms
Mole
12
Tex-Mex and Southwestern

• Tex-Mex
• Fajitas (Houston 1973)
• Chile con carne (Texas cowboy range food)
• Folded fried tacos (Los Angeles 1930s
  popularized by Taco Bell 1962)
• Mexican Corn breads
• Nachos (Texas State Fair 1964)
• Chimichangas (Tucson 1950)
• Southwestern
• Game and birds
• Acorns and seeds
• Sweet corn
• Incorporate more Native American flavors

13
Tequila

• Tequila is an alcoholic drink made in the arid
  highlands of central Mexico from fermented and
  distilled sap of the agave (also called a
  maguey) an indigenous plant (a succulent not a
  cactus)

14
Tequila

• Tequila Myth 1 Theres a worm in tequila.
• Tequila Myth 2 Tequila is made from cactus.
• Blue Agave

15
Tequila

• Tequila Myth 3 Tequila and mezcal are the same
  thing.
• Tequila is from only Weber blue agave. Mezcal can
  be made from five different varieties of agave
• Mezcal is produced around the city of Oaxaca (and
  states of Guerrero Durango San Luis Potosi and
  Zacatecas). Tequila comes from the northwestern
  state of Jalisco.
• Tequila is double distilled.
• Best Tequilas cost about 50 excellent versions
  are reposados or stilled these are aged
  about 6 months to 1 year. Less expensive
  reposados cost about 15.