Anyone who has ever tasted a good Mexican dish is familiar with the rich palette of flavor that explodes in your mouth. The ethnic dance of spices, herbs, meats, and vegetables are enough to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. In truth, it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t enjoy a good Mexican dish. But for something we all love so much, it’s surprising that we know so little about it. Things like it’s origin, history, and even preparation styles are all absent from the collective conscious of most Mexican food fans. Well, it’s time to change that. In today’s post you will learn about the true origin of Mexican food, some of the traditional preparation methods of your favorite Mexican dishes, and even some bizarre Mexican food items you probably did not realize existed. So if you want to learn more about the awesomeness that is Mexican food, check out today’s list: 25 Things you might not know about Mexican food. And if you are a food junkie and want to learn about some of the spiciest foods you’ve ever eaten, check out 10 of the world’s spiciest foods. Warning, this list is not for the spice intolerant people out there.
10
Mexican cuisine is more ancient than you might think; many of Mexico’s more traditional recipes hail straight from the Aztecs and Mayans.
Source: facts-about-mexico.com, Image: en.wikipedia.org
9
However, it is the Spaniards who influenced Mexican food as we know it today. The traditional Mexican foods (inherited from Mayan and Aztec recipes) were changed as the Spanish colonized Mexico, bringing their own cooking ideas, methods, and ingredients.
Source: facts-about-mexico.com, Image: en.wikipedia.org
8
In the 1520s, the Spaniards imported to Mexico plants and animals that no Mexican had ever seen. These included horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and chickens. Among the condiments that were introduced were olive oil, cinnamon, parsley, coriander, oregano, and black pepper. The Spaniards also introduced nuts and grains such as almonds, rice, wheat, and barley; and fruit and vegetables including apples, oranges, grapes, lettuce, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes (brought from Peru), and sugarcane (from whence comes sugar).
Source: facts-about-mexico.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.org
7
Traditional Mexican food uses all parts of the cow including the udder, stomach, tongue, even the uterus and testicles.
Source: facts-about-mexico.com, Image: en.wikipedia.org
6
Mexican cuisine is also famous for its variety of fresh juices. The abundance of tropical and exotic fruits provides the base for ice-cold drinks sold at roadside stands.
Source: facts-about-mexico.com, Image: en.wikipedia.org
5
Tortillas are the staple food of Mexico. They are made of corn or flour, and the preferred variety differs from one part of the country to another. Tortillas are used in many dishes and can be soft or crunchy.
Source: facts-about-mexico.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.org
4
Tequila is Mexico’s most famous drink by far. It is made from the agave plant and much of it is produced in the Mexican city of the same name.
Source: facts-about-mexico.com, Image: en.wikipedia.org
3
Between 1864 and 1867, Mexico was ruled by the former Austrian archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, who was kept in power by French troops. Though Maximilian’s reign was brief and tragic, French cooking left its mark on many Mexican-style dishes. French-inspired Mexican dishes include chiles en nogada (stuffed chilies in walnut sauce) and conejo en mostaza (rabbit in mustard sauce).
Source: facts-about-mexico.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.org
2
During colonial times, experimentally minded Spanish women and members of Spanish religious orders invented much of today’s more sophisticated Mexican gastronomy. Nuns pioneered such traditional Mexican fare as the candy called cajeta, fritter-like buñuelos, and the egg-based liqueur rompope.
Source: facts-about-mexico.com, Image: en.wikipedia.org
1
In 1519 when the first Spanish conquistadors entered the Aztec capital Tenochtitlán (where Mexico City stands today), they found the Aztec emperor Montezuma quite fond of a drink concocted from vanilla and chocolate and sweetened with honey. This was a native Mexican-Indian dish probably invented by the Maya, which would later find worldwide acceptance in various forms including the milk shake.
Source: facts-about-mexico.com, Image: en.wikipedia.org
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