Mexico is a country of vast history and traditions and this is reflected in the intense and varied flavors of its cuisine. The influence of the Spanish who arrived in Mexico in 1521 is reflected in Mexican cuisine to varying degrees. When the Spanish arrived in Mexico, they discovered that the people’s diet consisted primarily of corn-based dishes, a staple food for over 4,000 years, mixed with chili peppers and herbs, and served with beans and squash. The Spanish added domestic animals such as beef, chicken, and pork, as well as rice, sugar, cheese, wine, garlic, and onion to expand on what they already found in Mexican cuisine.

The Aztecs, Mayans, Zapotecs, and other natives who inhabited the Mexican land mass before the arrival of the Spanish have also influenced the Mexican cooking style. Pre-Columbian Mexican food included chocolate, corn, tomatoes, vanilla, avocado, papaya, pineapple, coconut, nopal, chili peppers, beans, squash, sweet potato, peanuts, and turkey. Spices in Mexican cooking can include cinnamon, cloves, anise, and cumin, as well as in the herb category, cilantro, thyme, marjoram, and the spicy epazote.

As with many countries, each region of Mexico offers its own unique regional cuisine, due to local climate and geography, and ethnic differences. Northern Mexico is best known for its meat dishes, while spicy vegetables and chicken-based dishes are common in southeastern Mexico. Virtually all Southwestern dishes use four main ingredients, namely the tortilla (a round, wafer-thin bread made of coarsely ground masa), pinto beans, cheese, and chiles.

In the state of Puebla (two hours south of Mexico City) the first mole was prepared. It is said that a group of nuns were asked to prepare a special dish for a visiting dignitary. The nuns, not knowing exactly what to prepare, combined the contents of their pantry in a pot with herbs, spices, and chocolate—more than 30 ingredients in all—and left it to simmer for several days. The resulting mole, served over turkey, was definitely a hit. Today, the thick, sweet mole sauce is often served over chicken. The Puebla area is also known for its coffee and many unique desserts, especially camotes, a sweet potato sweet.

In the Yucatan peninsula, now known as the Riviera Maya, salsas are fruit-based, one of the most popular being achiote, a sauce made with annatto seeds, Seville oranges, pepper, garlic, and cumin that is spread on about chicken or pork. The meat is then baked in a banana leaf for a truly delicious meal.

In the seaside resort of Veracruz, fish is the dish par excellence. The fish served a la Veracruzana is covered with a sauce of tomatoes, olives, capers and chili peppers. Here the tacos, tamales and enchiladas are sure to be full of fish. Coffee and exotic fruits such as soursop, mamey, and cherimoya are also popular in this region.

Oaxaca is popular for being a more “fluid” region, offering café a la olla, which is coffee with sugar (or pieces of sugarcane caramel) and cinnamon simmered in a pot for hours. Mezcal, a very sober cousin of tequila, is also popular. The Oaxacan mole sauce tends to be sweeter than the Puebla version due to the addition of plantains.

Did you know that watermelons are indigenous to Mexico? The story goes that watermelons are responsible for the colors of the Mexican flag. It is said that in the 1820s during a particularly hot and bloody battle in Chilpancingo (the capital of the state of Guerrero), the troops took a break to cool off with some watermelon. When they saw the bright green, white, and red colors of the watermelon, they decided that those would be the colors of the new flag.

Mexican food consists of a variety of food items, including sauces, soups, and stews, and is cooked in styles ranging from quick-fried to slow-roasted. The most common items in a Mexican diet include:

o Corn – most commonly used for tortillas, tacos, or tamales
o Chiles: The most popular varieties are jalapeño, poblano, serrano, guajillo, chipotle, pasilla, habanero, ancho, mulato, and cascabel, all of which are used both fresh and dried.
o Beans: with varieties ranging from lentils, kidney beans and broad beans. Refried beans are popular and known as refried (refried in lard).
o Tomatoes – Used as a popular ingredient in sauces and sauces. Tomatillos, small green tomatoes with a hard skin and a sour taste, are also popular.
o Fruit – with a wide variety that includes mango, papaya, coconut and pineapple, eaten fresh or in sauces and desserts. Nopales, or nopales, can be sautéed and eaten as a vegetable, or used to sweeten desserts.

More exotic Aztec or Mayan style dishes may include iguana, rattlesnake, deer, spider, monkey, and even some types of insects. These are relatively well-known dishes known as pre-Hispanic food or pre-Hispanic food.

There is a difference between traditional Mexican food and what is known as Tex-Mex cuisine. Tex-Mex cuisine, according to historians, originated hundreds of years ago when Spanish/Mexican recipes were combined with typical Texan cuisine, and the term Tex-Mex was first published in the 1940s. It’s hard to be precise in determining exactly what constitutes Tex-Mex cuisine, as it is more of a combination of a variety of Mexican cuisine from different regions with typical Texan cuisine consisting of extensive use of beef. Enchiladas, tacos, chimichangas, tortillas, fajitas, and nachos are part of what is known today as Tex-Mex cuisine, which is now geared toward appealing to the American palate.

All in all, Mexican cuisine is varied and tasty. All Mexican cuisine is laced with spicy flavors that echo the warm Mexican climate. Mexican cuisine is known throughout the world and can be enjoyed by everyone.