Mexico is undoubtedly respected for birth in one of the great food cultures in the world. For example, UNESCO recognized Traditional Mexican cuisine as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. However, the influence and importance of the country’s gastronomy have not yet been properly evaluated on a global scale. I believe that for two reasons: the first, the most popular Mexican dishes internationally are street foods, which has led a lot to undervaluate the complexity of its kitchen; And two, people do not know their food history very well.
How Mexican ingredients have changed everything everywhere
When Hernán Cortés Introduced tomatoes From Mexico to Europe at the beginning of the 16th century, it was an old hat for Mayans and Mexico. Not the case in Italy. Before the arrival of Mexican tomatoes, the kitchen in Italy was a composite Bread, pasta, olives and beans. Marinara or Arbiata sauces did not exist, or, moreover, pizza.
The tomato was not more quickly embraced by the Italian chiefs. It was only when chief Antonio Latini published the first Tomato sauce recipe In “The scalp with modern “ In 1692, this Italian cuisine began to assume the world class dimensions that we recognize today. A similar story exists in India, where native cuisine has been revolutionized by the introduction of Mexican peppers. The farms to cultivate them were established in Goa in the 16th century, with seeds brought by Portuguese merchants. Black pepper was the original Indian spice until Chile’s chili pepper transforms Indian currys into deliciously spicy dishes that we know and love today.
Can you imagine French cuisine without its chocolate soufflés? Or a life that is worth living without chocolate and vanilla ice cream? The so-called Colombian exchange This appeared after the first trips of Christopher Columbus sparked terrible things such as illness, slavery of African goods and the Encomienda system. But that also sparked a sharing of ideas and new ingredients between the old world and the new. Mexico has also taken advantage of the introduction of ingredients like lime, which are now essential to its kitchen.
However, it was nothing compared to the incredible The outpouring of ingredients And the flavors of Mexico gave the world: corn, tomatoes, avocados, chocolate, vanilla, jicama, squash, sweet potato … The list is growing again and again. By the way, almost all these elements were domesticated in Mexico. Corn growth occurred in the Mexican state of Guerrero 9,000 years agowith the first proof of the cultivation of peppers on Puebla and Tamaulipas almost at the same time. Chocolate was presented with the kind authorization of the Mokaya, an Aboriginal group of the Chiapas which drank drinks Made from cocoa Until 1900 BCE. The tomatoes, on the other hand, seem to have been cultivated simultaneously in Mexico and in the Andes region of South America. Considering corn is now responsible for Almost 20% of any caloric contribution worldwide, and 20% of all vegetable production Is tomatoes – I know, technically a fruit – it is impossible to overestimate the influence of Mexico on world cuisine.
Mexico first changed the taste of world cuisine, then it changed the color
The world owes its colorful and passionate reds, in fashion And foodin Mexico. Yes, it is unequivocal true, and fashionable, is attributable to an insect known as Cochenien who lives in cactus plants. Cochenian dyes First, the world stormed via the Columbian Exchange, becoming the color of powerful people in Europe and the color of love everywhere. The red color is always traditionally produced via Cochenians in Mexico, although synthetic dyes have now widely replaced The most lively natural.
This Mexican culinary revolution also transformed the food coloring. Although natural reds have occurred in fruit from time immemorial, it was the use of tomatoes and chilis – long widespread in Mexican cuisine via what we now know under the name of Salsa Roja and similar preparations – which, when they are introduced into the world via Colombian exchange, have changed the palette of world cuisine, giving it a new pink light and
Mexico did not invent complex cuisine, but it brought things to a new level
Speaking of complexity: French chiefs like Marie-Antoine Carême and Auguste Escoffier Receive credit for high cuisine and transform the preparation of food in the shape of art, but I would say that the height of sophistication and culinary refinement is in the Mexican Taupine sauces, which have a much older history and, at least in the 17th century pueblawere made with more than 100 ingredients.
To put this in perspective, no dish in the world’s kitchen approaches this number of ingredients.
French bouillabisses or shells can have 15 to 20 ingredients, but this pale in complexity with the number of ingredients or the preparation time required for many moles. Mole Poblano no longer has the list of ingredients in the arm she had, but generally still exceeds 20 and traditionally takes days to prepare, while Oaxacan Mole Negro generally has at least 30, mixing fruit, chiles, seeds, spices, herbs and more in an exquisite and flavor.
The modern Mexican chief enrique olvera of the renown of Pujol relied on this traditional complexity, making a negro variation of taupe called Taupe Mother It ages for more than 1,000 days! It turns out that flavors never stop evolving or increasing complexity. It is as much a lesson in theory of quantum complexity as of dinner.
Fusion cuisine invented Mexico
There is more, of course. There is a very good case to do Mexico invented mergers. After all, Mexican cuisine is itself a fusion between the indigenous ingredients and the cooking methods combined with those introduced by the Spanish conquistadors and via the Colombian exchange. The first world recognized Fusion kitchen would be Macanais, which took root on the now autonomous Chinese island of Macao, thanks to trade with Portugal. However, this trade was from 1557, long after Cortés and its conquistadors had arrived in Mexico in 1519 and the merger of an entire culture had started after the fall of Tenochtitlán in 1521.
In modern times, it is difficult to imagine a fusion cuisine that has been as influential in the United States and in the world as Tex-MexBut it’s a story for another day, and you already have a lot to chew.
Chris Sands is the local expert of Cabo San Lucas for the USA TODAY 10 BEST travel website, writer of the Los Cabos Travel Guide in Fodor and contributor to many websites and publications, including Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Portthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. Its specialty is the content linked to travel and lifestyle characteristics focused on food, wine and golf.
