Fertig - 500 Mexican dishes: the only compendium of Mexican dishes youll ever need

In turn the Spanish brought pork, beef, lamb, citrus fruits, garlic, cheese, milk, wheat, vinegar, and wine. Although the conquistadores systematically destroyed the Aztec empire and replaced it with Spanish ways, they never succeeded in extinguishing the native culture and traditions. Food, as always, is the conduit from the past to the present. Mexican cooking today starts with ingredients that ancient peoples would have grown or gathered, raised, or hunted. Ancient recipes, such as banana-leaf wrapped meats and fish, pozole, pulque, chocolate drinks, and corn tortillas, are still made in Mexican kitchens. Add to that the European influences from Spanish and French colonials, and you have a vibrant culinary tradition.

From the simplest family meal to a high-style dinner, Mexican food still means a fiesta of flavors, textures, and colors. regional cuisines A land of great geographical contrasts, Mexico ranges from desert and prairie to lush valleys, coastal lowlands, rugged sierras, and tropical rainforests. baja This long peninsula just south of California is famous for its fish tacos and seafood dishes. chihuahua The plains of northern Mexico produce wheat, cattle, and dairy products, such as the crumbly white Chihuahua cheese. Tex-Mex dishes heavy on meat and beans are popular here. jalisco Blue agave reigns in this dry region of western Mexico, where the best tequila is made. oaxaca Coffee is grown in this southern region and is usually prepared a la olla laced with sugar and cinnamon and left to simmer in a large pot for hours. puebla Just two hours south of Mexico City, Puebla is where the first mole sauce was prepared. puebla Just two hours south of Mexico City, Puebla is where the first mole sauce was prepared.

Today, every household has its own special version. sonora This northwestern region is famous for its wheat flour tortillas, guava cooked down into a fruit paste, prickly pear and nopal, and tamales. veracruz In seaside Veracruz, fish is the most popular dish. Any fish dish a la Veracruzana means it is topped with a sauce of tomatoes, olives, capers, and chiles (above). yucatn The ancient land of the Maya on the Caribbean coast features foods marinated in achiote (a red annatto paste), then wrapped in banana leaves and cooked outdoors. ingredients In Mexico, with its warm climate and long growing season, the cooking relies on fresh, local ingredients, usually grown in small plots by the householder or purchased at the mercado (market).

Fresh ingredients round out the staples of the ancient cuisine built upon corn and beans, which are often used dried. With larger families, there is always someone in the kitchen to make a salsa, corn tortillas, a salad, or a sweet treat. Flavorings such as herbs and chiles help the taste of a dish, but they also add practical nutrients. Herbs such as epazote not only add flavor but also help counter the digestive effects of beans. Chiles contribute a fiery note to bland foods as well as necessary vitamin C. Meat, fish, and chicken are preferably local and used sparingly; thats why youll find fajitas or strips of grilled meat served with tortillas and condiments rather than a big American steak.

Happily, many supermarkets and grocery stores outside of Mexico now include an expanded section of Hispanic products, where you can find evaporated goats milk for cajeta, prepared dulce de leche, Mexican chocolate, dried epazote, canned chiles, salsas, dried beans, and much more. In the produce aisle, fresh chiles, avocados, and cilantro are as easy to find as peas, beans, and parsley, while tortillas have become so common that children today have no concept of their country of origin. beans Used both fresh and dried. The most common Mexican beans are black beans and pintos. Small beans are often served refrito (refried in lard) or de la olla (simmered in broth). cactus A spiky desert plant used as a fruit, vegetable, and base for making tequila.

Nopales or cactus pads are boiled, then used in salads and side dishes. Prickly pear fruits are made into jams, jellies, and syrups. Blue agave pias or fruits go into the production of tequila. cheese & dairy These are used mainly for finishing a dish. Queso fresco is a crumbly, white cows milk cheese; aged queso fresco is called anejo. Queso blanco or Monterey Jack cheese is mild and meltable.

Chihuahua is similar to mild cheddar. Queso quesadilla and asadero, mozzarella-like cheeses, are used as a filling for quesadillas. Cotija is an aged, hard grating cheese similar to Parmesan and mainly used to garnish vegetable dishes. Crma is Mexican-style crme frache, a blend of sour cream and cream.