Cuisine
Mexican Chocolate – The Food Of The Gods
Jan 1st
Chocolate has a special meaning and importance in the Mexican culture. The name of “Theobroma”, which means “the food of the gods”, is the botanical name of chocolate and is significant for the importance Mexicans give to chocolate.
Centuries ago, chocolate wasn’t served as a desert. At first is had a sour taste and was served as a beverage by the inhabitants of Mesoamerica, long before the Europeans got to discover those places. The Spaniards were the ones that took the chocolate acquired from the Aztecs to Europe.
The Aztecs borrowed the use of chocolate from the Mayas and were using it to make chocolate drinks in which they put also honey, nuts, seeds and spices. Chocolate was very important for them as it became even a form of currency and it symbolized the power and glory of making Mexico a great empire.
It was used in ceremonies such as weddings and with religious purposes. The Mayas used to add achiote, a dark red seasoning paste, to give chocolate a dark red color and a thick texture and was used as a substitute for the earlier blood sacrifices.
The chocolate drinks were flavored with a great variety of ingredients such as sesame seeds, anise seeds, vanilla, allspice, ground corn, honey and chilies and sometimes with dried and powdered aromatic flowers. Such a flower, called magnolia mexicana, was believed to have healing powers against sterility and it was offered to women to drink it during special ceremonies or banquets.
In Spain, chocolate became the King’s Official Drink and started to spread rapidly throughout Europe. What we call today Hot Chocolate, a mixture of chocolate with milk and sugar, the Europeans used to make it at the end of the XVIII century. Even the pottery manufacturers started to concentrate upon making special sets of pots and cups for drinking chocolate. Today some of the oldest sets are collected and considered valuable.
Originally in Mexico the chocolate was called cacahuatl and is a unique thing that Mexico hat to offer to the world. It got popular very soon everywhere and in Europe even started to be considered an aphrodisiac. There is a legend about the start of the use of chocolate in a solid form.
The legend says that it was Moctezoma, the supreme epicure, who first discovered that pouring thick chocolate on blocks of ice can be served as chilled froth. This started to be a delight and also spread rapidly.
Mexicans usually drink chocolate in the morning and is a real treat. Mexican chocolate is different from everything found all around the world, partly because it is prepared in combination with cinnamon and vanilla, but mostly because they have special receipts.
Today Mexican chocolate can be found anywhere in the world as it is distributed world wide. It is usually found under the name of Ibarra and Nestle and it is produced in Guadalajara. But it is not the type of product that comes with instructions such as “add a cup of water” or so. It is still made with the lovely carved whirling molinillos, a type of manual mixer made out of wood and having the shape of a whisk.
Mexican chocolate comes in different forms such as beverages, disks, bars or syrups. The beverages are made from dark and bitter chocolate seasoned with different flavors such as cinnamon, sugar or nuts. Although today it is not produced as an aphrodisiac anymore, Mexican chocolate it is still the perfect desert to end a special dinner with.
As I mentioned before, traditionally the use for chocolate in Mexico was for beverages. Even today, the most common and loved form of chocolate is as a hot beverage. Such beverages are Atole, Champurrado and Mexican Hot Chocolate and are made using special receipts combined with love.
Most frequently, Atole is served with tamales, while Champurrado is served as a dessert with Churros or a sweet bread call Pan Dulce. Mexicans use the so called molinillo (moh-lin-nyee-oh) to mix and smooth the beverages. They keep the whisk between the palms of their hands. Then, using a back and forth motion, they move the whisk back and forth in the mixture until the beverage is aerated and frothy.
Mexicans also make a delightful cold drink out of chocolate combined with corn masa and cocoa flowers which they marinate and froth. This is an Oaxaca specialty that they call Tejate.
Another use for chocolate is as a sauce. Such a sauce is called mole (moh-Lay) and it varies in content from one region to another. The traditional mole is red and it is made out of chocolate combined with chilies, garlic, nuts, tomato and spices and it is served with turkey or chicken.
The unique thing about mole is that it is not made out Mexican flavored chocolate, but out of a bitter and not at all spiced version of it. Also, no big amount of chocolate is used for making the sauce, but a small one.
Mexican Food – Some Common and More Traditional Dishes
Dec 27th
One of the richest in proteins, minerals and vitamins, Mexican food is famous for its variety of spices, flavors and colors.
In the past, Mexicans used to only eat corn, chilies and herbs, sometimes beans and squash; over the years they have expanded their diet to include beef, pork, rice, garlic, wine, chicken and onions.
Many of their dishes were originally native to Spain. Today, their cuisine is mixture of Aztec and Mayan traditions compunded, but Mexican food is different from region to region; it also has some French and Caribbean influences.
Exotic dishes include spider monkey, deer, iguana, grasshoppers and rattlesnake, I say exotic because that’s how they appear to foreigners, but picking up a bag of fried lemon-garlic grasshoppers at the market is routine for the natives.
Some Traditional Mexican dishes include:
- Aguas Frescas – Drink Made Of Liquefied Fruit, Cereals, Seeds, Sugar, Water; Possible Flavors: Tamarind, Roselle, Cinnamon
- Albóndigas – Meatballs In Soup, Made Of Vegetables, Chicken And Rice
Different Ways To Prepare Rice:
- Arroz Amarillo
- Arroz Con Camarrones
- Arroz Con Lima
- Arroz Con Pollo
- Arroz Español
- Arroz Verde
Popular Drink At Christmas And Day Of The Dead:
- Atole/ Champurrado (With Chocolate)- ; Cornstarch-Based; Includes Corn Meal/ Rice Flour, Water, Piloncillo, Vanilla, Fruit, Cinnamon
- Bacanora – Agave Liqueur
- Barbacoa – Slow Cooked Sheep Or Cow
- Birria – Festive Spicy Meat: Goat, Mutton Or Lamb
- Bolillos – Crunchy Oval Bread, 6 Inches Long
- Burrito – Beef, Pork Or Chicken, Wrapped In A Floured Tortilla
- Cajeta – Syrup Made Of Caramelized Milk
- Calabaza – Squash
- Camote – Sweet Potato
- Carne Asada – Grilled Meat, Barbecue
- Carnitas – Roasted Pork Meat
- Cecina – Naturally Salted And Dried Horsemeat
- Cemitas Sandwiches – Avocado, Meat, Cheese, Onions, Salsa
Grasshopper Delicacy Eaten As A Snack Or Used As A Filling
- Chapulines And Escamoles – Grasshoppers; Usually Fried
- Charales – Green Algae-Like Plants
- Chicharrón – Ram Meat; Pork Rind Deep Fried
- Chilaquiles – Fried Tortilla Chips, Salsa, Mole; Grilled With Cheese Topping; Eaten At Breakfast Time
- Chiles En Nogada – Walnuts And Sauce; It Has The Colors Of The Mexican Flag
- Chiles Rellenos – Roasted Chile Pepper, Stuffed With Cheese, Covered In An Egg Batter, Fried
- Chili Con Carne – Meat And Chilies
- Chimichangas – Deep Fried Burrito; Its Origins Are Legendary
- Chocolate – Created By Mesoamericans From Cacao Beans, Very popular In Oaxaca
- Chorizo – Pork Sausage
- Cochinita Pibil – Slow-Roasted Pork Meat; Marinated In Acid Citrus Juice
- Cóctel De Camarón And Other Seafood Cocktails – Served Like A Piece Of Art
- Caldo De Pollo – Chicken Soup
- Coyotas – Super Sized Dessert, Filled With Brown Sugar
- Empanadas – Pie Cut In Pieces; It Contains Fish Or Chicken
- Enchilada (Red Or Green) – Sauce Of Different Flavors
- Dulce De Leche
- Fideo – Spaghetti, Usually Served With Meat And Garniture
- Flan – Caramel Cake
- Flautas – Frozen Tortilla And Filling
- Frijoles Pintos, Negros, Charros – Beans, Sometimes Refried
- Gorditas – Corl Flour Tortilla, Filled With Meat
- Guacamole – Avocado, Lime Juice, Salt And Spices
- Horchata – Vegetable Beverages
Ways To Prepare Eggs For Breakfast:
- Huevos Divorciados
- Motuleños
- Rancheros
- Jicama – Sweet And Starchy Legume
- Lengua – Beef Tongue; High In Protein, Low In Fat
- Alegrías
- Longaniza – Pork Sausage, Colored With Paprika
- Machaca – Shredded Beef
- Mancha Manteles – Stew Of Meat, Chile Peppers, Vegetables, Fruits
- Menudo – Spicy Soup, Made With Tripe
- Mezcal – Agaves, Distillated Spirit
- Michelada – Bloody Mary With Mexican Beer Instead Of Vodka
- Milanesa – Schnitzel
- Mole – Sauces
- Molletes – Butter With Marmalade Or Bolillo With Cheese
- Nopalitos – Light Tart Flavor And Crisp Texture
- Obleas
- Pambazos – Bread Dipped In Pepper Sauce, Filled And Garnished
- Papas (Potatoes) – Originated In South America
- Picadillo – Ground Beef, Used As A Filling
- Pico De Gallo – Fresh Condiment
- Platano - Bananas Used For Cooking
- Pozole – Soup Made From Hominy, Pork, Chile And Seasonal Garnish
- Quesadillas – Tortillas With Cheese
- Rajas Con Crema – Sliced Pepper With Cream And Chicken Taste
- Romeritos – Made From A Plant; Served During Christmas Time
- Salsa – Hot Sauce
- Glorias
- Tacos – Rolled Tortilla Filled With An Edible Substance
- Tamales – Corn, Sliced Chilies, Meat, Cheese; Ancient Food
- Taquitos – Small Rolled-Up Tortillas And Filling
- Tepache – Drink Made Of Pineapple, Brown Sugar And Beer
- Pepitorias
- Tequila – Spirit Made Of Blue Agave Tequilana Weber Plant
- Tortillas - Unleavened Bread, Made From Maize
- Tostadas – Deep Fried Flat Tortilla
- Tlacoyos – Oval Shaped Toasted Cakes
- Tlayudas – Big Crunchy Tortilla, With A Spread Of Refried Beans, Asiento, Cabbage, Meat, Salsa
- Venado – Meat Of Deer; Low Fat
- Yuca – Manioc
- Jarritos – Spicy Tamarindo Candy In A Tiny Pot
Mexican food is known as one of the tastiest in the World. Enjoy the delicious dishes at traditional restaurants, but beware of extreme experiences; the ingredients could harm a foreigner…
