Index » Food and Drinks » Foods
Traditional Mexican foods have its roots in ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations. Spanish arrival changed many things in traditional Mexican culture including food. However Mexican food was, and still is, quite unique, healthy (depending on the region), tasteful and hot.
One of the best things about Mexico is that it is a country with much diversity. Among many things this diversity includes kinds of foods Mexicans eat which varies by region.
For example Mexican food in the north part of Mexico is quite different than the one in the south of the country. This is due to the cultural differences of these two parts of Mexico and their different geographical positions.
Northern Mexico's cuisine is famous for its meat dishes, especially the dishes that are beef or goat based. Southern Mexico is famous for its chicken based dishes, spices and sea food. In fact the sea food is very popular in all Mexican states that border the Gulf of Mexico or the Pacific Ocean.
Dividing Mexico's cuisine into two main parts (Northern and Southern) is robust and unjust because almost every Mexican State has its own special culinary flavor and unique ingredients as well as specific way of preparing food; all of which makes it very difficult to generalize Mexican cuisine.
However, in order for this article to eventually has an end we have to be practical and that is why we chose this approach.
There is no food like Mexican. Traditional Mexican food is not just tasteful but also very healthy and good for you and your loved ones. The reason for this is that the authentic Mexican food is rich in minerals and vitamins and low in fat and calories.
This may come as a surprise to many Americans that enjoy the Americanized Mexican food (Tex-Mex Food) that is prepared and served across the United States. Even though Tex-Mex food has many similarities with the traditional Mexican food it also has some crucial differences such as some ingredients and the way the food is prepared.
The secret of the authentic Mexican cuisine is the use of fresh food ingredients. Traditional Mexican food is prepared with the fresh ingredients and not with the frozen or caned food. Therefore if you would like to prepare and enjoy the authentic Mexican food you should forget about the canes and frozen food.
Of course sometimes we all need to make a compromise. Therefore if, for example, you don’t have time to cook the red kidney beans and the corn in order to prepare the great Mexican Doritos – Bean – Corn salad you can use caned bean and frozen corn however you shouldn’t make a habit out of it.
In this introductory article on the authentic Mexican food we will give you a representative taste of it. First you can find out how to prepare the very basic of the Mexican cuisine – Mexican salsa, and then you can prepare and enjoy very tasteful and healthy Mexican Chicken–Avocado salad.
Mexican food culture is very rich, diverse and has a long and interesting history.
Traditional Mexican food is very healthy and tasteful and it is nothing like Tex-Mex food which is type of Mexican food served in the United States.
Traditional Mexican foods are with low fat and calories, rich in vitamins and minerals and very "light" and healthy. This is why you should eat Mexican food if you want to be healthy and fit, provided of course that you do some physical activity other than driving your car.
Seriously, if you want to be healthy you should eat traditional Mexican food and do sports or some other physical activity such as palates, jogging, walking, etc.
If you tasted some Mexican dish before and you weren't deleted with it, don't despair because Mexican food is famous for its variety of flavors and spices as well as colorful decorations, chicken and beef based dishes, seafood, tortillas, corn-based dishes, Mexican rice, great salsas and many other types of foods.
Mexican food culture varies by the region due to the different geographic position, climate and ethnicity of different parts of Mexico.
For example, the northern part of Mexico is famous for its red meat dishes (in particular beef and goat-based). Southern Mexico is known for its chicken based dishes, variety of spices and exotic Mexican cuisine. The Mexican states that border the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean are famous for their seafood including great and very tasteful fish dishes.
Corn is very popular food in Mexico which is the reason why there are numerous corn-based dishes and salads, and different kinds of corn brad and tortillas in many Mexican states.
Another very healthy food that is popular in Mexico is rice. The Mexican rice is world famous and it tastes like heaven (if you believe in gastronomic heaven). In other words ladies, if you want to make your men love you even more make them Mexican rice and you will enjoy the desert like never before.
In conclusion, traditional Mexican cuisine is rich, diverse and most importantly very healthy for you and your loved ones. Therefore, take the advantage of our numerous free Mexican food recipes and enrich your life.
One of the greatest culinary legacies of the Aztec empire is chocolate. Spanish may have concurred Aztecs but Aztec's chocolate concurred Spain, Europe and the rest of the world.
Aztecs that lived in the Mesoamerica - present Mexico enjoyed the magic of chocolate long before the rest of the world and they believed that chocolate had certain power, which is why they consumed chocolate in large quantities by drinking it.
Other traditional Mexican foods that originate from the Aztec empire are: corn - based dishes, rattlesnakes, iguanas, avocado, guava, papaya, tomato, vanilla, maize, squash, turkey and so on.
Even though in present Mexico you will hardly find iguana served for diner there are many spices and ingredients that are used in present Mexican cuisine which originate from the Aztecs and other native people of Mexico.
If, however, you would really like to try the culinary legacy of the Maya and Aztecs you should go to the rural areas of Mexico. This is because in some Mexican villages you can find very exotic dishes such as roasted insects, rattlesnake, spider monkey and of course iguana.
When Spanish came in the 16th century they brought many things to Mexico, among many of them were certain foods such as rice, beef, pork, garlic, wine, etc. This had great impact on Mexican cuisine and it influenced many changes that had occurred due to the integration of these two cultures.
Mexicans eat many kinds of foods including:
Mexican cuisine is very diverse and it varies by the region. For example the Northern Mexico is famous for its red-meat industry and its goat and beef based dishes.
The Southern Mexico's cuisine is famous for its spices and chicken based dishes; and the seafood is very popular in all Mexican states that border the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
Traditional Mexican foods are very rich in vitamins and minerals and they are with low fat and calories. The reason for this is that traditional Mexican foods are freshly prepared using freshly harvested vegetables, which is not the case with the Americanized Mexican food known as Tex-Mex food.
This is why people from the United States that visit Mexico are almost always surprised with the kinds of foods Mexican eat because it is nothing like the Mexican food in the U.S.
Big part of Mexican cuisine is corn and rice. For many centuries Mexicans have used corn for making the bread, tortillas, salsas, salads and even drinks. Mexican rice is world-famous and enjoyed in many countries as great Mexican specialty.
Corn and rice are very healthy foods and the fact that they are so much used in the Mexican cuisine is one of the reasons why the traditional Mexican food is very healthy and good for you and your loved ones.
Mexican cuisine is very rich and diverse.
It is for this reason that in different areas of Mexico different food is popular. In other words there is typical food for every Mexican region.
Mexican cuisine can be divided into Northern, Southern, Central and ocean bordering Mexican states. Even though this categorization is robust, due to the much more complex and elaborated Mexican cuisine, it is practical and a good introduction to Mexican food.
Northern part of Mexico is famous for its red-meat production which is why beef and goat based dishes are the Northern Mexican cuisine's trademark.
In some Northern Mexican towns that are close to the Mexican-United States border there is so called Tex-Mex food (Americanized Mexican food).
However important thing to note is that most of the Northern part of Mexico, as well as the rest of Mexico, is preparing food in a traditional Mexican way which is far more healthy than the way Mexican food is prepared in the U.S.
Typical Mexican food in the Southern Mexico is chicken and turkey. The south is also famous for its variety of spices and very special way of preparing the seafood; which is also the case with the Mexican states that border the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.
Central Mexico is especially interesting for its exotic dishes such as the rattlesnake, iguanas, ant-eggs, spider monkey, roasted insects and many other kinds of ancient Aztec and Mayan foods.
A side from regional differences in food which is mostly due to the different geographical position and climate, there are many Mexican foods that are common and popular in entire Mexico. Some of them are: corn-based dishes, tortillas, salsas, Mexican rice, spices, freshly prepared vegetables, Mexican salads and so on.
Traditional Mexican recipes have been around for many centuries.
The fact that they survived so many years and are still very popular inside and outside of Mexico is the best representative of their quality.
Traditional Mexican food is very healthy and different from the Mexican food that is prepared and served in the United States and Europe. In fact, Mexican food in the U.S has a special name (Tex-Mex) and is very rich in fat and calories which is not the case with the authentic Mexican food.
Authentic Mexican food is rich in fresh ingredients, especially vegetables. The best evidence of this are numerous Mexican Salsa Recipes as well as the Mexican Salads that are very popular in Mexico and beyond.
There are many Mexican salads that make a tasteful, fresh and healthy meal. Examples of these great Mexican salads are: Black Bean-Corn Salad, Mayan Crab Salad, Mexican Caesar Salad, Grilled Fajitas Salad, Carnitas Salad, Avocado-Tomato Salad, Seafood Salad and so on.
Mexican Taco Salad doesn't need to be rich in calories and fat, which is the case with the Taco salad based on red meat such as beef. Authentic Mexican "Taco" salads can be made with turkey, chicken or they can be vegetarian.
Mexico is one of the best places on the Earth for the vegetarians due to the many kinds of vegetarian foods that is prepared and enjoyed across the Mexico. Aside from great Mexican vegetarian salads there are many other types of traditional Mexican foods that are vegetarian as well.
Of course people that love meat and animal products won't be disappointed if they come to Mexico. This is because Mexican cuisine is very diverse and has to offer almost every type of food that exists, including the exotic food such as rattlesnake or ant's eggs, meat-based dishes, seafood, salads, cakes, cookies and so on.
Due to the long history of Mexican food Mexicans had a lot of time to improve and enrich their recipes. One particular thing that they have found is that fresh food ingredients that are freshly prepared result in very tasteful meal. Of course these kinds of meals, a side from tasting great, are also very healthy.
If you want to eat healthy but also tasteful food you should definitely take the advantage of our many free traditional Mexican recipes such as the Mexican Chicken Recipes because the chicken meet is much healthier than any red meet such as beef, pork or even sheep.
When the chicken was introduced to Mexicans by the Spanish colonist they incorporated it into their cuisine and produced some of the best chicken based meals in the world.
The evidence of this is the Mexican Chicken Casserole that is enjoyed in the United States, European Union and many other countries in the World.
Rice is another food that is introduced to Mexican people by the Spanish at the begging of the 16th century. Mexicans incorporated rice into their cuisine which is rich in spices and other ingredients and the result is world-famous Mexican Rice.
Mexican rice recipes as well as other traditional Mexican recipes have very high demand which is the best representative of the quality and popularity of Mexican food worldwide.
In conclusion, Traditional Mexican cuisine is very unique, tasteful and healthy which are all the great reasons for you to try it and share it with your loved ones.
The last big influence on Mexican cuisine is done by the American culture which caused Mexican cuisine in the United States to be rich in fat and less healthy.
In fact there is a special name for this type of Mexican food - "TexMex" (Texan-Mexican). Authentic Mexican food that is Americanized (Taco Bell) is very popular across the United States and many people enjoy it even though it is not the healthier food around.
On the other side, there are many benefits, regarding health, when traditional Mexican foods are used in diet. This is because authentic Mexican food is rich in vitamins with low calories and fat. Therefore if you would like to get in shape you should consider low fat Mexican foods as your diet.
I have been a fan of Mexican food for a very long time, which is over 20 years.
We, in United States, have numerous Mexican restaurants all over the country, and thank God for that because Mexican cuisine is very tasteful, and with various flavors and spices.
I love spicy food, which is probably one of the main reasons why I love the Mexican food in the first place. Mexicans have many different types of spices or different kinds of Chili powders, as Mexicans like to call it.
My favorite chili powder is the Chipotle, which is used to make Mexican Adobo sauce (great sauce, you have to try it). Other very good Mexican chili powders are the cilantro, cumin, anocho and many others.
If you like hot food, but not too spicy, there is nothing to worry about because there is more than one Mexican chili powder which is medium hot, but very piquant, such as the pasilla chili powder.
Tex-Mex food, in general, was my favorite food until I visited Mexico for the first time. I've been in many Mexican restaurants in U.S and believed that I knew all about the Mexican food.
I even bragged about it frequently. Of course I was more than wrong, and remembering about it makes me feel embarrassed.
Anyways, my first trip to Mexico opened my eyes, and I realized that the traditional Mexican food is so different than the one served back home.
I couldn't even believe the difference in taste of certain Mexican meals that are called the same, in Mexico and United States, but in reality had almost nothing in common.
Mexicans use mostly fresh ingredients in their authentic cuisine. The way they prepare their food is unique and different from the way the food is prepared in most of the Mexican restaurants in United States.
In short, the authentic Mexican food is low in fat and calories (which is not the case with Mexican food served in U.S) and rich in vitamins and minerals.
This is the reason why Mexican food is so healthy and good for us. Therefore, next time you go to the Mexican restaurant in U.S. make sure they serve you the authentic Mexican food because it tastes better and you'll live longer.
Mexican restaurants are very popular all over the world due to their tasteful traditional Mexican cuisine and authentic Mexican preparation of fresh and healthy foods.
The type of the Mexican food that would most likely be served to you depends a lot on where you are. For example, if you live close to the Mexican - United States border you are most definitely to be served the Tex-Mex food in one of the El Toro restaurants or some other restaurant alike.
If however, you go to the Mexican food restaurant in Mexico you would be surprised how different Mexican food is in Mexico than the one served in the United States, Canada or even Europe. This is because in Mexico foods that are used as ingredients are mostly fresh and organic which makes the meal much more tasteful and healthier of course.
On the other side if you live in a big metropolis such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Paris, Madrid, Moscow, or Vancouver you have many Mexican food restaurants to choose from. In other words you can have the traditional and authentic Mexican food or you can have the Americanized (Tex-Mex) Mexican food or something in between.
Therefore first thing you need to know is that there are many types of restaurants that serve Mexican food. Some of them serve the Americanized Mexican food (Tex-Mex food) some serve the Authentic Mexican food and of course there are many order restaurants that prepare and serve Mexican food that can be placed somewhere in between these two categories.
Second thing you should know is that all Mexican food is tasteful and that there is a very high probability that you will enjoy most of the Mexican meals. This is why if you never had Mexican food there is no reason for you not to try it.
Mexican food history is very rich and diverse. So much so that even the experts on Mexican cuisine admit that they don't know everything about the traditional Mexican foods.
This is because in every region in Mexico there is a special way of preparing food and also because in different parts of Mexico different ingredients are used.
Also, even in the same Mexican region there are numerous variations when it comes to food preparation which makes it impossible to know everything about Mexican cuisine.
Some family recipes that can be tasted in certain Mexican restaurants are guarded as a secret for over a hundred of years and many other are still not discovered (publicly exploited).
Every traditional Mexican family has its own authentic Mexican recipes and some of those families decided to share their secrets with others by opening restaurants. Thanks to those families you have a chance to taste and enjoy great Mexican cuisine in many restaurants across the United States, Canada, Europe and the rest of the World.
Some of the restaurants that serve authentic Mexican food are: La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant, El Cholo Mex-Restaurant, Pepe's Mexican Food Restaurant, Ricardo's Mexican Restaurant, etc.
El Toro Mexican Restaurant is specialized in Tex-Mex food and it has 50 year long tradition. Therefore if you love the Tex-Mex food the Restaurant El Toro is the right place for you.
There are many other restaurants that have a good reputation for their great Mexican food. Some of them are not as famous as the ones that are numbered above, but that doesn't mean that they don't serve good and authentic Mexican food.