Origins of Traditional Mexican Cuisine

After eating Taco Tuesday again, it got me thinking. What is the history of Mexican food?  

Mexican Cuisine has held a history as delicious as its taste. The cultures of Portugal, France, and many regions of South America have influenced the food of Mexico, but it’s the combination of Indigenous foods and Spanish foods that made the cuisine of Mexico special.

The Indigenous Aztec and Mayan people utilized maize (corn), beans, tomatoes, squash, cactus, vanilla, domesticated turkeys, and chili peppers. Additionally, fruit like guava, mango, prickly pear, and sapote exist the middle and southern regions of Mexico, while the coastal areas favored seafood. The Aztecs were also credited with providing chocolate to Europe during the 15th century, though it was mostly used for currency and worship.

After Hernando Cortes came to Mexico in 1519, the cuisine changed. The Spanish conquistadors brought with them pigs, sheep, cows, and chickens. They brought onions, garlic, coriander, limes, paprika, cinnamon, oregano, rice from Asia, sugar and wheat. Olive oil became a staple, too. This allowed people to fry food, though cooking over an open fire or steaming were still common practices. With the influx of sheep and cattle, dairy products began to be infused with the cuisine.

The Mayans used bean paste wrapped in tortillas as a food staple for centuries, creating a dish not unlike a burrito.  The enchilada was originally conceived by the Aztecs who soaked tortillas in salsa, added a filling and another tortilla on top. Many Americans follow the method the Spanish and other nations used of stuffing the tortilla, then soaking it sauce and cheese.

Tortillas are traditionally made from corn that has been ground up and made into a dough. The creation of wheat flour tortillas began after the Spanish had come to Mexico. The tamale is simply an abbreviation for the word Tamal, meaning cooked dough.

Salsa was sold in Aztec street markets, using tomatoes, onions, and spices. It is most often used as it is today, a condiment. Mole, a sauce for meat using chili peppers, nuts, has Indigenous roots, as well.

Tacos get their name from taquitos, gunpowder wrapped in paper-like material that would be used to detonate rock in mines. Perhaps the comparison of the thin corn tortilla with a spicy filling to this explosive brought about its name. Quick, easy to eat meals were necessary for miners, gaining their name, Tacos de Minero. Tacos were a working-class people’s food.

In 1905, tacos would be introduced to Americans by Mexican migrants working on railroads. Most influential were the “Chili Queens”, the women who made and sold street tacos from food carts in Los Angeles. Then, in 1920, Mexico’s popular street food began to meld with American style cuisine, including the additional shredded lettuce and Cheddar cheese that are seemingly iconic today.

The hard-shell taco was conceived by a popular Mexican restaurant, Mitlania Café, in San Bernardino, California. In 1948, businessman Glen Bell observed the long line waiting for a table at Mitlania’s. In addition to being popular, these tacos were less time-consuming to produce and the restaurant was able to turn higher profits. In 1962, Bell would take that inspiration and open the first Taco Bell.

If you want to make your own Taco Tuesday at home or pay homage to the Indigenous cultures of Mexico, who set the stage for one of the most iconic and flavor-profiled cuisines in the world, try out some of these cool resources:

Universal Class-Tex Mex Cooking 101 or Spanish Cooking 101

Access Video on Demand-Cultural Flavors: Mexican Cuisine

Flipster-Get inspired with every volume of AllRecipes.

Check out our collection of cookbooks, including ebook versions and more than 700 online cooking magazines.

Don’t forget to share your favorite meals or recipes with the library staff.

Andrew
Red Bridge Branch