Tag: Aztecs

What Are Tamales

Tamales have a long history dating back to the Aztecs. They called the tamales, tamalli. In the Aztec language the word means “wrapped food”. They were made in different sizes and shapes in dishes and often served at festivals and ceremonies. The dough was very time consuming to make. The Aztecs would cook the tamales by burying them under hot coals. Once the Spanish conquistadores arrived, the Aztecs cooked the tamales in underground pits, or uncovered pots.

The outside of the tamale is dough with the insides being the filling. Tamales have a variety of fillings which include beef, pork, and green corn. Many Mexicans add other main ingredients. Chicken and pumpkin are also common fillings. Sweet tamales will include raisons and cinnamon. Sometimes you might even find fruit tamales. Once the tamales are made, it is wrapped in corn husks. After being wrapped, they can be steamed in a kettle.

Tamales are becoming very popular in the United States. Fillings besides the typical flavors in Mexico are popular. You will find beef, and another filling that consists of corn that is similar to creamed corn. Tamales are found at many Christmas dinners in the American Southwest. In the Southwest the tamales will have a spicy meat filling that is beef or pork and served with a chili con carne sauce. Tamales are easy to eat, and do not leave a mess. Americans are also enjoying them for dinner. Some grocers carry them in the frozen section along side tacos and burritos. The best way to eat tamales is when just out of the steamer. You can taste all of the spices and flavor. If reheated, they still will be enjoyable.

Another version of the tamale can be found in Arizona and Southern California. It is known as the green corn tamal. Don’t think that the green means that there is something wrong with the corn; it actually means “fresh”. The tamal consists of fresh white corn that is mixed with a variety of cheeses. It is then laid out with a slice of green chile. It is then wrapped in the corn husk and steamed. Another area in the United States that enjoys tamales is the Mississippi Delta. It became known when in the 1900s Mexican workers introduced the food to the African workers in the cotton fields in the South. They tamales have are known as “hot tamales” there and are made with corn meal instead of masa.

Tamales take a lot of preparation to make, so they have become more of a special occasion food. They are common for celebrations on Day of the Dead, and Christmas. Many times, families gather together and make the tamales so it does not take as much time as it would if someone did it alone.

Tamales bring fond memories to people who would eat them all their lives. They are convenient to eat and most of all, tasty! Tamales have a long rich history. If you want to taste an authentic Mexican food, give tamales a try. Once you have, you will understand why many people cannot eat just a few at one sitting.

What Are Some Vegetables Found in Mexico

Americans love Mexican cuisine. The cuisine usually found in America contains typical vegetables you can find in the states. There is a variety of vegetables not as known in America, but are grown and eaten throughout Mexico.

Jicama is a Mexican potato and also considered a turnip. It is a large, bulbous root vegetable with the roots getting as heavy as 50 pounds. Its flesh is thin and is brown and white in color. Jicama has a crunchy taste to it. The flavor is described as being nutty and sweet, with the texture similar to water chestnuts. In Mexico the vegetable is thinly cut and soaked with Mexican lime, and topped to chili pepper.

Nopales are another common vegetable throughout Mexico. It is a popular vegetable to eat during Lent. Nopales consist of fleshy, oval leaves that are from the nopal cactus. Their color can be anywhere from light green to dark green. They have a light, tart taste to them. The vegetable can be boiled or grilled. In Mexico you will see nopales cooked in scrambled eggs and even sandwiches.

Chayote is a gourd that once was the main food for the Aztecs and Mayas. Its skin varies from being white to pale green. The outside can be found smooth, wrinkled, or full of pricks. People prepare it similar to summer squash. It also is used in salads. Because the taste is mild, seasonings are sometimes added to strengthen the flavor.

Another vegetable that would be great added to a salad is the Mexican Gherkin.
It is a young cucumber that is picked when it is 1 to 3 inches in size. The vegetable can then be cut and added to salads, or other dishes. People also jar the gherkins adding vinegar and dill, which makes them pickled.

Many Mexican dishes have tomatoes added. One popular tomato is called the Mexican husk tomato. It was popular back in the Aztec and Mayan economy. The plant can stand 4 to 5 feet tall. The tomatoes are usually miniature in size. When the tomatoes are ripe the skin will be yellow, purple, and sometimes red, but that is a rare color for the tomato. It gives many different flavors from being acidy, to sweet with many seeds. The Mexican husk tomato is grown in the Summer time in temperate regions of the country. It also needs plenty of sun and not extremely wet soil. Once grown, they are cut and eaten raw, or added to different dishes such as a sauce called salsa verde which goes on meats or green chili peppers or used alone. They also are popular additions to salads.

These vegetables and others that are grown in Mexico can be found at food markets and Mexican grocery stores. Each vegetable has its own purposes and make great additions to dishes. It is great to experiment and see what you can do with them. Before you know it, you may be adding chayote besides tomatoes and avocados in your salad!

What Are Some Types of Candy in Mexico

Children in Mexico have a huge selection of candies to choose from. The candies are abundant. Anyone is sure to please their sweet tooth. The candies are not just sweet, though. Many of the candies pack heat! That is right, chili. Mexican’s like to include chili in many of their foods, so it is natural to find candy with it. There are also chocolate candies, gummy candies, and chewing gum. It is obvious that Mexicans have different preferences when it comes to candy. The hotter, the better!

A newer item in Mexican candy is called Salsaghetti. The package has straws of watermelon that look like pasta. They are spicy and come with a sauce to pour over it. The sauce is called Gusano Tamarind. Tamarind is a fruit that is typical in Asia, but widely grown in Mexico. Many candy items contain Tamarind. Salsaghetti looks like a pasta meal, but unfortunately there is no candy meat balls included.

Lollipops are a lot different than what you would taste in other countries. In Mexico they can come very hot. The candies are Jalapeo hot. Americans are used to spicy candies that are full of cinnamon, but children from Mexico love the lollipops with chili powder on the outside. The inside can be different flavors. Mango is a big hit because it offers a different taste than the chili. There are also flavored chili-peppered lollipops. Other flavors include pineapple, watermelon, strawberry, cherry, and more.

You would expect since Mexico gave the world chocolate, back when the Aztecs shared with the Spaniards that Mexicans would eat a lot of candy bars and other chocolate candies, but in Mexico these types of candies are rare to even purchase. Instead, Mexicans enjoy chocolate in their drinks or in traditional dishes such as mole poblano. Sometimes you might find someone enjoying a chocolate pattie candy that may include cinnamon, grounded almonds, and sugar.

A popular candy throughout Mexico is known as Dulce de leche. It means “milk candy”. It is milk-based syrup that is similar to caramel by how it looks and tastes. It can be as a sauce, or as a caramel-like candy. It is simple to make, simply by boiling milk and sugar. Besides being in candy, it is also used in cakes, cookies, and ice cream. People even spread it on toast. It is very popular in other countries besides Mexico. Even Starbucks have recently started selling lattes with the flavor of dulce de leche which is making it popular amongst Americans. Even dulce de leche ice cream is sold in grocery stores throughout the Southwestern states of America.

Mexican candies can be found at local Mexican grocers. Let your taste buds try some new treats. If you cannot find any stores close to where you live, many online stores sell Mexican candies. If hot is not that type of candy you would enjoy, there is also different chocolate, and caramel candies. Give it a try today! You might just enjoy a new sensation.

What Are Some Popular Mexican Desserts

When it comes to Mexican deserts there are many to choose from. Flan is a common and popular dessert. It is caramel custard. The dessert includes rich custard with a layer of soft caramel on top. The dish is known as flan in most of the world, even though it is a French word. Flan is simple to make and usually consists of vanilla flavored custard. You may be able to find them made in other flavors such as coconut, lemon, and other fruits.

Empanadas are another dessert found in Mexico. It is a stuffed pastry that contains different sweetened fillings depending on the country. Some fillings you can find in Mexico are cream, pumpkin, and a variety of fruits. In some states in Mexico, the empanadas are filled with different meats. Empanadas can be served as a dessert and also a breakfast food.

Chocolate has a rich history in Mexico. The Aztecs adopted the use of chocolate from earlier Mayan culture. Chocolate played an important role for the Aztecs. They used it both as a food and as currency. One of the items that the Spaniards acquired from the Aztecs was chocolate. The Spaniards took the chocolate back to Spain where it became the King’s official drink. The Aztecs made a variety of drinks with the chocolate which also included nuts, seeds, and honey. Champurrado is a chocolate drink that is very popular at breakfast time in Mexico. It is warm and thick. You can find people in the morning buying a cup by street vendors. It is also considered a dessert which can be served with Churros.

A dessert found in the Yucatan is called sapotes dulces. Sapotes are a fruit grown in Mexico. It is very rare to find the fruit in the United States. Sapotes have an orange flesh that has a unique flavor of being juicy, creamy and can often be said simmiliar to the flavor of coconuts, and vanilla. Sapotes dulces is a dessert using the fruit and mixing it with orange juice, rum, and sugar and served chilled. It is easy to make and has a great flavor.

Cajeta is syrup made in Mexico that’s main ingredient is caramelized milk. The process of making the syrup consists of slowly cooking down the sweetened liquid until it is thick. Sweetened milk is the most common ingredient of the syrup. Cajeta is eaten by itself, on pastries, and even as a topping on ice cream. The Hershey Company introduced their own cajeta targeted for Mexican food lovers that live in the United States.

There are many more Mexican desserts to please your sweet tooth. There is a wide variety of chocolates, cakes, cookies, candies, just to name a few. Recipes can allow you to experiment and discover new sweets. If you would like to sample them before making your own, some local authentic Mexican restaurants include these desserts. You may also have luck finding them at a Mexican grocer in your area. It will be easy for you to get hooked on these tasty and enjoyable treats.

What Type of Methods is Used To Cook Mexican Food

What Type of Methods is Used To Cook Mexican Food

Mexican foods are cooked similar to how you cook your everyday meals. They can be fried, boiled, and grilled. Mexico has cooked their foods differently in the past.

Long ago, the natives of Mexico did not have ovens like we have today. They would have to cook foods by an open fire pit.
They would hold the foods in iron pots and pans. It cooked like how we grill our foods on the barbeque. Before the Spaniards introduced the iron pots, the Aztecs used to steam and boil foods in two-handled clay pots which were called xoctli. The pot was filled with the food and heated over the fire. Frying foods was a popular way to cook. Many Mexican dishes still use this method.

Today in the present, it is a lot easier to cook Mexican dishes. It takes less time to prepare the foods. If someone wants to make homemade tortillas, there are iron pans that make it easy. Flan can be made simple using spring form type pans. Long ago, it was a long process to make masa, which is a dish that includes a certain type of corn that has to be grinded. Nowadays you can purchase a metal grinder that helps grind the masa.

The oven is perfect for making many Mexican foods. It makes cooking vegetables and meats a snap. They can be placed in a pot of water with added spices and simmered for hours. Bigger steaming pots make tamales easier to cook. You can make many tamales and steam them all at once, making it very convenient. Tamales take a long time to make, so big pots are perfect.

Grilling on the barbeque is also a great way to taste authentic Mexican foods. Long ago foods were made this way and called Barbacoa. It consisted of steaming meat that was suspended over boiling water in a deep pit. Before steaming the meat cactus and banana leaves were wrapped around it. These days, barbequing allows the spices and sauces to burst with flavor. It tastes similar to how the food once was cooked over open flames. Fajitas are great on the grill!

Centuries ago, the natives used what was called metate y mano. It was a large tool that was made out of lava rock or stone. The surface was slightly concave. The tool was used to mash the ingredients. Another tool they used to mash ingredients was molcajete. It was mortar and pestle. When cooking, you have to be able to stir. Wooden spoons have been used for centuries and still are. Today different types are available for you to use, depending on what type of dishes you are making. Some are made for stirring thicker foods, while others are thin for stirring foods such as onions and garlic.

Mexican food has a rich history behind it. The methods might have been modernized, but the food is still traditional. Depending on how the foods are cooked, you will taste different flavors and textures. There are many Mexican dishes to cook and enjoy.