Mexico is a fascinating country that, like no other, balances the abundance of its nature with the preservation of its historical cultures. It is an oasis of biodiversity with a wide variety of animals and plants, home to the advanced civilizations of the Maya and Aztecs, and 62 officially recognized indigenous languages. Such a rich heritage is also reflected in the diversity and enthusiasm of the country's cuisine. Mexican food is considered the best in the world. And each state has its own special dishes and preparation methods that make Mexico's culinary landscape a truly exciting experience.
Basics of Mexican Food
The division of the country is probably most clearly evident in the tortilla debate. Although the thin flatbread basically unites the entire country, there is a clear boundary between north and south:
While the north (as well as the Tex-Mex cuisine of the USA) swears by flour flatbreads, the versatile dish in the south is traditionally made of corn. In fact, corn is used in many places in the Mexican culinary landscape. Characteristic meals such as tacos, gorditas or quesadillas use this basis.
Despite the ubiquity of corn, Mexican food is never boring. Many households eat the flatbread up to three times a day, so many different options exist. Tacos and tortillas are a delight whether savory with pork or chicken or sweet with honey and banana.
Here, too, the balance of Mexican cuisine proves itself once again: as simple as Mexican food may be, with the right preparation it becomes incredibly sophisticated and varied.
Tips in Mexico City
Mexico City not only gives its name to the entire state, it is also the undisputed political, economic and cultural centre of the nation. It is therefore only natural that everything revolves around the culinary metropolis. And indeed: Here you will find an offering that shows influences from all parts of the country.
Even elements that cross Mexican borders have found their way into the city's spectrum: the widely popular shawarma originally comes from the Arab world, but is now even served on tacos.
The culinary magic of Mexico City is that even seemingly inconspicuous restaurants, even ordinary street stalls, serve excellent food. This makes the capital the ideal destination for those who travel on a budget. For the equivalent of around 1,50 euros, you can find a delicious and filling lunch in the form of three tacos without much searching.
Although the cuisine of the Mexican south is generally considered to be superior to that of the north, to cover the entire spectrum, a Torta Norteña is still recommended. The mixture of kebab and hamburger in this special form contains a breaded steak garnished with avocado and tomato. Once again, it's a simple dish, with convincing taste. And at two euros, it's cheap. Even more upscale restaurants have modest prices - at least compared to Europe.
Mexican spiciness
There is only one thing you should be careful about: Mexicans like their food spicy. From a young age, (almost) everything revolves around spicy food, even at breakfast. But this is no reason for inexperienced travelers to worry: Mexicans are an extremely friendly people and often offer their food in such a way that you can either order the mild version or have the sauce served separately.
Mexican cuisine – tradition and world heritage
Mexican cuisine is characterized by many different traditions. Mexican cuisine is characterized by several regional cuisines that differ significantly from one another. In the north, Spanish cuisine predominates and in the south, indigenous cuisine is preferred.
The country of origin of cocoa, vanilla, avocado, tomatoes, chili and corn is Mexico. These plants have spread all over the world. The home of chili is Mexico. With around 90 types of chili, there is the greatest variety in the world. Almost every dish is prepared with chili. It doesn't necessarily have to be the hot chili.
The most important meal for Mexicans is lunch. It can consist of 4 courses. Mexican cuisine is colorful and has many interesting contrasts to offer. The combination of Aztec traditions and new Spanish inspirations is quite unusual.
Breakfast usually consists of a bread roll, sweet pastries and coffee. A few hours later there is a snack, which can consist of tacos or tortilla strips with a mild red or green chili sauce with onion strips, cheese and cream or even a dish made with eggs.
Tacos
In Spanish, taco means something like dowel or plug. Tacos are eaten on almost every occasion in Mexico. They are an integral part of Tex-Mex cuisine, which mixes elements of southern cuisine with Mexican dishes and ingredients. Tacos are filled with whatever you like and then eaten immediately.
Here is a recipe for homemade tacos:
Ingredients:
120 g corn flour (polenta)
100 g 550 g flour,
25 g weiche Butter
150 ml of milk
Sugar
Pepper salt
Paprika & Curry
chili powder
Preparation:
Heat the milk. Mix the flours with butter, milk and spices thoroughly with a mixer to form a smooth dough. Roll out the dough very thinly and cut into triangles using a pizza roller. Prick the triangles so that no air bubbles form. Line a baking tray with baking paper and put it in the oven at 220 degrees for about 5 minutes.
2 different dips for the tacos:
Dip – fresh and delicious
Ingredients:
Overripe soft avocado
250 g Lean quark
salt & pepper
lemon juice
Sugar
Preparation:
Mix the avocado flesh with the low-fat curd, salt & pepper, sugar and a little lemon juice using a hand blender and then season to taste.
Breakfast tacos with eggs and vegetables
Breakfast tacos with scrambled eggs and vegetables for 2 servings
Making Tacos
Ingredients for scrambled eggs with vegetables
1 red onion
1 beefsteak tomato
small zucchini
1 mild chilli pepper
1/2 jalapeno
4 eggs
some Milk
salt & pepper
olive oil
Sugar
Preparation:
Heat the oil in a small pan. Dice the onion and season with salt, pepper and sugar. Dice the beef tomato, chili pepper, jalapeno and zucchini and sauté with the onions. When everything is cooked al dente, fold in the eggs. To do this, beat the eggs and season with a little milk, pepper and salt and pour over the vegetables. Allow to set and serve with the tacos.
Refined corn and apple salad
The unusual cuisine is an important part of Mexican culture. The people in every region of Mexico are proud of their classics. The various traditional dishes are just as important as the traditions and customs in Mexico.
Mexican dishes are usually served with a fresh salad. The ingredients are also very popular as a filling for tortillas or as a side dish for tacos.
The combination of corn and apple is refreshing and tastes good at any time of the day.
In the past, corn was only available to the rich. Only gradually did it become affordable for all sections of the population.
Corn and apple salad.
Serves 4 people:
2 cans of corn
2 apple
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp remoulade
salt & pepper
some sugar
Preparation:
Put the corn in a bowl. Pour off the juice from one can of corn and add the juice from the other can. Wash the apples well and remove the cores. Cut into small pieces with the skin on. Mix with mayonnaise and remoulade and season with salt and pepper. If you season the salad with a little curry, it will have a very unusual and special taste. Leave the corn and apple salad to cool for 2-3 hours and then enjoy. The guacamole tastes super delicious with tacos and the corn and apple salad.
Guacamole
Guacamole is one of the most popular avocado dishes in Mexico and is an essential part of Mexican food. The basic recipe for guacamole consists of just a few ingredients. You will need:
Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
lemon juice
salt
fresh coriander
1 mild chilli
1 small can of chopped tomatoes
Preparation:
Cut the flesh of the avocado into small pieces. To prevent the flesh of the avocado from turning brown, sprinkle it with a little lemon juice. Add the tomato pieces and puree with a hand blender. Season the guacamole with finely chopped coriander and chili and taste.
Guacamole can also be mixed with boiled eggs instead of tomato pieces. You can also season the guacamole with garlic, cumin, parsley, cocoa powder or even dates.
You can speed up the ripening of avocados by storing these fruits next to apples.
Hot Salsa Chili
Do you also want to make the hottest sauces yourself? Every chili gardener asks himself the question at some point: What do I do with the chilis when they are ripe? The hot varieties cannot be used as a seasoning for every dish.
For hot salsa chili you need chili peppers to bring out the typical taste. We can of course buy salsa chili sauces, there is a huge selection of them. There are countless varieties of all flavors, from mild to hot to very hot. But – the homemade one simply tastes better! It is also a lot of fun to make your own sauces.
Industrially produced sauces can be divided into two production processes.
Method: Cold preparation of Hot Chili Sauce
Different manufacturers naturally also mean different production processes. The well-known Tabasco sauce is made as follows: ripe, ground chilies are placed in salt and filled into oak barrels and sealed with a lid. The fine holes in the lid allow the gases that are produced during fermentation to escape. The contents must then mature for three years. In the first two years, carbon dioxide escapes. In the third year, the barrels are then opened and the mixture is mixed with white vinegar. This mixture is then stirred every hour for a month. The vinegar-chili puree mix is then sieved and filtered and then bottled.
Method: The hot preparation of the Hot Chili Sauce
In this process, the ingredients are cooked. The high temperatures are used to cook additional fruits, as they can then be finely pureed. The high temperatures also kill germs. All ingredients are brought to the boil in a large pot with vinegar. The industrial stainless steel kettles are double-walled so that nothing can burn. After several hours, everything is then chopped with a hand blender. When the sauce has the desired consistency, it is bottled.
If you want to make a hot salsa chili sauce at home, it's not that difficult.
Hot Salsa Chili Sauce
Ingredients for 1 liter:
250 g red Habanero chilis, remove the seeds and stems
1 chopped onion
2 chopped garlic cloves
120 ml apple cider vinegar
120 ml of lime juice
2 tablespoon water
1 papaya
1 tomato
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
Ground nutmeg
some mustard
some turmeric
Preparation:
Puree the chopped onion and tomato, chilies and papaya with chopped garlic using a hand blender until very fine. Heat the vinegar, lime juice and water in a small saucepan. Add the spices and stir into the chili mixture. Fill into screw-top jars. Can be kept in the fridge for up to 8 weeks.
Avocado salsa
The avocado fruit comes from the laurel family and is a plant species. From a botanical point of view, the avocado is a fruit.
The avocado tree can grow up to 15 meters tall and originates from southern Mexico. The avocado has been used in tropical and subtropical Central America for over 10 years. From Spain it came to the Caribbean, Chile and Madeira. In the 19th century it spread to Africa, Madagascar, Malaysia and the Philippines. It was not until late, at the beginning of the 20th century, that the avocado came to the Mediterranean region.
The avocado is fast-growing and evergreen. It grows in warm, dry areas. Avocados do not ripen on the tree, but fall from the tree without being picked, where they can then ripen lying on the ground. You can tell that the fruit is ripe because it loses its shine.
An avocado looks like a pear and has a bare outer skin. It is greenish yellow to golden yellow and turns dark green when exposed to air. The fruit is usually hard in stores. However, you can buy them without worrying because they ripen afterward. If the skin can be pressed in a little, it is safe to eat. The weight of an avocado can be up to 2 kg. And the avocado is indispensable for Mexican food.
Recipe for Avocado Salsa
Serves 4 people:
1 ripe avocado
1 small onion
1 red chili pepper
1 tomato
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Organic Lime
4 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
Preparation:
Peel the avocado and cut into small pieces. Grate the peel of the organic lime. Mix a little lime juice and olive oil with salt and pepper. Finely dice the onion and chilli pepper. Remove the chilli seeds first. Peel and dice the avocado. Mix with the vinaigrette and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and season to taste.
The avocado salsa salad tastes very good with fried or grilled meat but also with an asparagus dish.
Another variation of avocado salsa is very unusual and extremely tasty.
Ingredients:
1 bulb of fennel
1 red chili
200 g cherry tomatoes
1 avocado
2 tbsp lime juice
salt & pepper
Sugar
1/2 Galia melon
4 tbsp olive oil
two gloves of garlic
4 stalks of mint
15 g Orangeat
1 tbsp pink berries
Preparation:
Clean the fennel and cut out the stalk in a wedge shape. Cut into thin slices or slice very finely. Remove the seeds from the chilli and chop finely. Boil the candied orange peel in hot water for 30 seconds, drain, rinse with cold water and slice very thinly.
Halve the avocado and remove the stone. Remove the stone. Season the flesh with lime juice, salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar.
Halve the melon and remove the seeds. Divide one half into 8 wedges and cut the other into pieces. Heat olive oil in a pan, fry the fennel, chilli, chopped garlic and candied orange peel for 4-5 minutes and season. Fry the tomatoes in hot oil.
Arrange melon and all other ingredients.
Chicken Enchilada with Pasta
Enchilada is a typical Mexican dish and means filled corn pancakes. It is prepared in many different ways, depending on the region and taste. It is made of filled, soft tortillas made of corn flour, which are served with a sauce. The filling is usually chicken, but can also be prepared without meat, with scrambled eggs, chili or vegetables. The most well-known sauce served with enchiladas is mole. Mole is a brown sauce made of chili and cocoa. The basic ingredients are chili and tortilla. It is also often served with spring onions or lettuce, cream or grated cheese.
Recipe for chicken enchilada with pasta
Serves 4 people:
3 chicken breast fillets
1 chili pepper
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 bay leaf
1/2 litre vegetable stock
salt & pepper
olive oil
200 g sour cream
some cinnamon
8 wheat tortillas
100 g hard cheese
2 tbsp oil for drizzling
1 tsp chili flakes
Preparation:
Wash the chicken fillets and pat dry with kitchen towels. Wash and deseed the chili and peel and chop the garlic. Heat the vegetable stock and add the chili and garlic. Heat the caraway, coriander and bay leaf. Cook the chicken fillets in the vegetable stock with the spices over a medium heat for about 15 minutes. Remove the meat from the stock and shred it with a fork.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Grease a casserole dish. Mix the sour cream with salt, cinnamon and two tablespoons of the broth. Spread the tortilla slices with 1 tablespoon of sour cream. Spread the shredded chicken on top and sprinkle with cheese. Roll up the tortillas and place in the dish to bake. After 8 - 10 minutes they are ready and can be served. Serve with the remaining sour cream. Serve with the green chili sauce.
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