Holiday Cooking!

Spreading the Holiday Cheer! 

When the Spanish came to Mexico, the indigenous people were forced to convert to Christianity. From this, Mexico has developed their own religious holidays, with their own traditions and rituals.

The Day of the Dead and Three Kings Day are two days of elaborate celebration in the Mexican culture. On the Day of the Dead the people of Mexico decorate and picnic on graves of their dead relatives. They celebrate by eating traditional foods including empanadas, tamales, and chicken with mole. Two foods unique to this day are pan de muertos (a sweet roll) and calaveras de azucar (sugar skulls). Pan de Muertos is a sweet bread that is baked in a ring with a tiny plastic skeleton hidden inside, and it is baked during the weeks leading up to the day. Calaveras de azucar are sugar candy skulls that are traditionally bought at local candy stores. Below is a video with a recipe for traditional pan de muerto, so you can make it all year round!

-Hallie 

Corn, Beans, and Peppers Oh My!

What are the Major Staples of Mexico? 

Have you ever had a piece of chocolate, how about a coconut? If so, you have Mexico to thank. These foods, along with many others such as beans, vanilla, peanuts, and tomatoes, originated in Mexico. Traditional Mexican cooking utilizes native ingredients, like these, to produce delicious meals. The main ingredients in most recipes remain the same, with the foundation of corn, beans, and chilis.

Corn is the most common ingredient in Mexican food. The natives of Mexico learned to utilize corn in most every meal, and following tradition, the people of Mexico do the same. Corn flour, specifically, is one of the main components involved in the formation of Mexican food, and in used in foods ranging from tamales to candies.

The chili is the is another staple of the Mexican cuisine, and it’s used to add the strong hot flavor that Mexican food is known for. Chilies are not only cooked into meals, but they are also used as condiments in numerous meals, and are the main component of tabasco hot sauce.

Beans are the third and final one of the staple Mexican ingredients. Beans can be found in 70% of Mexican dishes, and are not limited to the main dish either; they are used in appetizers, snacks, and sides as well. Because beans comprise of such a large part of the Mexican diet, they are an integral part of the daily nourishment in much of Mexico. Pinto and black beans are the most popular variety of beans within Mexico, and the seasoning of beans varies with the person. Some people prefer to add salt, while others like to use onions, garlic and fresh herbs.

Although these three ingredients continue to comprise of the bulk of Mexican cooking, foreign influence has had an impact on Mexican cuisine. When the Europeans came to North America they brought with them new ingredients, which became integrated into Mexican cooking. The Spanish conquerors brought with them lamb, beef, wine, vinegar and cheese. Ingredients from South America, the Caribbean and Africa have also had a profound impact on Mexican cuisine. Today, Mexican food has become a culmination of all these influences, while still holding on to its roots.

-Hallie

Chilies

Spice Up Your Life!

Are you sad? Is your food bland? Does your mealtime lack excitement? Do you find yourself lost in the mundane routine of your meals? Then you should try peppers!

Peppers are one of the staples of the Mexican diet, and give the cuisine its distinctive flavor that is enhanced with other herbs like cilantro, thyme, and spices. In Mexican food, different varieties of chilies are used in to create different dishes, depending on the level of spice required. Use this post as a guide to find which pepper fits your dish!

Bell Peppers:These peppers are perfect for adding a mild spice to your dish. Not only do they add a colorful pop to your dish, but also added health benefits from the vitamin C, phytochemicals, and carotenoids they contain.

Jalapeno Peppers: If you’re looking for a spicier topping, add jalapeno peppers, which can enhance your ordinary tacos.

Poblano Peppers: The perfect pepper to use for stuffed peppers (chili rellenos).

Hatch Chili Peppers: If you’re a daring person, hatch chili peppers evoke an intense spice that is unparalleled.

Cayenne Peppers: These are the perfect spicy peppers that are suitable to salsas and sauces, adding a pleasant spice to any dish.

Habanero Peppers: These peppers are used in traditional spicy Mexican cook, and have a distinct flavor and level of spiciness.

Don't add to much chilies to your dish...a very in your mouth is very hard to extinguish! :) 

-Hallie

Table Manners

Planning a trip to Mexico any time soon? Listen up, this is for you. 

Americans eat according to a schedule throughout the day. I know that I happen to get hungry when the clock strikes twelve and that signals to me it's lunchtime! We tend to eat around our work or errands that we need to do for that specific day, but the people of Mexico work around their eating schedule. Portion sizes and meal times differ greatly from our American times, but the Mexican diet is unique.

An article from whatguanajuato.com explains the diet well:

Breakfast (el desayuno):

• Between 7 am to 10 am
• The average breakfast can range from a regular cup of coffee to a popular spread featuring Heuvos Rancheros (corn tortillas filled with fried eggs, chili sauce, tomato, and onion)
• Popular breakfast foods: sweet breads, tropical fruits, toast, granola and yogurt

Lunch (la comida) 

• Between 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm 
• Lunch is the main meal of the day- EAT A LOT!!
• Lunch consists of an appetizer, a soup or salad, and main course (usually seafood, meat or poultry, rice and beans, hot tortillas 
• Lunch is the time to chat (Sounds like my kinda meal!) 

Dinner (la cena)

• Between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.
• Eaten in the evening 
• A lighter meal of the day, usually consists of soup or tacos (YUM!) 

Some tips for the table! 

• Keep your hands visible, NOT under the table 
• If you happen to make friends during your travels and they invite you to their home, do not be an early bird-show up at least 30 minutes late (it is rude to be early) 
• WAIT TO BE SEATED and wait for the hostess to begin eating 
• No matter how amazing the food is, leave a little on your plate because it is considered polite 
• Only the men toast in Mexico 
• When you have finished, you should put the fork and knife across your plate, handles facing right and fork prongs facing the plate 

Tipping: 

When out with close friends or family, the Mexicans do not normally split the bill, but rather one party will treat everyone else at the meal. If you invite someone to a meal you should plan on paying. At a restaurant the waitstaff receives 10 to 15% of the bill, HOWEVER foreigners are expected to tip higher than natives. A customer can choose how much to tip based on the service of their waiter or waitress that night, but tipping is always mandatory in Mexico. 

Hope this makes you blend in on your trip! 

Until next time!

-Gillian

Sources:
https://www.expatify.com/mexico/eating-customs-in-mexico.htm

http://www.whatguanajuato.com/customs.html

http://moon.com/2014/01/everyday-customs-etiquette-in-mexico/

The Desendents of Mexican Food

Where Do the Ingredients Come From?

Many people love to go out for quesadillas, tacos, and many other delicious items off a menu at Mexican Restaurant. What many people are not aware of is that the African culture had a huge impact on the development of Mexico, especially food.

Some African slaves accompanied their Spanish-born owners, during the exploration of New-Spain, to what is known as present day Mexico. The first African to set foot on these lands was during Columbus' s second expedition. Twenty years later, Hernan Cortez arrived in Mexico with the first black slaves from the West Indies.

These slaves were converted to Christianity and forced to work as household servants. As time went on the two cultures mixed and the different flavors and favorite recipes were created. Seafood dished shared both Mexican and African ingredients. Rice, Plantains, coffee, the tamarind, and jamaica for Agua Frescas, sesame seeds, as well as watermelons and yams, which are household favorites are all African originated ingredients.

Recipe featuring African Influence and one of my favorite foods...PLANTAINS!

• Recipe is cheap and even beginners can cook it!
• Source suggestion: use vegetable oil to fry the plantains because the oil can withstand high heat 
• When looking for the perfect plantain, look for one that has a black peel as this indicates that the plantain is ripe and sweet 

Plantains: 

• Preparation time 5 minutes.
• This recipe serves 2 plates.

Ingredients

1 Plantain (14.1 oz)

1 cup of Vegetable Oil (8.4 fl oz)

Cookware

1 Frying Pan

1 Chopping Board

1 Tongs

1 Knife

2 Paper Towels

Directions

1. Peel 1 plantain.
2. Cut the plantain that was peeled into diagonal slices of approximately .2’’ thick, then reserve.
3. Pour in a frying pan approximately 1 cup of vegetable oil, so you end up having about a 1/2’’ deep oil layer.
4. Heat the frying pan oil over high heat.
5. Put in the frying pan the plantain slices that were cut and fry them for about 2 minutes per each side, until they are moderately fried.

1. Transfer from the frying pan to some paper towels, with the tongs, the fried plantain slices so they dry and the fat excess is absorbed.

Tip: Add lime to these plantains (add flavor)

Recommendation: If the fried plains are served as snack sprinkle some grated fresh cheese over them, it will give them more presentation and flavor

ADIOS UNTIL NEXT TIME!
-Gillian 

Sources: 
http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/15284/mexican-cuisines-african-roots/

http://www.mexican-authentic-recipes.com/appetizers-fried_plantains.html

The Pineapple

"The Pineapple," wrote Fernandez de Oviedo in the 16th century, "appeals to every sense but that of hearing ."

Oviedo may seem to think very highly of the pineapple, but we know that this fruit (native to the Americas) became very popular in Europe and became a symbol of things exotic. Only the wealthiest luxurious were associated with the pineapple. The first European to eat a pineapple was Christopher Columbus on November 4th, 149, on the Island of Guadeloupe. Columbus was amazed by the taste and shortly after pineapples became a main food to trade on Trans-Atlantic trade routes.

Pineapples contain an enzyme, Bromelain, that works as an anti-inflammatory (the enzyme was used to reduce any inflammation in wounds). Bromelain also breaks down protein, a natural meat tenderizer and digestive aid. Pineapples also contain enormous amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, and dietary fiber!

In Mexico, pineapples are grown along the tropical coasts, in the Papaloapan River, in the lowlands of Veracruz and Oaxaca. Mexico also calls itself the "Pineapple Capital of the World" because until recently, Mexico was the most important pineapple-exporting region in the world. 

The big question is: what can you make with pineapples? 
There are a multitude of recipes where the main ingredient is pineapples, but in Mexico a popular fruity favorite is the Agua Fresca, or pineapple water. 

Agua Frescas are fresh fruit drinks found all throughout Mexico. Most of the time the drink can be bought at food stands on the streets or at restaurants. They are served from large barrel glass containers (vitroleros) and are very similar, in taste, to sorbets (they freshen the palate). Agua Fresca are a great summer drink, easy to make, inexpensive, and healthy!

Mexican Pineapple Water Recipe:

Recipe Type: Beverage, Pineapple

Cuisine: Mexican

Yields: makes a large pitcher

Prep time: 15 min

Ingredients:

1 ripe fresh pineapple*

1 to 2 cups granulated sugar (or to taste), divided**

8 to 10 cups water

Ice cubes

* Smell the pineapple when purchasing. You should pick up a sweet flavor. The stronger the smell, the riper the fruit. Turn the pineapple upside down in an empty container for a few hours before you grill it to distribute the sugar throughout the fruit.

** It is hard to give precise measurements on this recipe, because the size and ripeness of each pineapple varies. The amount of sugar needed will vary depending on the sweetness of the fruit, and also your taste. Sugar substitutes may also be used if desired. So - taste your pineapple before adding sugar!

Preparation:

With a sharp knife, cut off ends of the pineapple. Quarter and then cut into eights. Cut off the outside or skin of the pineapple. Then cut the pineapple pieces into cubes.

Place the pineapple cubes, sugar, and 1 cup of water in the blender and liquefy (the liquid will be quite thick and frothy). Depending on the size of your pineapple, you might need to process in the blender in more than one batch. NOTE: Use only enough water in the blender to liquefy the fruit. Strain the pineapple liquid through a fine sieve or strainer into your pitcher.

ADIOS TILL NEXT TIME!

-Gillian

SOURCE:

://whatscookingamerica.net/Beverage/PineappleWater.htm