Monday, October 7, 2013

Add Authentic Mexican Food Recipes To Your Kitchen Repertoire

By Rhea Solomon


Cooking is a skill that anyone can learn. If you know how to prepare flavorful dishes, you can impress everyone with your culinary talents. An easy way to get started or to expand your repertoire in the kitchen is to learn how to prepare some authentic Mexican food recipes.

Mexico is a huge and diverse country. Because it straddles the Tropic of Cancer, the country has a mainly temperate climate in the north while the south is more tropical. There are desert regions and at higher elevations, temperatures tend to be much lower than in low-lying areas. Because of the geographical diversity, there is a huge variety of plants and the world has Mexico to thank for staples such as tomatoes, avocados, corn and chocolate.

With its diversity, Mexico also has a varied cuisine. There are many specialties typical of certain regions. However, the staple ingredients used almost anywhere in the country include beans, corn, squashes and chili peppers, with herbs and spices for extra flavor.

Instead of bread, Mexicans usually eat tortillas as their main form of starch. These flat discs are usually made from ground corn and are shaped by hand. You can cheat by using a tortilla press, however. In Mexico, tortillas are part of every meal and can be served as an accompaniment or as part of the main dish, with fillings or with toppings. In the north it is quite common to make tortillas from wheat flour instead of corn.

An easy way to impress your guests is with a 'mole'. There are various types of 'mole', of which the most well-known is the 'mole poblano'. Like all 'moles', this sauce contains chili peppers but it also has a large variety of spices and herbs, as well as chocolate. It's a sauce fit for any fiesta and gives turkey some oomph like nothing else can.

Mexican street food varies regionally as well. Some of the more famous dishes are tamales steamed in corn leaves, and tacos. 'Tortas' are bread rolls filled with ingredients like refried beans and pork. A popular mid-morning snack is a 'mollete', a bread roll filled with beans and cheese and then grilled.

Tequila is probably the most famous drink from Mexico. If you prefer to prepare something non-alcoholic, though, the rice drink known s 'horchata' is perfect for a hot day. 'Cafe de olla' is coffee brewed with cinnamon while a fantastic drink for cold nights is hot chocolate prepared the Mexican way, with hot water rather than hot milk.

Most people think of burritos, fajitas, chili con carne and nachos as typical Mexican dishes. However, these actually come from the United States. They're what is known as Tex-Mex cuisine.

If you find yourself in Mexico and love food, you may want to enroll in a cooking class. Here you'll learn how to prepare dishes typical of the region. However, you can also look for authentic Mexican food recipes on cookery websites or in books dedicated to the country's wonderful cuisine.




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