The Mexican cuisine was founded by Maya tribes who settled in Central America (Guatemala) and southern Mexico. They became agriculturalists around 800 BC, cultivating corn, beans, and squash (known as “the three sisters”, see https://lex.dk). Further north, the Aztecs established their own city-state in 1325 and developed over the next 200 years a warrior culture based on human sacrifices. Their capital city was located in a saltwater lake, which is now Mexico City. It was a very unique form of agriculture on self-created islands in the lake, so there was no space for large livestock. Some anthropologists consider this as the reason why they became cannibals and sacrificed around 20,000 people a year to their sun god, mainly in the form of men, women, and children from other tribes (see https://snl.no/aztek). The Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortes assisted the surrounding tribes in the early 1500s to conquer the Aztec cities, thus destroying their culture and eating habits. The Inca Empire was to the west on the other side of the Andes, from Chile to Peru and Colombia, so they were not corn growers like the Mayans; but they brought other cultural specialties, such as ceviche. These well-developed Central and South American cuisines utilized many ingredients unknown to Europe, such as corn, many varieties of beans, avocados, chocolate, peppers, and hundreds of varieties of chili, as well as turkeys, etc.
From the encounter with the Spaniards in the 1500s, the cuisines slowly fused and developed into today’s modern Mexican cuisine. The Spaniards brought wheat, cane sugar, rice, sesame seeds, and horses. Later, Asian ingredients also came to Mexico, especially spices, bananas, melons, and many other products of Asian origin.
The roots of the indigenous cultures are recognized in a wide range of contemporary Mexican dishes, which include the name mole (= sauce), (guacamole, mole poblano, etc.). The indigenous ingredients have also influenced modern European cuisine with ingredients such as potatoes, tomatoes, corn, quinoa, avocado, peppers, and chili. Even when we eat our Christmas turkey, we can send a friendly thought to the Mayan kitchen. In fact, the indigenous ingredients have spread to all the world’s cuisines.
Corn
Corn was cultivated to such an extent that it (like cauliflower) cannot reproduce without human intervention. Corn is today the world’s third-largest crop and was, even before Columbus, ubiquitous in Mexico. It is eaten whole or ground as porridge. Cornmeal comes in many forms:
- Cornmeal made by grinding whole corn kernels; in the old days on a stone mill
o The meal has a short shelf life as it contains a polyunsaturated n-6 fatty acid which
quickly becomes rancid - Cornmeal made from the endosperm
o Here, the bran and germ are removed before grinding to give the meal a long
shelf life.
o If the soft endosperm is ground separately, it produces fine cornmeal that can
be used for bread and pancakes (but fine cornmeal cannot be used for
tortillas)
o The hard part of the endosperm can be ground into semolina, which is used for polenta
The starch from the endosperm can be separated to produce cornstarch, which is
similar to and used in the same way as potato starch - Masa harina is a flour made from dried, lye-treated corn kernels; the process is called nixtamalization of corn kernels
o Dried corn kernels from the year’s harvest are soaked in alkaline water made from wood ash
or lime water, heated to the boiling point. After cooling, the base is rinsed out,
the shells are removed, and the kernels are ground into a flour called masa harina
Masa harina is a bit difficult to obtain here, and it’s a shame because it’s a very special product that is used as a basis for tortillas, tacos, and many other dishes. The lye treatment of the dried corn kernels is known as nixtamalization, and it facilitates the peeling of the corn kernels while releasing the B3 vitamin niacin. 50-80% of the vitamin is found in corn in a form that cannot be absorbed by the human digestive system. A lack of niacin can result in a deficiency disease known as pellagra, which occurs in countries where the staple diet consists of untreated corn combined with a low-meat diet. It is a quite dreadful deficiency disease that affects the nervous system, gastrointestinal system, and skin. The amino acid tryptophan can be converted into niacin, but the tryptophan content in corn is so low that it makes no difference. Pellagra does not occur in Latin America, nor did it in the old days when the Mayans invented the treatment.
Nixtamalized corn has several advantages over unprocessed grain:
- It is easier to grind
- Its nutritional value is higher
- Taste and aroma are improved, and
- Mycotoxins are reduced by up to 97%-100% (for aflatoxins)
Masa Harina flour is used as bread flour for tortilla (small pan-fried circular flatbreads).
Tortilla can be used in soft tacos or tostadas, where they are folded around a filling of selected
ingredients and used as a starter or main course. A tortilla can be completely enclosed around the filling with tucked-in ends like a spring roll and is then called a burrito. If deep-fried
it becomes a chimichanga. Tortilla can also be made into crispy taco shells;
crispy filled cones known from Tex-Mex cuisine. These are fried tortillas, and
they are also available in bags here with different seasonings (look for fried tortillas – not
corn pancakes). Tortilla dishes are often garnished with guacamole, pickled red onions, grated cheese,
sour cream, and a salsa.
Chilies
Chili came to Europe and the rest of the world from the Mayan kitchen. Mexican chilies come in an
abundance of varieties ranging from mild to strong. The American pharmacologist Wilbur Scoville created in
1912 a scale, Scoville units, which still exists. Some frequently used chilies in
Mexico are listed in the table. They all vary in providing the burning sensation in the mouth,
but they also each have their individual flavor
| Name | Scoville Units |
| Red/Green Bell Pepper | 0 |
| Ancho | 1,000-2,000 |
| Pasilla Negro | 1,000-2,000 |
| Poblano | 1,000-2,000 |
| Mulato | 2,000-2,500 |
| Guajillo | 2,500-5,000 |
| Jalapeño | 2,500-10,000 |
| Serrano | 10,000-25,000 |
| Arbol | 25,000-50,000 |
| Cayenne Pepper | 25,000-50,000 |
| Tabasco | 25,000-50,000 |
| Habanero | 100,000-350,000 |
The strength of chilies depends on the amount of the alkaloid capsaicin, while the color is determined by
the amount and type of carotenoids (the carrot color, beets, etc. are other examples of
natural carotenoid colors). Mexican dishes often use a blend of many chilies to
achieve the right flavor. The burning effect of chili in the mouth is not stopped by water, but
by rice and bananas, among others.
Moles
Moles are a common term for a rich sauce that is part of a large repertoire of
Mexican main dishes with steamed, braised, or stewed meat with beans and vegetables. Mole
always contains one or more types of chili, but other spices are also included, and frequently
Mexican chocolate, which does not contain sugar. Goat meat is used a lot, otherwise, chicken and
turkey are the preferred types of meat. The famous “national dish” mole poblano de guajolote consists
of turkey in a spicy chocolate sauce with a content of poblano chilies. Pork and beef
are mostly used minced, e.g., frijoles refritos, which are cooked, mashed beans fried in fat.
Annatto Paste
Annatto paste is frequently used in Mexican dishes. It is made from the red seeds of the achiote tree
(Bixa orellana), which contains a carotenoid called bixin. Bixin is more fat- than
water-soluble, so Mexicans make an extract they call annatto paste, which contains ≈5%
color pigment, of which 70-80% is bixin.
Vegetables and Legumes
The Mexican cuisine is full of fresh, vegetarian ingredients in the form of vegetables, beans, and
fruits. From trade with Europe and Asia came wheat, cane sugar, rice, bananas, melons,
papayas, sesame seeds, and even horses to Mexico. Special vegetables from Mexico, besides tomato, chili, and potato which Columbus took home, also include pineapple, squash,
prickly pear, tamarillo (tree tomato), and the sweet and sour tomatillo (Cape gooseberry). Otherwise,
pineapple, avocado, beans, dessert bananas and plantains, green lime, prickly pear, mango, and
papaya are all from Central and South America.
Dried beans of various kinds are prominently used in Mexican cuisine, with “refried black beans” being almost a national dish. Lentils, on the other hand, are of European origin.
- Black beans go with all kinds of Mexican dishes due to their sweet taste, which
counters the heat of chilies, whether in rice, meat, or vegetable dishes. - Red kidney beans have a more mealy texture and are perfect for both soups and
rice or protein dishes. The Tex-Mex dish chili con carne is a famous example, which
among some in Denmark has become chili sin carne, a vegetarian or vegan
dish. - Pinto beans, lima beans (also called “butter beans”), white beans, etc., are all
present in Mexican cuisine. Butter beans must always be thoroughly cooked as they release
hydrogen cyanide, which must be removed through soaking and boiling. Only soybeans
are suitable for sprouting.
Mushrooms are also used in Mexican cuisine, but not to the same extent as in Asian cuisines. Wild mushrooms can be found, such as the milk cap “indigo milk cap”,
but many edible wild mushrooms exist in America, which are unknown here. From
Mayan times, hongos, resembling an oyster mushroom, has been cultivated. Mushrooms are known for contributing
a meat-like umami flavor, so in meat-free Mexican dishes, mushrooms are a natural
element.
Salsa
Salsa comes from Spanish and means sauce, the same word as mole from the Mayan kitchen, but the ingredients in a salsa are more inspired by the Spanish kitchen than moles are.
Salsa is used as a complement to tacos and other Mexican or Tex-Mex dishes. Salsas can
be raw or cooked, but they are generally served at room temperature. Salsa is very often used as a dip for tortilla chips. There are countless salsas on the internet; here are a few
examples.
- Pico de Gallo is a classic salsa based on raw ingredients of tomato, onion, chili,
cilantro (= coriander leaves), lime, cumin, and a fresh herb, such as oregano. - A prepared tomato salsa flavored with Jalapeño is what you might most often find in jars in
supermarkets here. In the USA, the sales of such salsa have for several years surpassed
the consumption of tomato ketchup. - Salsa Verde is based on tomatillos, which at first glance resemble small green
tomatoes. They have a more tart and less sweet taste compared to tomatoes and create a
different salsa than you might be used to. It can also be made with green tomatoes
from the greenhouse. - Habanero salsa is the ultimate chili salsa, made with deseeded habanero chilies,
garlic, onion, lime juice, and orange juice, all roasted on a hot pan, blended, and
seasoned with salt and possibly a little sugar. - A simple recipe for homemade salsa can be found under the breakfast dish huevos
rancheros
Here are some examples of typical Mexican preparations: