An Easy Recipe

The Mexican spices which most of us think of first are cumin and chili peppers; however, cumin is actually a relative newcomer to Mexican cuisine, which was introduced by the Spaniards along with a few others, which we now think of as integral to Mexican cooking. Other spices including chilies, however, have been a part of the country's culinary scene for many centuries, long predating the arrival or Europeans in the new world.

Chilies of all sorts have been in use as spices for thousands of years in Mexico; peppers of all varieties (as are tomatoes and potatoes, which are related members of the nightshade family) are native to the Americas and these vegetables were one of the dietary staples in Mexico before the arrival of Europeans, as they are to this day.

You are probably familiar with jalapeno peppers as an ingredient in salsas and (in pickled form) as a condiment and perhaps the smaller, slightly hotter Serrano pepper as well. There are dozens of different chilies, which make a regular appearance in traditional Mexican food; many, perhaps even most Mexican recipes would be nearly unthinkable without these spicy vegetables. Whether fresh, picked as in escabeche or dried and ground, ancho peppers, pasilla peppers and many others are an essential part of creating the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine.

Some of the Mexican culinary herbs, which are native to the country, include epazote, culantro, and Mexican oregano, all of which are very important to various Mexican recipes. Used very often in Mexican and Caribbean cooking, culantro is largely unknown in the US and hard to find other than in Mexican groceries. Its flavor, however, is similar enough to cilantro that this herb may be substituted if you cannot find the real thing in your area.

Mexican oregano is another herb which is unrelated to its old world counterpart (it is actually related to lemon verbena, but has a flavor which is similar to oregano). Just as with culantro and cilantro, regular oregano may be substituted if Mexican oregano is unavailable.

An herb, which is often used in bean dishes, especially those that include black beans, epazote is an herb, which has a flavor, which is not quite like anything else (though it is often compared to tarragon). If you cannot find epazote, however, simply omit it - there is no real acceptable substitute for this Mexican herb. You may be able to find it in your local Mexican grocery however, either in the produce section when it is in season or dried along with other spices.

Cumin is one of the spices, which we think of the most in connection to Mexican food. This spice is also a staple of Turkish and other Mediterranean cuisines; introduced to Mexico by the Spanish (who themselves were introduced to it by Arabs during the Moorish period in Spain), this ingredient was adopted by Mexican cooks with enthusiasm. This newcomer quickly became an important ingredient in a great many Mexican dishes.

Mexican food is really one of the first examples of successful fusion cuisine in the world. The culinary tradition of Mexico is a blend of flavors, ingredients, and cooking methods from the new and old worlds, with foods and spices native to both the Americas and Europe. It has been a very successful pairing and Mexican spices new and old have made this country's cuisine a favorite all over the world.

When it is warm outside and you don't want to eat hot food, what about making a Mexican salad recipe? Mexican salad is refreshing, flavorful and simple to make, featuring such delicious Mexican style ingredients as corn, tomatoes, avocado, chicken and more. Mexican salad is healthy and full of nutrients too.