Right from the times of the Mayans, with some strong influence from Spanish

conquistadors, Mexican food culture has evolved into a unique blend of contemporary
and timeless cuisine.

Did You Know?

The national dish of Mexico is ‘Mole Sauce’; a sauce whose main ingredients are, onion and
garlic combined with exotic spices and herbs like black pepper, cumin, cloves, chilly, tomatoes
and ground nuts or sesame seeds stewed with chocolate or dry fruits.

The deep connection between the heritage and culture of a place and its food is undeniably one
that lends some credence to the saying ‘What you eat is who you are’. For us laymen to deduce a
country’s identity by studying what their culinary habits are seems a little far fetched, but believe
it or not, there are plenty of experts and analysts who have dedicated their lives to studying this
correlation. Mexican cuisine stems from a long and varied history and throws a lot of light on
some of the turbulent times this culture has had to face.

Mexican food and culture has had a long standing symbiotic relationship of sorts that adds tremendous
personality to the study of this fascinating race. The study of Mexican history and its culinary culture
goes hand in hand, and it would be a fairly tough endeavor to carry out one without the other. The origins
of Mexican cuisine can be traced back to the Mayan civilization, who firmly believed that the richness of
food can enrich the spirit and body of a person through various sensory perceptions like taste, smell, and
touch.

Traditional Mexican Meal

Traditional Mexican meals include a wide use of chocolates, peanuts, tomatoes, beans, and
vanilla. Combining this with the specialty cuisines of European conquerors (namely the Spanish)
including wine, cheese, pork, beef, and lamb, Mexicans have created a food culture that
combines the elegance of folklore and the pragmatism of modernity. It is widely believed that
Mexican food is extremely spicy, but this is true only to a certain extent.

History of Mayan Indians

Southeast Mexico was inhabited by the Mayan Indians many years ago, and their basic eating
habits were based on the fact that they were primarily nomadic hunters by nature. As a result,
they lived off the land and regularly consumed animals that roamed those lands during that time.

Food Culture of Mexican Mayans

Mexican food at the time simply consisted of the meat of rabbits, deer, raccoons, and armadillos.
Birds were considered a delicacy and pigeons, turkeys, and quail were regularly devoured.
Sometimes even frogs, snakes, and turtles would not be spared. These meat delicacies were
perfectly complemented by land grown vegetables, corn, tropical fruits, and beans. Corn was a
basic supplement, as it was widely grown in all the settlements of the Mayans, thus, becoming an
integral part of the culture.

Mexican food and culture of this time aimed at complete nutrition and nourishment of the body
by providing it with all the necessary minerals and amino acids.

Pre-Columbian Era
The immediate period before European conquest of the land was known as the pre-Columbian
era in the history of Mexico. The diet at this time was also significantly influenced by entirely
native ingredients.

Food Culture of Pre-Columbian Mexican

Period
Corn, the staple diet of Mexicans, formed a part of all their meals in some manner. Along with
corn, mushrooms also saw a surge in their popularity in the diet of Mexicans at the time. Meat
products were always consumed with great vigor, and formed an integral part of Mexican food
culture. The emergence of ‘chilly’ was a prominent event in the culinary preferences of
Mexicans in the pre-Columbian era.

But then the Spanish conquistadors came along and changed everything.

The Spanish Era

The Spanish contingent arrived in Mexico in 1521 and altered the culture of food in the area
completely.

Food Culture in Mexico After the Conquest

The Spanish brought with them the huge force of livestock which changed the composition of
meat in the Mexican culture food completely. Along with these new sources of meat the Spanish
also introduced various spices, garlic, rice, wheat, barley and wine to the Mexican culture. Just as
the pre-Colombian era added an important factor of “chilly” to the Mexican cuisine, Spanish era
gave the cuisine, the technique of frying which was never practiced before.

However, many experts have suggested that the influence of Spanish food may not have been as
profound on Mexican food as has been assumed. This stems primarily from the huge differences
between the personalities, attitudes, and environment of the two cultures.

Food Culture of Present Day Mexico

The long line of evolution of Mexican food has culminated in a very diverse range of foods
being served in contemporary Mexican culture today. Combining the traditional and native
ingredients, with the more modern ingredients of Europeans, Mexican food has found a unique
character to it that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world. There are minor
discrepancies in tastes and preferences that do occur from region to region, but this is something
that is perfectly understandable, and it happens in almost all countries across the world.

Mexican Beverages
Popular beverages that are consumed all over Mexico are atole, tejuino, pozol, hibiscus iced tea,
horchata. While the first three are made from corn, hibiscus iced tea is made from, as the name
suggests, hibiscus and horchata is made from rice. Along with these regular beverages, most
common alcoholic beverages are beer and tequila.

Mexican Street Food

Mexico’s food culture is not, and can never be, complete without its street food. The unique yet
varied food recipes available in Mexico has played an important role in the growth of Mexico as
a tourist destination. The most popular and the best known street food delicacy is taco. Other
recipes include, quesadillas, barbacoa, alambres, tamales etc.

The history of Mexican cuisine is as varied and rich as the history of the land itself. There are so
many delicious and lip-smacking, finger-licking, recipes cooked all across the country, that to
place them all in a single compilation would be a tough task. The constantly changing times and
influences on the culture have led to many revolutions in the cuisine as well, and all this has lent
a personality to the food culture that is truly unique in nature.

Considering its uniqueness, and its influence on cultural and social facets on Mexican society and the
world, UNESCO, in 2010, inducted traditional Mexican cuisine to the Representative List of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

TRANSLATE

Tahukah kamu?
Hidangan nasional Meksiko adalah 'Mole Sauce'; saus yang bahan utamanya adalah bawang
merah dan bawang putih yang dipadukan dengan rempah-rempah dan rempah-rempah eksotis
seperti lada hitam, jintan, cengkeh, cabai, tomat dan kacang tanah atau biji wijen yang direbus
dengan coklat atau buah-buahan kering.
Hubungan mendalam antara warisan dan budaya suatu tempat dan makanannya tidak dapat
disangkal lagi adalah salah satu yang memberikan kepercayaan pada pepatah ' What you eat is who
you are (Apa yang Anda makan adalah siapa Anda)'. Bagi kita orang awam untuk menyimpulkan
identitas suatu negara dengan mempelajari apa kebiasaan kuliner mereka tampaknya sedikit
dibuat-buat, tetapi percaya atau tidak, ada banyak ahli dan analis yang telah mendedikasikan
hidup mereka untuk mempelajari korelasi ini. Masakan Meksiko berasal dari sejarah yang
panjang dan beragam dan menyoroti beberapa masa pergolakan yang harus dihadapi budaya ini.
Makanan dan budaya Meksiko telah memiliki hubungan simbiosis jangka panjang yang
menambah kepribadian luar biasa untuk mempelajari ras yang menarik ini. Studi tentang sejarah
Meksiko dan budaya kulinernya berjalan beriringan, dan itu akan menjadi upaya yang cukup
sulit untuk dilakukan satu tanpa yang lain. Asal-usul masakan Meksiko dapat ditelusuri kembali
ke peradaban Maya, yang sangat percaya bahwa kekayaan makanan dapat memperkaya jiwa dan
tubuh seseorang melalui berbagai persepsi indera seperti rasa, bau, dan sentuhan.

Makanan Tradisional Meksiko

Makanan tradisional Meksiko mencakup banyak penggunaan cokelat, kacang tanah, tomat,
kacang-kacangan, dan vanila. Menggabungkan ini dengan masakan khusus penakluk Eropa
(yaitu Spanyol) termasuk anggur, keju, babi, daging sapi, dan domba, orang Meksiko telah
menciptakan budaya makanan yang menggabungkan keanggunan cerita rakyat dan pragmatisme
modernitas. Dipercaya secara luas bahwa makanan Meksiko sangat pedas, tetapi ini benar hanya
sampai batas tertentu.
Sejarah Suku Indian Maya
Meksiko Tenggara dihuni oleh suku Indian Maya bertahun-tahun yang lalu, dan kebiasaan
makan dasar mereka didasarkan pada fakta bahwa mereka pada dasarnya adalah pemburu
nomaden. Akibatnya, mereka hidup dari tanah dan secara teratur memakan hewan yang
berkeliaran di tanah itu selama waktu itu.
Budaya Makanan Suku Maya Meksiko
Makanan Meksiko pada saat itu hanya terdiri dari daging kelinci, rusa, rakun, dan armadillo.
Burung dianggap sebagai makanan lezat dan merpati, kalkun, dan puyuh secara teratur dilahap.
Kadang-kadang bahkan katak, ular, dan kura-kura tidak akan terhindar. Hidangan daging ini
dilengkapi dengan sempurna oleh sayuran yang ditanam di tanah, jagung, buah-buahan tropis,
dan kacang-kacangan. Jagung adalah suplemen dasar, karena ditanam secara luas di semua
pemukiman bangsa Maya, dengan demikian, menjadi bagian integral dari budaya.
Makanan dan budaya Meksiko saat ini ditujukan untuk melengkapi nutrisi dan nutrisi tubuh
dengan menyediakan semua mineral dan asam amino yang diperlukan.

Era Pra-Columbus
Periode segera sebelum penaklukan Eropa atas tanah itu dikenal sebagai era pra-Columbus
dalam sejarah Meksiko. Diet saat ini juga secara signifikan dipengaruhi oleh bahan-bahan yang
sepenuhnya asli.
Budaya Makanan Periode Meksiko Pra-Columbus
Jagung, makanan pokok orang Meksiko, menjadi bagian dari semua makanan mereka dengan
cara tertentu. Seiring dengan jagung, jamur juga mengalami lonjakan popularitas mereka dalam
makanan orang Meksiko pada saat itu. Produk daging selalu dikonsumsi dengan penuh
semangat, dan merupakan bagian integral dari budaya makanan Meksiko. Munculnya 'dingin'
adalah peristiwa menonjol dalam preferensi kuliner orang Meksiko di era pra-Columbus.
Tapi kemudian para penakluk Spanyol datang dan mengubah segalanya.
Era Spanyol
Kontingen Spanyol tiba di Meksiko pada tahun 1521 dan mengubah budaya makanan di daerah
tersebut sepenuhnya.
Budaya Makanan di Meksiko Setelah Penaklukan
Spanyol membawa kekuatan besar ternak yang mengubah komposisi daging dalam makanan
budaya Meksiko sepenuhnya. Seiring dengan sumber daging baru ini, Spanyol juga
memperkenalkan berbagai rempah-rempah, bawang putih, beras, gandum, barley, dan anggur ke
dalam budaya Meksiko. Sama seperti era pra-Kolombia menambahkan faktor penting "dingin"
ke masakan Meksiko, era Spanyol memberikan masakan, teknik menggoreng yang tidak pernah
dipraktikkan sebelumnya.
Namun, banyak ahli telah menyarankan bahwa pengaruh makanan Spanyol mungkin tidak begitu
mendalam pada makanan Meksiko seperti yang telah diasumsikan. Ini terutama berasal dari
perbedaan besar antara kepribadian, sikap, dan lingkungan kedua budaya.

Budaya Makanan Meksiko Saat Ini

Garis panjang evolusi makanan Meksiko telah memuncak dalam beragam makanan yang
disajikan dalam budaya Meksiko kontemporer saat ini. Menggabungkan bahan-bahan tradisional
dan asli, dengan bahan-bahan Eropa yang lebih modern, makanan Meksiko telah menemukan
karakter unik yang tidak dapat direplikasi di tempat lain di dunia. Ada perbedaan kecil dalam
selera dan preferensi yang memang terjadi dari satu wilayah ke wilayah lain, tetapi ini adalah
sesuatu yang sangat dapat dimengerti, dan itu terjadi di hampir semua negara di seluruh dunia.
Minuman Meksiko
Minuman populer yang dikonsumsi di seluruh Meksiko adalah atole, tejuino, pozol, es teh
kembang sepatu, horchata. Sementara tiga yang pertama terbuat dari jagung, es teh kembang
sepatu terbuat dari, seperti namanya, kembang sepatu dan horchata terbuat dari beras. Seiring
dengan minuman biasa ini, minuman beralkohol yang paling umum adalah bir dan tequila.
Makanan Jalanan Meksiko
Budaya makanan Meksiko tidak, dan tidak akan pernah bisa, lengkap tanpa makanan jalanannya.
Resep makanan unik namun beragam yang tersedia di Meksiko telah memainkan peran penting
dalam pertumbuhan Meksiko sebagai tujuan wisata. Kelezatan makanan jalanan yang paling
populer dan paling terkenal adalah taco. Resep lainnya termasuk, quesadillas, barbacoa,
alambres, tamale dll.
Sejarah masakan Meksiko sangat beragam dan kaya dengan sejarah negeri itu sendiri. Ada begitu
banyak resep lezat dan menggugah selera, menjilat jari, yang dimasak di seluruh negeri, sehingga
untuk menempatkan semuanya dalam satu kompilasi akan menjadi tugas yang sulit. Waktu dan
pengaruh yang terus berubah pada budaya telah menyebabkan banyak revolusi dalam masakan
juga, dan semua ini telah memberikan kepribadian pada budaya makanan yang benar-benar unik
di alam.
Mempertimbangkan keunikannya, dan pengaruhnya terhadap aspek budaya dan sosial pada
masyarakat Meksiko dan dunia, UNESCO, pada 2010, memasukkan masakan tradisional
Meksiko ke Daftar Representatif Warisan Budaya Takbenda Kemanusiaan.

https://tastessence.com/mexican-food-culture

In this post, Bianca is going to share very interesting

Mexican food culture facts, the relationship that Mexican
people have with food, eating habits, and traditions, and
many interesting fun facts about food in Mexico. So, grab a
juice, sit back, and relax because you are going to enter into
the authentic Mexican food world.

Anthony Bourdain once said:

“Americans love Mexican food. We consume nachos, tacos, burritos, tortas,
enchiladas, tamales, and anything resembling Mexican in enormous
quantities. We love Mexican beverages, happily knocking back huge amounts
of tequila, mezcal and Mexican beer every year.”
“…as much as we think we know and love it, we have barely scratched the
surface of what Mexican food really is. It is NOT melted cheese over a
tortilla chip. It is not simple, or easy. It is not simply ‘bro food’ halftime. It is
in fact, old– older even than the great cuisines of Europe and often deeply
complex, refined, subtle, and sophisticated.”

As a Mexican, I don’t think I have read a better article (from

a foreigner) than the one written by Anthony Bourdain.
Honestly, every time I read it I tear up because I can
definitely sense a person connecting to our country and
culture and giving it the value that it deserves. I really
recommend you to give it a read.

Did you know that one of the most important facts about
Mexican food is that our gastronomy is now (and has been
since 2010) on the UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage
of Humanity?

I must say that this makes me really proud and I ALWAYS

mention it to every foreigner I meet.

Every time I have the opportunity to show off our

gastronomy I do, and so, this article is one of those times.

What does writing Mexican food really mean?

To speak about the most popular Mexican food and our
gastronomy in general is to talk about many different aspects
related to Mexican food culture. Here below I am trying to
share some facts:

 Mexican food history -many dishes and elements used to cook and
serve the food come from pre-Hispanic times, and, much of the
most popular Mexican food speaks also of the encounter of the
Spanish culture with the original cultures of the territory. One of the
main dishes that shows the combination of elements of different
cultures is the “Pollo con mole” (Chicken with mole). The 2 main
elements, cacao and chile are from Mexico, but, many of the spices
and the chicken, come or were brought by spain.
 Mexican food personality – Mexican food is flavor, color, shape and
occasion all in one dish at a time. I would mention the pozole, for
example.
 The creativity of Mexican food – many popular Mexican dishes speak
about anecdotes of people stumbling upon new ways of serving a
special dish or by replacing an ingredient for another, or even from
contests created during a special date. Many popular Mexican dishes
represent the creativity of a person or a community. Of course, we can
think of “Los Chiles en Nogada”, the popular dish originated in
Puebla, that was the winner of a contest that was made to
commemorate the first 100 years of the Mexican independence.
 Mexican food diversity – 32 states in Mexico and every single one of
them has a staple dish to brag about. Examples: “Tikin Xic fish” in
Quintana Roo. “Poc Chuc” in Yucatan. “Pan de Cazón” in Campeche,
“Sopa de pan” in Chiapas, “7 moles” in Oaxaca, “Pejelagarto” grilled
in Tabasco, and, twenty something more.
 Ancestral agricultural practices in Mexico: for many families in
Mexico, sustenance still comes from what we call “milpa” and
“chinampas”, and those 2 are forms of very sustainable agriculture
that are traced to pre-Hispanic times. The “Milpa” is basically the
piece of land in which corn has been grown since ancestral times by
the indigenous people. It is a polycolture system in which we find
not only corn but also squash, beans, and many other fruits,
vegetables and cactus. This system is very efficient as it allows the
coexistence of several species while they share resources like water,
light and soil. The “chinampa” is another agricultural system that
comes from ancestral times, but, the interesting thing about it, is
that it is a technology to grow food in lakes. Basically, they were
floating gardens that produced in the Aztec times things like:
flowers, green vegetables, edible herbs, broccoli, squash and more.
 Mexican cuisine involves exotic flavors: some of the most popular
Mexican food will involve all kinds of ingredients and all kinds of
flavors. Combination of chilies and chocolate, or, fruits and meat,
or even including insects in a main meal. Mexican food is
interesting to say the least. One of the most exotic dishes is a simple
“quesadilla de huitlacoche”, for example. The “Huitlacoche” is
the fungi that lives in the corn. Or, of course, all kinds of insects in
tacos or in salsas like: chapulines, Jumiles, chicatanas, and more.
So, as you can see, talking about Mexican food is not only to
talk about what is most known or is more popular.

The Mexican meal times

One of the things that modernity has caused in Mexico is the
loss of the tradition of eating together as a family, mostly at
lunch or dinner time.

When I speak about modernity I speak about it all:

technology, phones, fast-paced life, work demands, and
more. It hasn’t been long since I sat with my sisters and my
mom to eat during a normal workweek. I think I can look
back at maybe 2014.

I mean in special occasions we still do it, but generally

speaking, it is definitely something that is being lost and it
would be great if my “paisanos” (Mexicans addressing fellow
Mexicans in a foreign country) would make an effort to get it
back.

Talking about our mealtimes is as intense as everything else

in our culture, so, I will just focus on two specific moments:
family & “godines” weekday lunchtime and weekends with
the family.

“La hora de la comida” (Main lunch weekday

meal time)
In Mexico traditionally lunchtime is between 2 and 3 pm
during the workweek, but, again, modernity and jobs have
made us more flexible so, I will speak about how it was for
me.
https://letstraveltomexico.com/mexican-food-culture/