Hola Amigos! Here we have two special audio for you to listen to while browsing the section. Feel free to choose any audio of your liking! We are providing you with two different audio to accompany you on your journey. One audio will make you dance to the rhythm of Mexican music while reading and the other audio is where your guide, Seina will tag along and read with you!
Food (Comida)
Get your tummy rumbling because this is where your taste buds and imagination will go wild for authentic cuisine! Let's drool together in this foodie voyage!
Source: The Stay Home Chef, n.d
Tacos al pastor
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With origins reaching back to the 1920s and 1930s and the entry of Lebanese and Syrian immigrants to Mexico, this ancient cuisine is one of the most popular versions of tacos. Thin pieces of pork are carved off a spit, placed on a corn tortilla, and served with onions, coriander leaves, and pineapple to make tacos al pastor (in the style of the shepherd).
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The impact of Lebanese immigration on Mexican food has been enormous, resulting in the birth of Carne al pastor, a dish that can be found in taquerias and fine dining establishments throughout Mexico and has come to symbolize Mexican cuisine nationally. The roasting processes used to make shawarma and repurposed for Carne al pastor preserve the flavour of Lebanese cuisine while adjusting to Mexican cultural norms, a means of self-preservation for early Lebanese immigrants who wished to blend in while maintaining their ancestry. Mexican till today preserved it throughout generations.
Source: The Stay Home Chef, n.d
Mole Sauce
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Mexico's national cuisine is 'Mole Sauce,' a sauce made with onion and garlic, as well as unique spices and herbs such as black pepper, cumin, cloves, chilly, tomatoes, ground nuts or sesame seeds, and chocolate or dried fruits.
Mole's origins can be traced back to pre-Hispanic Mexico, where it was known as mulli and was cooked with turkey and eaten in Aztec rituals and other joyous occasions. Xocolatl, the Aztec name for chocolate, is one of the most prized ingredients in the mole.
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According to a tradition, when Hernan Cortes came to Tenochtitlan, Moctezuma served mole to the Aztec ruler, who was still convinced that the Spaniard conqueror was a deity. That mole wasn't the same mole we know today if this narrative is true. It was certain to be missing the additional components introduced to the Americas by European colonizers. According to another version, the mole was constructed at a Puebla convent as nuns rushed to prepare something for the archbishop who paid them an impromptu visit.
Source: Eluniversalpuebla, n.d
Chiles en nogada
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Chiles en nogada is one of Mexico's most patriotic meals, featuring the three colours of the Mexican flag. The green on the flag is represented by poblano chiles loaded with picadillo (a mixture of chopped meat, fruits, and spices), the white is a walnut-based cream sauce, and the red is pomegranate seeds. The meal originated in Puebla and was originally served to Don Agustin de Iturbide, Mexico's liberator and later Emperor, according to legends.
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On August 28, 1821, Chiles en Nogada was originally introduced, shortly after the Treaty of Cordoba was completed, granting Mexico independence from Spain. Augustin de Iturbide, the military leader and emperor of Mexico from 1822 to 1823, signed the Treaty of Veracruz. He then traveled to Puebla, where the populace celebrated their newfound independence with a spectacular feast in his honor. The Augustinian nuns of the Santa Monica convent used in-season ingredients to create the dish that is now known as Chiles en Nogada at this feast.
Street food : Barbacoa , Alambres, Quesadilla
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Traditional Mexican cuisine was accepted into the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010, in recognition of its significance and effect on cultural and social aspects of Mexican society and the world.
Source: Bon Appetit, 2018
Beverages (La Bebida)
Tequila
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The word can carry a meaning such as "the place of collecting plants," "the place of wild herbs," "the place where they cut," "the place of employment," or even "the place of tricks," depending on the authority. Tequila is derived from the Nahuatl terms tequitl (labour, responsibility, job or chore) and tlan, according to Jose Maria Muria (place).
Source: Karen Frazier, n.d
Atole
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Atole is a warming morning drink made with masa (corn hominy), piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar), and water, added cinnamon, vanilla, and sometimes chocolate. The name "atole" comes from Nahuatl, the Aztec language that is still spoken today. The Aztecs were defeated by Hernan Cortez in 1521 at what is now Mexico City. Atole was popular long before Cortez surprised Montezuma with a visit, therefore it has been consumed throughout Mexico for years, if not millennia.
Source: Cookidoo, n.d
Source: Lick My Spoon, 2014
Kahlúa
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Kahlúa started in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz and was originally known for having a female-only executive board. Kahla, which means 'House of the Acolhua People' in Nahuatl, began revolutionary production in 1936 courtesy to Pedro Domecq and was first marketed to the United State market in 1940.
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Kahlúa is a sweet and rich coffee-flavored liqueur made from an exquisite blend of coffee, rum, corn syrup, and vanilla bean (another classic Mexican ingredient). A bottle of Kahlúa can take up to seven years to make from start to finish, thanks primarily to the growing and harvesting of the coffee beans used to give it that signature coffee kick.