Why Are Mexican Recipes and American Recipes So Different?
It is not news that the cuisine of America and the cuisine of Mexico are quite different things. Mexican food recipes, for example are certainly not all that similar to those found in America. Strangely enough, Canadian food is rather similar to our own, as is often the case with neighboring countries – so why is the culinary tradition of our southern neighbor so different than ours? Mexican recipes use different ingredients than we commonly see in the average grocery store and create flavors, which seem exotic to American palates.
Historical Factors
There are two important reasons why Mexican food differs so greatly from the standard fare in the United States. One is historical. Unlike the United States, Mexico spent a much longer time as a Spanish colony than did the US. It is true that parts of the US were originally Spanish territories, though the Spanish colonial period lasted for a much briefer length of time here, with the influence of Spanish cuisine being pronounced mostly in regions, which were once Spanish territory, largely those bordering Mexico.
By contrast, what is now the United States was largely colonized by immigrants from Northern Europe, especially the English, Dutch and Germans, with French settlers in some areas and later on, immigrants from eastern Europe and Scandinavia – and to a lesser extent, literally every other part of the globe.
Colonists who came to Mexico from Europe came by and large from Spain and had a deep and lasting influence on what is now the nation of Mexico. Many classic Mexican recipes are either Spanish and are made much the same way as they are in Europe or are adaptations of Spanish dishes using local ingredients as substitutes for those, which were unavailable in the Americas.
Mexico has of course had significant numbers of arrivals from outside of Spain since, especially settlers from Syria and Lebanon, who brought one of their traditional dishes – shawarma with them. This has been adapted into the Mexican classic al pastor. However, the Spanish influence is stronger than any other in the Mexican kitchen is.
Since the US has a much more diverse population, no single nationality’s cuisine ever assumed quite the dominance over American cooking as can be seen in Mexico with Spanish influence. The development of Mexican food is largely the product of two cuisines rather than many melding together over time.
The Differences Local Ingredients Make
The other important factor in the difference between the cuisines of Mexico and the US is in the ingredients used. Just like in this country, Mexican cooks and Spanish colonists alike have always worked with the ingredients, which were widely available. In Mexico, of course that meant avocado, chili peppers, corn, pumpkins, pineapple, and other produce typical of the country’s warmer climate.
It is this adaptation of European recipes to the ingredients of the new world and the incorporation of Spanish ingredients and techniques into the indigenous cuisine that has made Mexican food the unique cuisine it is today. From Mexican food recipes like pozole to Mexican casserole recipes, tostadas to pumpkin recipes, Mexican food is one of the world’s greatest fusion cuisines that no one thinks of as a fusion cuisine.
If you have never tasted authentic Mexican food recipes you are in for a real treat when you have a go at some of the tempting dishes at MexicanFoodRecipes.org. Popular authentic Mexican meals include Mexican chicken tortilla soup, quick and spicy pork fajitas, hearty Mexican style casserole and more.
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