Mexican cuisine - Page four - By food author Howard Hillman

More national Mexican
cuisine characteristics

Food tips you can trust

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Mexican cuisine
national characteristics

Guacamole

This is lightly mashed fresh avocado seasoned with chopped tomatoes and onions. Guacamole has many uses, including as a dipping sauce for tortilla chips and as an ingredient in fresh salads and appetizers.

Salsa Cruda

It's a freshly made condiment of chopped tomatoes, onions, chilies, and coriander leaves. Salsa Cruda is popular throughout Mexico and accompanies almost every meal.

Dessert and other sweets

Many originated in the convents established by the Spanish. Mexico's preference for sweet desserts, such as flan, can also be traced to Spain, which originally gained its sweet tooth from the Middle East via the Moors. Street vendors throughout Mexico sell candies, sometimes made of sweet potato-and-sugar paste, and rich cakes.

Other foods

Mexico's main starchy staples are corn (maize), rice, and beans. The principal meats are beef in the cattle-grazing lands in the north and pork, kid, chicken and turkey in the central and southern areas. Fish and shellfish - especially shrimp - are popular along the coasts.

Main meal

Traditionally, the midday meal (comida) is the main meal of the day and has many courses.

Climate

Mexico has markedly varied climates, ranging from arid to tropical. This helps explain why Mexico's regional cuisines are so different from one another.