mrspr.com >Home > Releases > Food & Dining & Beverages
Mexico's Resurgent Prehispanic Cuisine
MEXICO CITY, May 27, 2005
MEXICO'S RESURGENT PREHISPANIC CUISINE
Sometimes daring, always intriguing
Among the many strange, new things that confronted Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortes and his men when they arrived in Mexico in 1521, was an entirely different cuisine, totally alien to the European fare to which they were accustomed. Today, that "prehispanic" cuisine is making a bold statement in Mexico and capturing the attention of daring tourists and food connoisseurs the world over.
Virginia Miller, an authority on the evolution of Mexico's cuisine, commented that "the marketplaces of prehispanic Mexico must have been a kaleidoscope of products most of us would consider, well…unusual today: snakes and other reptiles, eels, flowers, nopal cactus, dogs, wild pigs and all manner of baskets containing frogs, ants, grasshoppers and birds."
"There's a fly in your soup? It's supposed to be there, sir."
Mexico, along with many other countries in the world, has a long history of cooking and eating insects. "There are more than 3,687 species of edible insects in the world, and 400 in Mexico," said Julieta Ramos Elorduy, an insect expert at Mexico City's National Autonomous University of Mexico and author of several cookbooks on how to cook delicious insects.
The closest most tourists have come to entomophagy, or insect eating, is the alcohol-embalmed worm at the bottom of their mezcal bottle. But the aversion tourists have to eating insects is changing. In Mexico City, insects have become haute cuisine, with restaurants specializing in prehispanic foods charging high prices.
In top restaurants across the country, escamoles (ant eggs) are all the rage, sautéed with butter and served in hot tortillas with a side of guacamole. Referred to as Mexican caviar, this expensive delicacy was normally only available in spring, but given the high demand, restaurants have started freezing supplies to ensure that the larvae is available year-round. Or for Mexico's haute version of French fries, try the deep-fried gusanos de maguey (maguey worms) which resemble fried pork rinds and are served only in the finest of restaurants.
Not just a delicacy, insects are also appreciated for their high protein content as well as their unique flavors. In the Mexican states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, Morelos and Veracruz, the people frequently cook "salsa," whose main condiment is crushed jumiles (Euschistus crenator) and other insects. These particular bugs have what aficionados describe as an aromatic and deep flavor like mint or cinnamon, and are also sometimes eaten live with traditional "tacos." Another favorite are the chapulines, (grasshoppers) marinated in lemon juice, salt and chile powder, and found in many of Mexico's traditional markets.
The world's tourists are starting to come around as well. Bautista Antonio of Oaxaca told Reuters Television, "It used to be only Mexicans would buy grasshoppers. Now tourists are interested, especially the Italians."
Meat lovers
While beef, pork and chicken are widely available throughout Mexico, other options often find their way to the menu, such as the iguana, a principal dish in some regions of Mexico, served roasted, baked with peanut or chile sauce in tamales, and also found in stews. If it's any consolation, iguana tastes something like frog legs – which everybody knows tastes like chicken. Another fave is jabali, a wild pig, found in the Yucatan. And in Puebla, armadillos are often served up in tamales. Ostrich is also a common meat in Mexico, used in a variety of dishes and surprisingly, looks and tastes like beef.
Fungus, fruit or fish
So you're a vegetarian. In addition to being a heavy bean-eating nation, Mexico has several other options for intrepid vegetarians. Huitlacoche is a favorite. Known as "corn smut", "maize mushroom" or "Mexican truffle", this dark-colored paste is a popular fungus that grows inside corn kernels whose taste is a blend of sweet corn and mushroom. Huitlacoche can be used in anything calling for mushrooms and is a popular ingredient in quesadillas, crepes, soups, empanadas, pizza and has even been included in desserts such as flan. Although the fresh fungus is a seasonal delight, it can be purchased year-round in Mexico, either frozen or canned.
For nourishment, look no farther than your nopal. This cactus plant dates back to prehispanic times, with the word "nopal" coming from the Nahuatl word, nopalli. Several dishes are made with nopales, and it's even found in ice cream. A common dish is sautéed nopal with melted cheese. The nopal also bears a delicious fruit, the "prickly pear" (called "tuna" in Spanish). Nopal has also been used for medicinal purposes for centuries.
Washing it down
While typical soft drinks are readily available throughout Mexico, Mexico also boasts a wide variety of unusual drinks. Atole, a cornstarch-based drink often accompanying tamales, is common, served hot or cold. Freshly-squeezed juices are also found in most restaurants and street corners with regional fruit. Examples include melon juice, watermelon juice and papaya juice.
For a drink with an Aztec punch, try pulque, a fermented beverage derived from the juice of the agave plant and the precursor to mezcal and tequila. A smoother after-dinner drink popular among Mexicans is Xtabentun, an anise-flavored, honey-based liqueur from the Yucatan. Liqueurs made from native fruit such as guanabana (sweetsop) or platano (banana) are also common.
Between the unusual dishes of its resurgent prehispanic cuisine, and our fascination with new tastes, Mexico has never ceased to intrigue the palates of its visitors.
About the Mexico Tourism Board
The Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) brings together the resources of federal and state governments, municipalities and private companies to promote Mexico's tourism attractions and destinations internationally. Created in 1999, the MTB is Mexico's tourism promotion agency, and its participants include members of both the private and public sectors. The MTB has offices throughout North America, Europe, Japan and Latin America.
FOR PRESS ONLY: For additional ideas, help with a story or general travel and tourism information about Mexico, please contact the Mexico Travel News Bureau directly at 1-800-929-4555, by e-mail at northamericanpress@visitmexico.com, or visit our press web site at www.visitmexicopress.com.
###
Contact: Rose Mary Cortes
1-800-929-4555
__________________________________________
Vera Mandilovitch
Mexico Tourism Board Public Relations/Media Liaison
Burson-Marstellar
225 N. Michigan Ave. Suite 1850
Chicago, IL 60601
Ph. 312-228-0517 Ext.14
Fax. 312-228-0515
vera_mandilovitch@mia.bm.com
www.visitmexicopress.com
mrspr.com > Home > Releases > Food & Dining & Beverages