Mexican Cuisine Gets Its Comeuppance

article from November 23, 2010
by Julie R Butler

Mexico’s food is finally getting its due, reports Tim Johnson of McClatchy Newspapers. ¡Órale!

According to the article, culinary experts say that “diners sometimes fail to appreciate the richness of a cuisine with vast regional variation and use of aromatic herbs and plants, nothing like the cheesy nachos and brittle tacos many Americans eat at restaurants.”

I’m no expert, but I have been saying this for years. The food I ate while in Mexico was astoundingly different from what is served up at countless restaurants across the United States, starting with a bowl of fish soup that I tried, even though I am not a big fan of fish soup, upon arriving at the Sea of Cortez for the first time ever just north of Santa Rosalía in Baja California. It was my first taste of how full of wonderful surprises Mexico could be.

And I will never forget that chicken with mole poblano I had somewhere along the Gulf of Tehuantepec one sweltering evening, sitting inside the front part of someone’s house that served as a small restaurant. Mmm – mole... I had heard about mole from a Mexican woman who explained to me with relish (no, not that kind of relish) how complicated and time consuming the mole sauce is to make, so I had to try it. Basic mole contains several types of chilies, nuts and seeds, tomatoes, Mexican chocolate, and spices such as cinnamon. Different fruits and many other ingredients that are often closely guarded secrets are added. Describing the flavor is like trying to describe what music sounds like to a deaf person – think William Hurt in Children of a Lesser God. Mmm – William Hurt...

Another fond memory I have is of the fish fillet a la Veracruzana that I had to try while we were in the state of Veracruz, in a little Mexican resort town on the Gulf Coast. It is an Italian-style tomato sauce with olive oil, garlic, onions, bay leaf, capers, and sometimes olives.

One of the biggest differences between the food in Mexico and what is served in the States is the cheese. Mexican cheese is either crumbly and somewhat salty, to be used sparingly, or something more like Jack or mozzarella cheese that melts better. And rather than the sour cream that gringos assume should be dolloped over everything (which is not to say that the stuff is not available at the store), heavy cream might make an appearance on the table.

Another difference is that the sauces are far more refined than what is served in the states. Different regions, of course, all have their specialties. And the point of all the different chilies is, for the most part, not to provide the hottest burn, but to endow their distinctive flavors.

So, while the impression of Mexicans is that everything tends to be over-the-top, as in giant hats and bushy bigotes (mustaches) and flashy clothes and exaggerated drama, underneath this boisterous imagery, there is plenty of room for variety and refinement and exquisite taste sensations.

Julie R Butler is a writer, journalist, editor, and author of several books, including Nine Months in Uruguay and No Stranger To Strange Lands (click here for more info). She is a contributor to Speakout at Truthout.org,
and her current blog is Connectively Speaking

email: julierbutler [at] yahoo [dot] com, Twitter: @JulieRButler