Mexican cuisine is gaining popularity across the world. While many people enjoy Mexican cuisine, few are aware of certain fundamental facts about the country.
This has resulted in certain myths and misconceptions about Mexican food that prevent people from truly enjoying Mexican cuisine’s rich cultural history and traditional traditions.
You’ve come to the perfect spot if you’ve ever wanted to learn more about Mexican food and have a deeper understanding of the background and history of distinct Mexican meals.
Do you know anyone who refuses to eat Mexican food because it’s “too hot”? You may tell them that not all Mexican cuisine is spicy and that there are many meals that aren’t at all spicy. While chili peppers are commonly used in Mexican cuisine, not all chili peppers are fiery, and not every meal calls for them. Poblano and bell peppers, for example, are not particularly hot.
Many Mexican restaurants understand that not everyone can handle spice, therefore they provide meals that aren’t at all hot. If someone wants to spice up their cuisine, they can add salsa.
Most restaurants have a variety of salsas with varying levels of spice, so ask your server for recommendations.
The most annoying of all the myths is that Mexican food is rich in fat and harmful. While Mexican foods like burritos and nachos may quickly become calorie-dense (depending on the toppings and fillings used), they can also be made healthy by including more vegetables and cutting back on the cheese and sour cream.
Also, Mexican cuisine includes a variety of nutritious foods such as soups, salads, and steamed fish dishes, among others.
Although it may come as a surprise, nachos are not truly Mexican. Nachos are not available at traditional Mexican restaurants in Mexico, although they are available in movie theaters and Tex-Mex restaurants.
The origins of nachos are intriguing to learn about. They were created in Mexico but were marketed to diners in the United States.
Background about the nachos
In 1943, Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, a Mexican restaurateur in the town of Piedras Negras, wanted to make a fast lunch for a party of visiting US military women. As a result, he cooked tortillas and served them with jalapeño peppers and grated cheese.
Because Pedras Negras is directly across the border from Texas, nachos soon gained popularity in Texas and then expanded throughout the United States.
Nachos eventually developed into the corn chips that we all know and love, and they’re currently offered with a variety of tasty toppings.
Is all Mexican cuisine considered street food? Certainly not! True, a lot of Mexican fast food is influenced by street cuisine. Burritos, tacos, tamales, tostadas, empanadas, and other classic Mexican foods originated at street vendors and wayside carts in Mexico.
Many traditional dishes, on the other hand, are sophisticated compositions made with unusual ingredients and offered in premium Mexican restaurants.
It may appear that many Mexican recipes include tortillas (burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and so on), and while this is true in many cases, tortillas are not used in all Mexican cuisines. Mexican cuisine is immensely diverse and rich, including dishes from every area of the country.
Chili con carne, tamales, lima soup, torta Ahogada (spicy pork sandwich), Elote (Mexican corn on the cob), pozole (pork or chicken stew), chicken mole, and so on are just a few of the delicious Mexican meals that aren’t tortilla-based.
Did you know that hard shell tacos originated in the United States? In 1954, Glen Bell, the creator of Taco Bell, created the hard shell taco, a unique variation on traditional Mexican tacos that he hoped would appeal to American fans of Mexican food. Hardshell tacos are still popular today, proving he was correct.
For many people, Mexican food conjures up visions of liquid-filled tacos, sodium-laden meats, and calorie-dense burritos. While there’s nothing wrong with a good Mexican meal every now and again, not all Mexican food is unhealthy.
Professors Luz Calvo and Catrióna Rueda Esquibel of San Francisco State University believe that the myth that Mexican food is unhealthy must be dispelled as soon as possible.
The husband and wife dream team just released Decolonize Your Diet, in which they contend that the ‘unhealthy’ components of Mexican cuisine (meat and tons of cheese) were added when the country was colonized in the 16th century. “A rural Mexican diet is highly plant-based,” Luz tells The Los Angeles Times. “Meat is only utilized in modest amounts.
Related: To Eat or Not to Eat: Is Traditional Mexican Food Healthy?
To begin, unwrap your burrito and you’ll save roughly 300 calories. Brown rice, black or pinto beans, and grilled chicken or lean steak make a nutritious dish. Add lettuce and salsa on top, which has a lot of taste for only 5 calories per tablespoon.
Keep the sour cream to a minimum, or use a little quantity of mild sour cream, and serve the guacamole separately. While guacamole is strong in healthful fat, it is also high in calories, so keep that in mind.
Tacos feature a built-in portion control system. They’re smaller than most of the other items on the menu, so you can stay on track with your calorie intake. On a baked corn tortilla, order grilled chicken, lean steak, or grilled fish. These feature 70% more fiber and less than half the fat of white flour alternatives.
Black or pinto beans are a nutritious option for tacos or as a side dish. Typically, they’re slow-cooked with onion, garlic, and spices. A half-cup has 8 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein. Furthermore, studies have shown that these beans contain more disease-fighting antioxidants than many fruits and vegetables.
Many soups in Mexican cuisine are good in nutrients and low in calories. Look for one that has broth. Black bean, chicken tortilla, and shrimp (Caldo de camaron) soups are all good choices.
Pozole, a stew made with pig, veggies, and hominy, is another option (ground corn kernels). Furthermore, this beginning has the ability to fill you up: According to research, persons who ate the soup with lunch ate 20% less than those who did not.
It’s created with raw fish, onion, tomatoes, and cilantro marinated in lime and lemon juice. Because the acid cooks the fish, no additional oil is required. It has a low-calorie count but is high in protein.
Calcium and heart-healthy omega-3 fats are also found in fish. Tostadas or fried corn tortillas are frequently served with ceviche. Only use one or two tostadas to scoop up the ceviche because each tostada contains roughly 60 calories.
Mexican cuisine is sometimes misinterpreted as being simple, quick, inexpensive, and unhealthy. There have also been a number of misconceptions that have developed throughout time.
It’s impossible to dispute that Mexican cuisine is wonderful. However, many of the dinners contain oil, fat, and salt, as well as cheese and sour cream. However, when you take a closer look, you’ll notice that there are lots of healthy options to help you avoid a culinary disaster.
Common Americanized Mexican Food Created By Tex-Mex Cuisine
Non-Alcoholic Mexican Drinks to Try
El Rincon Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar or known as El Rincon among the locals around the restaurant serves Mexican food and drink made from the freshest ingredients.
Besides serving food for our customers in Carrollton and Addison we’re also active in communities across Texas. Contact us today to know more details!
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By elrincontx
Jul 19, 2022