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Food Culture in Mexican Cuisine Report

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Food Cultures and Science in Mexico

Food availability in mexico, staple food, how it is served and what are the common food sources, what are the common food preparation methods, what spice is commonly used in food preparation, what are the main macro and micronutrients and what sources, what is their food culture and health implication, what is their way of presenting their food, serving, and table manners, what food education tools are used in mexico.

Mexico is a country located south of North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States, on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean, and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. The country has a moderate climate characterized by low-lying coastal areas and has pleasant summers and mild winters.

The country’s rainy season falls between May and September while the hurricane seasons occur between May and November. The country has 113 million inhabitants and was originally under the reign of Spain.

According to GAIN (2010), we can only talk about food security when every single individual has access to food. Although research generally indicates that food availability in Mexico does not present a serious danger, there are places in Mexico where food access has been a real concern.

In 2008 for example, close to 20% of the Mexican people could not access food due to lack of sufficient income and this greatly affected productivity (GAIN, 2010). Despite food being available to feed all, access has always been dependent on an individual’s purchasing power.

As noted by Gilman (2011), some of the best foods in Mexico are accessed from stalls along the streets and in the market places. Although eating food obtained from the streets may appear strange to some visitors, it is quite normal for an average Mexican. This notwithstanding, Mexicans are content with food obtained from the streets and the market. They are, therefore, not about to stop getting food from these locations (Ochoa, 2001).

For many citizens, these foods are fresh and dealers are equally considered healthy and very neat. Restaurant owners are known to conduct their food businesses with so much care and integrity to the delight their customers. In addition, most people prefer eating processed foods though they still go after fresh food as has been the tradition from the early days.

Locally produced foods include peas, dry beans, walnut, sunflower, sweet pepper, and tomatoes. Mexicans import foods such as honey, dried herbs and mushrooms, roasted coffee, and cheese, to name but a few.

According to Gilman (2011), the most common food source in Mexico is corn or what is commonly known as maize. It is normally prepared either as flat bread also known as tortilla or as corn stew, usually referred to as pozole. Also available are fruits and vegetables such as green tomatoes, mangoes, papaya, and avocado.

These are eaten alongside the main meals. Meat is also obtained from chicken and pigs as well as from breeds of cattle including Corrientes and French Charolais.

In their cooking, Mexicans use garlic, chili, almond, clove, and cumin to add flavor to their cookery. This is further improved using various natural ingredients. Other familiar foods are seafood, frijoles or beans, and frijoles refritos or refried beans, and spiced coffee which is made using a mixture of spices.

In preparing their food, Mexicans tend to use a combination of methods. Deep and stir frying are the most common. Deep frying involves placing the food in a deep pot filled with cooking oil. Among fried foods are dessert puffs and chicken cheese crisp.

Mexican food is made using spices such as almond, cumin, and chili. As has been mentioned elsewhere in this paper, Mexican food is traditionally made out of maize or corn and beans and is mainly prepared by deep or stir frying. Although many other types of food are available and can be accessed at will, the limitation is usually the purchasing power (Tucker and Buranapin, 2001).

Different foods contain different nutrients. Macronutrients such as protein and carbohydrates are obtained from corn, pigs, and meat from Corrientes or French Charolais breeds of cattle. Micronutrients on the other hand are obtained through fruits and vegetables such as verdolaga and huazontle. Common fruits include guava, mango, and guanabana.

Although most Mexicans have stuck with traditional foods for so long, many people also enjoy eating fast foods which mostly supply carbohydrates and fats. Other foods such as chicken soup are prepared specifically for those the sick. Some people have, however, argued that the preparation of Mexican food depends on what one wants to prepare. The preparation is also tied to the historical origins of the Mexican people.

According to Geddes and Paloma (2000), Mexicans suffer from a number of ailments as a result of their food culture and traditional beliefs that have been carried forward from generation to generation. It is common to come by people dying from illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, and obesity caused by poor eating habits. It is absolutely necessary for people to change their eating habits and drop some of the unhealthy eating practices.

Apparently, poverty is also to blame for the bad food culture in Mexico (Long & Vargas, 2005). In most cases, lack of money compels average income earners in Mexico to go after unhealthy food stuffs from fast food restaurants. Save for the fact that these foods help to meet their immediate needs, they are responsible for poor health among the Mexicans.

Typically, Mexicans serve their food hot and eat it using forks, spoons and knives. Food is taken into the mouth in small chunks, chewed, and the swallowed. Also made during meals are tacos which involve wrapping what is to be eaten in a corn tortilla before it can be eaten (Burckhardt, 1996). Generally, Mexicans eat three meals a day though this may vary slightly with others taking four.

Desayuno or breakfast in Mexico is any form of food that one can take to start his or her day. While this may be large for people, others prefer lighter meals during this time of the day (Gilman, 2011). Comida, the most important meal on any day, is usually eaten in the afternoon and includes the main dish accompanied with other types of foods. Some Mexicans also enjoy almuerzo, a meal taken slightly later after breakfast.

Mexicans use MyPlate and Food Pyramids to educate people on healthy eating habits (Fox, 1993). Though considered quite abstract by some people, the food pyramid has been hailed for giving a clear indication of the foods in the various categories. MyPlate on the other hand comes with added information allowing consumers to make informed food choices.

Burckhardt, A. (1996). The People of Mexico and Their Food . Mankato, MI: Capstone.

Fox, J. (1993). The Politics of Food in Mexico: State Power and Social Mobilization . London: Cornell University Press.

Geddes, B. & Paloma, G. (2000). Lonely Planet World Food: Mexico. Australia: Lonely Planet Publications.

Gilman, N. (2011). Good Food in Mexico City: Food Stalls, Fondas and Fine Dining . Bloomington, IN: iUniverse.

Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN). (2010). Food Security and Nutrition in Mexico. Mexico: Global Agricultural Information Network.

Long, L. T. & Vargas, L. A. (2005). Food Culture in Mexico . Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Ochoa, E. C. (2001). Feeding Mexico: The Political Uses of Food Since 1910 . Wilmington, DE: Rowman & Littlefield.

Tucker, K. L. & Buranapin, S. (2001). Nutrition and Aging in Developing Countries. Journal of Nutrition, 131:2417 – 2423.

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IvyPanda. (2019, July 8). Food Culture in Mexican Cuisine. https://ivypanda.com/essays/food-in-mexico/

"Food Culture in Mexican Cuisine." IvyPanda , 8 July 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/food-in-mexico/.

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IvyPanda . 2019. "Food Culture in Mexican Cuisine." July 8, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/food-in-mexico/.

1. IvyPanda . "Food Culture in Mexican Cuisine." July 8, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/food-in-mexico/.

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IvyPanda . "Food Culture in Mexican Cuisine." July 8, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/food-in-mexico/.

Column: ‘Slop on a tortilla:’ Why the defense of Mexican and other cultural food is personal

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If there’s one thing I’m going to do, it’s talk about people talking about food . This week, I’m venturing into even choppier waters to dive into #slopgate, an unfortunate trending topic on X, formerly known as Twitter, that started when a French user described Mexican food as “slop on a tortilla.”

This sparked heated conversation online about the quality of various national culinary traditions, a seemingly silly topic that, if looked at a bit closer, has a lot to say about why people get so precious about their culture’s cuisine.

I could come in here and white-knight for Mexican food, but I don’t believe Mexican food needs defending. It speaks for itself. Mexican food is delicious. It is recognized around the world for its rich history, its eclectic ingredients and its inventive techniques.

I’m more interested in digging into why food, specifically, reliably engenders such passionate discourse in public forums. On this front, #slopgate is a useful case study. Shortly after the original post went viral, the conversation became a toxic wasteland of people venting ethnic resentments and hitting below the belt.

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But the more I thought about it, and after pushing through some truly horrendous opinions, some of which were flatly racist, I found at least one aspect of the whole ordeal quite touching. It reminded me that a culture’s cuisine is a tender, vulnerable thing. In some ways, it’s an open love letter to a way of life that is crucially available for an international audience to enjoy.

Language, holidays, death rites, these are beautiful things, and there are many aspects about them that can be shared. But there are walls in place that make them a bit more “our business.” Language, for those who weren’t born into it, can take many years to learn. Holidays, the way we celebrate births, the way we mourn our deaths — these are more intimate, family affairs. Guests are welcome, no doubt, but no cultural institution is quite as pervasive and accessible as food.

Cuisine, for a country, is really “putting yourself out there.” Unlike other cultural institutions, which have at least a few protective veils between them and outsiders, just about anyone can track down a highly recommended restaurant and get a taste of what a faraway land is all about.

Yes, some countries have more ambassadors than others. For example, I think of the wealth of delicious Thai, Indian and, of course, Mexican restaurants around the world, all countries that rightfully take pride in their culinary arts, and who take their reputation on that front very seriously.

Most cultures also put a lot of stock in making sure the house is in order before inviting guests over. At least in my experience, you want to put your best foot forward, and anyone from a Chicano household will likely understand how the opinions of absolute strangers can hold more weight than those of your blood relatives.

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To dismiss a culture’s cuisine, to deem it inferior, is like walking into someone’s house and tipping over a funerary urn.

It’s aiming right for the heart!

To bring it back to the French for a second, you know what movie really understood this? “Ratatouille .” In the scene where the food critic eats the titular dish, he is transported to his childhood, to his mother’s kitchen. Food conjures the ancestors. A family recipe is a manifesto, one that can tell a story long after the person who wrote it down has left this Earth, and anyone, absolutely anyone (without dietary restrictions, of course) can have a taste.

It’s no wonder people get anxious and emotional.

This is also why, when people claim to not like a certain cuisine, people are quick to retort, “Well, you haven’t tried the real thing.” As a descendant of Tejanos, I’ve been in the trenches defending Tex-Mex as a legitimate culinary tradition for years.

Indeed, when deriding Mexican food as “slop,” it’s likely its detractors are thinking of Tex-Mex. On that level, they might actually find common ground with Mexicans who sneer at the mere existence of Tex-Mex, who see it as an attempted deception of some kind, like it’s trying to pass itself off as “real Mexican food,” thus besmirching the mother country’s good name.

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Not helping the case is my great-grandfather’s ad for his Mexican restaurant in Texas.

My point is cuisine is a matter of international “showing face.” People get emotional about it because, consciously or not, they see it as extensions of themselves, of the place they grew up, of their families’ kitchens. I think there’s something really endearing about that.

Sure, it results in a lot of yelling and arguing, but it’s because people care, and it speaks to the power of food as a medium for storytelling. It invites a broad array of people from different walks of life to partake. It is both intimate and exposed. For all the fuss, that’s a beautiful thing.

Of course, in the case of #slopgate, it’s impossible to divorce it from the impact of colonization and from long-standing tropes about the global south, that such places are less sophisticated, less healthy and less worthy of being deemed fine dining.

But it’s also the case that British food is a common punching bag on social media, with “beans on toast” bearing the brunt of the bullying. Many of the most vile posts about Mexican food seem retaliatory in nature, coming from Europeans who are fed up with being told their food is unseasoned gruel.

While I can’t condone the nastiness, I get it. Feelings have been hurt. But as for me, I’m no longer interested in ranking national cuisines. Sure, there are some I like better than others, but I also believe that every wonderful meal is a private universe unto itself, offering its own unique delights and pleasures. The flavors and the ambiance all conspire to create something that can’t really be compared to anything else.

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These perfect experiences have arrived to me in the form of many different kinds of national dishes, in many different restaurants and in many different cities around the world. I don’t see why I should have to choose among them.

Or maybe I’m just hungry.

John Paul Brammer is a columnist, author, illustrator and content creator based in Brooklyn, N.Y. He is the author of ”Hola Papi: How to Come Out in a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons” based on his successful advice column. He has written for outlets including the Guardian, NBC News and the Washington Post. He writes a weekly essay for De Los.

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In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Mexican-American Cuisine

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Mexican-American Cuisine by Sarah Portnoy LAST REVIEWED: 27 March 2014 LAST MODIFIED: 27 March 2014 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199913701-0076

“Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are,” quipped Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, author of The Physiology of Taste , in 1825. While nearly two centuries have passed since his meditations on gastronomy, in the 21st century food remains just as closely linked to one’s identity and social status. One’s culinary practices continue to identify religious, national, and regional origins. For the diverse Latino population of the United States, food has always been and still remains a valuable affirmation of identity. Latino cuisine has been a part of United States food habits for centuries, but the representations of Latino cuisine found in most major cities were once far fewer and much more standardized than they have become in 21st-century American cities. The recent growth of the Latino population in the form of documented and undocumented immigrants and refugees has given rise to a rich and flavorful pan-Latino cuisine across the United States, with a concentration in cities such as New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and Houston. Despite several generations of immigration, United States Latinos have maintained their heritage by simultaneously preserving the food culture of their homeland and adapting to the available ingredients and culinary practices in the United States. Given the diversity of nations represented by Latino immigrants in the United States, as well as the fact that the population includes a mix of both recent immigrants and families that have resided in the United States for multiple generations, Latino cuisine cannot be categorized as homogeneous or uniform.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2011 Hispanics made up 16.7 percent of the population, an estimated 52 million people. Of the overall Latino population, persons of Mexican origin form the largest Latino population group, 63 percent. Therefore Mexican cuisine is an essential component of Latino cuisine, and a general overview of Mexican cuisine along with its historical background is vital to understanding the development of Mexican food and Latino food in general in the United States. Long-Solis and Vargas 2005 offers a general overview of Mexican food culture, while Pilcher 1998 examines the cultural history of Mexican cuisine in a study that explores the food-related conflicts between Europeans and Mexican natives. Albala 2012 compares Mexico’s culinary history, key ingredients, and cooking tools with those of China and Italy. Janer 2008 offers a broad overview of the foods of all the different Latino groups in the United States, along with chapters on foods for special occasions, eating out, etc. Gabaccia 1998 provides a broad discussion of ethnic foods in the United States, while Anderson 2005 discusses how to define cuisines by nationality or region and makes references to the exchange of food and culinary traditions that has historically taken place between the United States and Mexico.

Albala, Ken. Three World Cuisines: Italian, Mexican, Chinese . Lanham, MD: AltaMira, 2012.

Albala discusses the parallel culinary histories of Italy, Mexico, and China. While Latino cuisine in the United States is not the focus of his work, Albala’s study provides important historical background to understanding the contributions of Mexico to global cuisine today. He briefly discusses the incorporation and adaptation of Mexican cuisine into mainstream American cuisine in the final decades of the 20th century.

Anderson, E. N. Everyone Eats: Understanding Food and Culture . New York: New York University Press, 2005.

Anderson’s study, particularly the chapter “Foods and Borders,” (chapter 12, pp. 186–208) discusses defining cuisines by nationalities or even regions and the value of food in representing the identities of ethnic groups. He analyzes the development of the United States’ culinary landscape and the influence of the United States-Mexico border on this evolution and discusses why Mexicans in California have preserved their culinary culture for centuries.

Gabaccia, Donna. We Are What We Eat: Ethnic Food and the Making of Americans . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1998.

Discusses how food choices reflect American consumers’ evolving identities, how Americans are willing to “eat the other,” (p. 9) as well as the history and development of popular ethnic foods, such as Tex-Mex, and early entrepreneurs of these foods.

Janer, Zilkia. Latino Food Culture . Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2008.

Janer provides a broad historical overview of the diverse Latino groups; their presence in the United States; and their cuisine, including Mexican, Caribbean Latino, Central American, and South American. She includes chapters on major ingredients, eating out, diet and health, and special occasions, as well as a useful glossary of terms.

Long-Solis, Janet, and Luis A. Vargas. Food Culture in Mexico . Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2005.

Although the focus is Mexico and not the United States, this book gives a historical overview and introduces readers to the major foods and ingredients, regional differences, etc. Provides readers with a background vital to understanding Mexican cuisine in the United States.

Pilcher, Jeffrey. ¡Qué Vivan los tamales! : Food and the Making of Mexican Identity . Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1998.

Pilcher’s cultural history of food in Mexico traces the influence of gender, race, and class on food preferences from Aztec times to the present and relates cuisine to the formation of national identity. He describes the “tortilla discourse”—the colonial conflict between the Mexican natives’ use of corn and the Europeans’ use of wheat—and how that influenced regional and socioeconomic differences in Mexican cuisine.

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Introduction to Chicanx/ Latinx Literature and Culture

Essay: latinx and mexican contribution to american food industry – jimena loyola.

Latinx and Mexican Contribution to American Food Industry

In the films La Cosecha directed by Robin Romano and East Side Sushi by Anthony Lucero, there are various similarities and differences among Latinx migrants and immigrants who are portrayed working within the American food industry.

The film La Cosecha depicts the harsh realities of working in the fields and how children of migrant families are ‘trapped’ in an endless cycle that is a difficult to escape. On the other hand, East Side Sushi dives deeper into Juana’s experience working at a Japanese restaurant, challenging stereotypes and standards when learning about another culture’s food and being able to combine two very different cultural foods into one. Along with the differences set between each of the films, they both reinforce the idea that Latinx and Mexicans immigrants/migrants are hard workers who will sacrifice anything possible to be able to provide enough for their families. Not only do they work hard for their families, but they also serve as the backbones towards the food production in America, whether it’s in a huge or small contribution. The films allow viewers to understand how much time and effort is put into the work that Mexicans and Latinx do for the food production in the United States. The film La Cosecha introduces the migrant families of three children: Zulema, Victor, and Perla. All three children grew up in families of farm workers, working in America, who express how harsh and laborious picking food can be physically on themselves and their family. Zulema who started working at the early age of seven mentions how, “[her family would] get [in] the car at five in the morning and work all the way to five [in the afternoon]”, making it 12 hour work days, seven times a week (Romano, La Cosecha, 00:04:46-00:04:58). Along with long work days, Zulema says working on the fields can be tiring on their bodies. Farmworkers will typically come across different injuries such as cutting themselves with clippers, or injuring parts of their body from the positions they have to be in to pick vegetable and fruit. Victor, who was only 16 years old when the documentary was filmed, says workers have to wash their hands with bleach after they have finished picking tomatoes all day in order to clean out the stubborn dirt from their skin, hands, and arms. After suffering from extraneous back pain and inhaling damaging substances such as pesticides that are sprayed onto fields, Victor says as a farmworker they only “work by the ‘pinteada’, which is $1 for every bucket. And every bucket is 25 pounds” but on average, he picks 1,500 pounds of tomatoes on the slower days (Romano, La Cosecha, 00:15:13 – 00:15:31). He explains that working on the fields can hold high levels of pressure because he’s not as fast as the older farm workers and can’t keep up with them. It goes to prove how diligent these children are in their jobs even when they are being severely underpaid, though most of these kids have no other option to replace the conditions they face. In another segment of the film, 14 year old Perla expresses “ I worry because when they’re older what are they going to do? What are they going to do when all they know is how to pick crops…I don’t want to end up like that” (Romano, La Cosecha, 00:23:21- 00:23:36). She worries she will eventually be consumed into the industry and deal with all the problems her parents deal with, when that is the opposite of what she wants. To these migrant children, it may feel like a burden at times having to work and travel constantly when the seasons are changing because they are realizing how much stress they are retaining from it; however, Perla, Victor, and Zulema all agree that they rather be put in that position for the sake of their parents health, safety, and money security reasons too. It comes to a surprise then, when migrant farm workers or other immigrants from Latin America are told by Americans that they are “stealing their jobs”. The reality is, according to Foster US and Global Immigration Services, “Economists tend to agree that immigration is good for the economy: Immigrants create jobs and make U.S-born workers more prosperous” (Foster). This system of migrant and immigrant labor is part of the reason why many Latinx families suffer economically in the U.S, they are working long hours for the minimum in return. However, many food industries are aware of the desperation from these families from being unemployed, so it’s in their convenience to hire them. Unfortunately, this system has consumed the lives of Latinx children as well, setting them back from getting ahead. All three children in the film express countless times how they all would’ve wanted to continue being children for a little longer, but understand making enough money to help them survive was more important.

Moreover, these young, migrant farmworkers feel as though they have no way of “escaping” this endless cycle without their families having to struggle financially. In the film, Perla mentions that her family is aware that it is not an easy job to deal with, but it is a job that can guarantee them hours and money. She explains how detrimental the cycle has potentially affected her future, from picking fruits at a young age, to constantly moving and leaving school friends behind she says she “has a dream of becoming a lawyer…and to help other people just like her” but making them true is out of the picture being in her position (Romano, La Cosecha, 00:22:05- 00:22:20). Many of them feel ashamed of their families economic status in the U.S. and find it difficult to fit in when they meet new people at different schools. Because they all eventually drop out of school to work, they miss out on the opportunity to learn and create long lasting friendships. According to a report made on dropout rates, “The status dropout rate of 29.1 percent for immigrants ages 16-24 is nearly three times than the rate of 9.9 percent for native-born youths” (National Center for Education Statistics). Unfortunately, these children can’t afford to not work with their families, and mentally they have to repeat it to themselves that it is a sacrifice worth doing. Whereas all of them prefer to be in a classroom with AC conditioner, planning their way towards graduation, they come to terms that they may never get to experience a stable education. Even when they do attend school for a couple months, they are often held back a year and have to learn English, so they are faced with educational barriers too. One thing that can be observed from the young farm workers in La Cosecha is their persistence to keep going, even though they have endured many hardships at a young age. They manage to stay selfless and share the importance of family to them, such as Victor who felt emotional when his sisters from Mexico moved back with them saying “It’s very different now. Now there’s a bit more movement around the house … and well the house is happier” (Romano, La Cosecha, 00:32:50- 00:33:21). Being able to provide the produce that America feeds on can be overbearing to them and draining at times but they get it done for the amount of time that it consumes them. The sad truth among the food industry in America is without these strong, persevering Latinx migrant workers we would most likely not have enough produce picked each season or relatively low prices when we buy them in our groceries.

On the contrary, East Side Sushi involves breaking stereotypes while Juana, a single immigrant mother, works in a Japanese restaurant in Northern California. When Juana was first hired at Mr. Yoshida’s Japanese restaurant, Mrs. Yoshida was very reluctant to do so because Juana didn’t ‘look the part’ and was not very fond of the cooking techniques for Japanese cuisine. However, Juana convinced Mrs. Yoshida that she was more than capable of learning how to prepare sushi and that she enjoyed cooking. On her first day, Juana was sent to wash dishes but was brought to the kitchen by Aki where he told her “Hey, forget the dishes today. We keep you on food prep” after he saw her skills with a knife (Lucero, East Side Sushi, 00:21:49 -00:22:07). Juana wanted to show Aki and the other chefs that she was capable of perfecting sushi rolls, so she spent a lot of her time studying the menu, making Japanese dishes at home for her family, and working extra hours just to get practical experience from Aki himself. As she kept practicing, Juana dealt with more sexist comments from her co-workers and her boss as well. They couldn’t accept the idea of a woman, who wasn’t Japanese, being good at preparing sushi, making it seem like all the effort she was putting into her job was just a waste of time. She was told numerous times by people in the workplace she couldn’t work at the rolling sushi station because “Woman hands are too warm”, “[they] cannot handle raw fish” (Lucero, East Side Sushi, 00:44:10- 00:44:16), or Mr. Yoshida’s excuse: “Customers come in and they want authenticity” but Juana argues that she does exemplify that but what he wants is “to give them an illusion” (Lucero, East Side Sushi, 01:11:33- 01:11:41). Mr. Yoshida felt he had to perceive a certain illusion in his restaurant and felt Juana was the problem for breaking that idea because she was a woman. Throughout most of the film, he held close minded thoughts preventing Juana from showing her full potential in the restaurant. Juana knew it was possible for her to reach sushi chef (highest level in the restaurant) even though she herself wasn’t a man. She believed learning other cultures’ cooking was a fascinating skill and by no means ever meant to appropriate it. Unfortunately, Juana felt Mr. Yoshida would keep neglecting her skills and lead her to quit her job. It wasn’t until after she got second place in a difficult sushi competition that Juana was hired again after proving worthy of the role as sushi chef.

Another way East Side Sushi portrays Latinxs contribution to the American food industry is through the fusion of Mexican and Japanese food. Juana’s father was skeptical and against Juana working in a Japanese restaurant because he had never tried any of their food before and wanted her to stick to cooking Mexican food instead, as it was a big part of their culture. This connects back to Gustavo Arellano’s argument in Taco USA stating Mexican food is “absorbed by Americans, enjoyed, demanded- an all of it whetting appetites for more” (Arellano, 5). He exemplifies that fusion between culture not only happens between the food, but between the people trying new cultural foods as well. As a way of opening her dad’s mind into trying sushi, Juana fused ingredients from her kitchen like chile poblanos into her sushi recipes, making it so her father was willing to give it a try. In response to one of her original recipes he asks with delight “Can I have one?” continues to smile and asks again “Can I have another” (Lucero, East Side Sushi, 01:08:42 – 01:09:02)? It seems very impactful the way Juana was able to convert the culture she learned in her job, to her home and spread the culture with her daughter and father. She held patience for those who refused her ideas because she knew the idea of a new culture was not common to her father, Mr. Yoshida, and everyone else at the restaurant, but she showed them how incredible creating a combination of two cultural foods can be.

Being that both films revolve around Latinxs and Mexicans contributing to the American food industry, the films reinforce the perseverance that Juana and the migrant workers hold whenever they are working their jobs. In La Cosecha, Perla, Zulema, and Victor all push through the obstacles they face when working out in the fields. They are accepting of how vigorous it is that this job is on them, yet they get up early each day and get the day done. Growing up in a position where they are not as fortunate as others, they still manage to help feed all of America with all the might in their two hands. In the same way, Juana is dealt with hardships when figuring out how she would be able to provide for her daughter all by herself. So when her father told her Osaka “doesn’t sound Mexican to [him]” she argued that the restaurant actually seemed interesting “and their medical benefits [would] kick in after three months” (Lucero, East Side Sushi, 00:17:24- 00:17:54). Being able to work her way up in the Japanese restaurant proves her ability to keep pushing no matter what circumstances she may be facing in her life. Alongside these motives, the films depict all four workers as a backbone to America’s food production. The viewers get to learn about the important role migrant workers play in providing us with our fruits and vegetables, or in Juana’s case, we get to see the way she maneuvers herself in a new environment, yet manages her cooking abilities in outstanding ways where customers get to enjoy the food she serves them. No matter how big each contribution may be within each film, the roles they play in contributing to the food industry is still major. Juana was able to break stereotypes along the way in her situation while the migrant workers are able to provide food which we consume everyday.

As a result, La Cosecha and East Side Sushi depict Latinx and Mexicans in very different ways when contributing towards the American food industry. In Robin Romano’s film, he shows viewers how difficult it can be working as a migrant farm worker in the U.S. and the opportunities children farm workers are missing out on due to picking crops all day in the fields for several days a week. On the other hand, Anthony Lucero reveals through Juana just how big her contribution towards the Japanese restaurant she can make independently as a Mexican-American woman. Being able to combine two amazing cultures while still embracing her Mexican culture was possible, and she was able to break barriers among both cultures with her father and Mr. Yoshida. It is an ongoing pattern of Latinx and Mexicans serving our country in the food industries, no matter how big or small their roles are, they leave impactful stories for the rest of us to learn about and recognize the work they have done to support our livelihoods by providing food for us.

Works Cited

Anthony, Lucero, director. East Side Sushi (2014).

Arellano, Gustavo. Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America. Scribner, 2013.

Foster. “Immigrants Aren’t Stealing American Jobs.” Foster Global, 21 Oct. 2015, www.fosterglobal.com/blog/immigrants-arent-stealing-american-jobs/

“Immigration, Participation in U.S. Schools, and High School Dropout Rates.” Dropout Rates in the United States: 1995 / Immigration, Participation in U.S. Schools, and High School Dropout Rates, (table%2015).

nces.ed.gov/pubs/dp95/97473-4.asp#:~:text=Among%20all%20youth%2016%20through,born% 20 youths%20

Romano, Robin, director. The Harvest = La Cosecha. Shine Global, 2010.

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Essay on Mexican Culture

Students are often asked to write an essay on Mexican Culture in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Mexican Culture

Introduction to mexican culture.

Mexican culture is rich with history and color. It comes from ancient civilizations like the Aztecs and Mayans. Today, it’s a mix of those traditions with influences from Spain and other countries. People in Mexico are known for their love of family, music, and food.

Festivals and Holidays

Traditional mexican food.

Mexican food is known worldwide. Tacos, enchiladas, and guacamole come from here. Corn, beans, and chili peppers are important ingredients. Meals are often shared with family, making eating a social event.

Music and Dance

Music and dance are key parts of Mexican culture. Mariachi bands play guitars, violins, and trumpets. Folk dances tell stories of Mexico’s history. The colorful costumes and lively rhythms are enjoyed by people of all ages.

Art and Craft

Mexican culture is a tapestry of traditions that celebrate life. It’s a blend of history, art, food, and music that brings joy to people and makes Mexico unique.

250 Words Essay on Mexican Culture

Mexican culture is a rich blend of native traditions and Spanish influence. It is known for its colorful art, lively music, and strong family values. Mexico’s history shapes its culture, from ancient civilizations like the Maya and Aztecs to the Spanish conquest.

Traditional Food

Mexican food is famous worldwide. Tacos, enchiladas, and tamales are just a few examples of the tasty dishes. Ingredients like corn, beans, and chili peppers are common. Families often gather to enjoy meals together, making food a central part of social life.

Festivals and Celebrations

Mexicans love to celebrate. One of the most famous events is the Day of the Dead, when people honor their loved ones who have passed away. There are also colorful parades, dances, and music. Christmas and Cinco de Mayo are other big celebrations full of joy and traditions.

Music and dance are vital in Mexican culture. Mariachi bands play lively tunes with violins, trumpets, and guitars. Folk dances tell stories of Mexico’s history and people. Young and old enjoy the rhythms and movements that make up Mexico’s musical heritage.

Family Values

Mexican culture is a tapestry woven from history, food, celebrations, music, and family. It is a culture full of warmth, color, and life, inviting everyone to experience its beauty and traditions.

500 Words Essay on Mexican Culture

Mexican culture is a rich and colorful tapestry woven from a history that goes back thousands of years. It includes the traditions of the ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations, as well as influences from Spanish colonists who came to Mexico over 500 years ago. Today, Mexican culture is known around the world for its vibrant music, delicious food, and festive celebrations.

Music and dance are at the heart of Mexican social life. Mariachi bands, with their trumpets, violins, and guitars, are a common sight at parties and celebrations. Folk dances, such as the Jarabe Tapatío, often known as the Mexican Hat Dance, tell stories through movement and are performed wearing traditional costumes. These art forms not only provide entertainment but also help to pass down history and traditions from one generation to the next.

Art and Handicrafts

Mexican culture is a beautiful blend of history, art, food, and family. It is a culture that is both ancient and ever-changing, as new generations add their own stories to the rich tapestry that has been created over thousands of years. Understanding Mexican culture can help people from all over the world appreciate the diversity and depth of human traditions.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

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Informative Essay About Mexican Food

Who doesn’t love food? With there being a lot of different cultures around the world, comes their amazing food. Most cultures center their activities on food and celebrate many things with it. Now days you can find a variety of ethnic foods in every country. A few of the most popular ethnic cuisines are Mexican, Italian, and Chinese. Since there are a variety of cultures, we have an array of ethnic cuisines, with the best being Mexican. Mexican cuisine uses bold and exciting flavors. Chilies are a primary ingredient in Mexican cooking . When the topic of Mexican food comes up, the first thing people think of is salsa. Salsa is a condiment made from tomatoes, chilies, and other Mexican inspired flavors. Charles E. Erath of New Orleans, Louisiana …show more content…

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The unexpected lessons of Mexican food

Nachos and burritos helped me understand my immigrant father and make sense of my strange biracial existence, by armando montano.

I first discovered cooking at age 5, when the earthy smell of boiling pinto beans lured me into the kitchen. It was my dad. He dripped them into an oily skillet and smashed them into a lumpy paste. I started pulling on his apron straps, begging to know the name of the concoction.

“Your grandmother always made this,” he said, stirring the bubbling brown stew and pinching in cumin. “I’ll teach you how to make it. Here, try it.” He raised the dripping spoon to my mouth. The mild tingle of cumin and the soft squish of beans lingered on my pallet, like a spicy fingerprint.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt the push and pull of growing up biracial in America. In the Mexican side of my family I was known as the white one. Even though I spoke Spanish, it was the formal kind learned from classrooms and reading, rather than the one you pick up by bartering with local shop owners over the price of firm avocados, or arguing with parents over a ridiculous curfew. On the other side, my cousins called me a “Wexican,” a white Mexican despite my similarly toned skin.

Cooking, however, taught me to channel my frustrations by creating foods through the addition of sour cream, cilantro, cayenne pepper and tender meat. I could make a food that doesn’t have to be Mexican or American.

- - - - - -

Since I was 6, my cultural anthropologist father took me on his research projects along the border in South Texas. He wanted to show me the tiny corner in his hometown that birthed the iconic Latino food: the nacho.

We ended our 14-hour drive from Colorado as the sun began to set behind the sandy wasteland known as West Texas. We pulled into the Best Western for refuge, the only hotel for almost a hundred miles. The Anglo man gawked at my dark-skinned father and his freckled child, and answered our unasked question: “We’re out of rooms.” He shuffled his papers to avoid eye contact. As my father dragged me closer to the counter, he strengthened his grip on my tiny hand and asked why the parking lot was empty if they were out of rooms.

“Conference,” the man said, glaring at my father and me without blinking.

We spent the night on a ratty mattress supported by cinder blocks at another motel a few miles away. When dawn came, we started our trip again as if nothing happened.

“I hate white people,” I muttered as we approached the sign welcoming us to my dad’s hometown, Eagle Pass. He jerked the car off the road and pounded the brake. He sighed, wiped the sweat from his forehead and glasses, and demanded that I never utter those words again. “How would your mother feel if she heard you say that?” he said.

We arrived at our destination, Eagle Pass, Texas. We weaved through the bustling streets of downtown, lined with banks, money exchanges and a line outside of the local meat market and bakery that snaked past a convenience store where people bought icy Cokes while they waited. From here, we saw the concrete bridge connecting Mexico and the United States over the Rio Grande River. During the '60s, my dad crafted lures on both sides when he fished for catfish, carp, turtles and alligator. Now, the heat sensors and armed guards stop him from crossing as freely. We parked in front of an old hotel and began to wander around town.

Inside the Mancha Meat Market and Bakery, a sharp, sweet smell of caramelized sugar filled the room, emerging from the side ovens cooking sweet bread glazed in a strawberry coat. On Saturdays, however, the stench of bloody, uncooked cow head lurks toward the empanadas and sweet bread.

Barbacoa, slow-cooked beef, had served as the Mancha family's specialty for 70 years. Every week they divide up several beef heads, place its remains in thigh-high containers, lower it into a hot pit, lined with mesquite coals, behind the bakery, and wake up at 6 a.m. the next morning to find the juicy aroma of tender meat, inviting you for a breakfast treat. On Sunday they used to sell well over a hundred pounds of meat for $3 a pound. Hordes of Mexican and Anglo mothers wait patiently to get their bounty for dinner that evening. There were only two weekends when Eagle Pass was left without barbacoa: once when elder Mancha died in the early '90s from heart disease, and the other when his wife joined him several years later.

Being one of the first Hispanics to get a Ph.D. in his program at the University of Pennsylvania weighed down my father whenever he returned to Texas. He liked to keep his accomplishments tucked away from most people. When he stopped by his friends’ bakeries, banks and law offices in Eagle Pass they always greeted him with endearing shouts and playful insults. But underneath the handful of dinner invites and barbecues, he felt a gradual separation with his past.

Sometimes, I think my dad tries to repair his link back to Texas through his students, especially the minority ones. He directed the ethnic studies and chaired the anthropology departments, and in his spare time takes on a mentor role for the first generation and students of color. At lunch he sketches their life plans on ketchup-stained napkins and tells them not to take any crap from losers. Most of those students go to grad school or work as a professional in a high-powered “something.” Not once during these meetings did I ever hear him tell students how to go back to their old lives, Santa Fe, Detroit or Los Angeles, after college. Likely, he was trying to figure it out for himself.

We trekked along the international bridge against a stationary line of cars waiting to enter the United States. Our two-hour wait in customs seemed like nothing compared to their four-hour wait in the unforgiving Texas heat. The sound of nearby dogs barking and angry shouting in Spanish caused me to jump, but before I could turn around, my dad tugged at my shirt, a signal for me to keep going.

The dim glow from the Moderno’s antique lamps and wooden tables made it feel like a speakeasy, rather than a restaurant. During the 1950s it served Mexican as the hangout for Mexican and Texas politicians, including President Lyndon Johnson and Maverick County Judge Roberto Bibb, conniving the different ways the Mexican vote would be delivered. As in those days, people still spent their dollars on beer, milanesa and, according to folk legend, the famous nachos, invented in this restaurant.

The waiter brought our mountain of freshly hot tortilla chips, each with some refried pinto beans, topped with a small slice of cheddar cheese and crowned with a deep green slice of jalapeno. We scarfed down the nachos like a horde of hungry javelinas. For the next 10 minutes we communicated in grunts and moans, only aware of the explosion of flavor in our mouths and the flow of dense cheese bubbling in our stomach.

The nacho, according to my father’s stories, represents the fusion between the Spanish colonizers’ new-world dairy and the Aztecs’ corn and chile. Throughout the centuries, the recipe morphed, first with the independence of Texas and California from Mexico, and then the immigration boom in the 20thcentury. By the 1980s, even though Cortez and Montezuma had withered into the pages of history, their spirits live on in the hot plates of these fried delicacies.

In my junior year of college, I decided go on my own adventure south of the border. But this time, I flew past Piedras Negras and landed in Buenos Aires, where the Mexican restaurants left my mouth bitter and my wallet dry. The Argentine diet consists of rich cheese, juicy steak and fluffy bread, carried over by the millions of Western European immigrants at the beginning of the 20thcentury. The country’s distance and lack of immigrants from Mexico left Argentines confused over the simplest of Mexican dishes. The huevos rancheros scraped against my mouth, and the weak margarita left me thirsty. I missed spicy food so much, that my biweekly trip to the Bolivian vendor for jalapeños resembled a drug deal more than a produce purchase. Something needed to change.

So I started cooking. I spent the day before my feast assembling the ingredients from all over town. The Bolivian woman from down the street sold me the jalapeños, a 10-minute subway ride took me to the dietary shop where I bought dried black beans, and a long bus ride brought me to the only Mexican restaurant that hustled individual tortillas for a dollar apiece.

I made Guillermo cook the black beans, while I diced the tomatoes into fine cubes. Even though he claimed vegetarianism, he rarely ate beans and pulverized them in the skillet with childlike curiosity and enthusiasm. He never knew Mexican food beyond the posh restaurants in the gentrified neighborhood of the city, and saw this as an authentic way to learn about Mexican culture from a real live Mexican.

“I’m technically American, Guillermo,” I told him as I started slicing the avocados. “My dad is first generation and my mom is white. I’m considered Hispanic.”

“Well, you’re the only Mexican I know,” he said. “If you speak Spanish, cook Mexican food, and have Montaño as a last name, I don’t see how you could be anything else.”

The waterfall of beaten eggs I poured into the sizzling skillet engulfed the fried tortilla cubes, until the batter thickened.

“It’s a Mexican peasant dish,” I said sprinkling in the peppers. “When the ingredients in your house were just about to go bad, you threw them all in a pan and ate it.”

Guillermo and his friends took hearty spoonfuls from the skillet, and before I could stab a piece of egg for myself, they wanted more. I slathered the beans Guillermo flattened into a rough paste over a fried tortilla chip, topped it off with a thick piece of cheddar and a single jalapeño slice, and offered it to Guillermo. He ate it all in one greedy bite. After a few seconds of hurried chewing, he stopped, opened his mouth and screamed,

“IT’S TOO HOT! IT FEELS LIKE HELL ON MY TONGUE!” he said right before he gulped down two glasses of strong margaritas. Several hours later, and a bottle of tequila later, he passed out on his bed finally knowing what “real” Mexican food tasted like.

For the next couple of months in Argentina, I cooked regularly for my Argentine friends and told stories about cooking with my dad. The entire time, they noticed how my syntax and vocabulary differed from theirs. Even though I spoke Spanish as a second language, they always referred to me as their “Mexican friend.”

My dad and I eat at Chipotle when we don’t feel like cooking or want to get out of the house. I order a veggie burrito stuffed with grilled peppers, wet black beans, sticky white rice and cheese. My dad usually orders the same, but tortilla-less, because of his doctor-mandated hypoglycemic diet. Even though he likes to call Chipotle “the Mexican PF Chang , ” he likes the taste and befriended everyone who works there. We know the Mexican women behind the counter and we always tell stories about Piedras Negras, while they lament Mexico City and brag about their children winning college scholarships.

Armando Montano is a senior Spanish and Latin American Studies major at Grinnell College. He's an aspiring journalist with a passion for cheeseburgers and travel.

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Food Is a Cultural Connection for Hispanics – Especially When It’s Homemade

Related Topics: Research Articles , Diversity & Inclusion , U.S. Hispanic , Lifestyle , Hispanic to Latinx , US

Hispanic culture is diverse, yet united through four cultural pillars: food, family, faith, and music. In our Hispanic to Latinx study, we delved into these topics through a survey of Hispanics aged 13 to 49 as well as in-depth interviews.

We looked at the roles of family and faith in earlier posts. And our research showed that that food is second only to family togetherness among the traditions Hispanics want to pass along to their children . In our interviews, participants told us that love is an essential ingredient in Latino foods. As Jorge from Miami told us, “American food is more plastic. It’s not handled with as much care and love and attention as my own cultural dishes.”

What else did we learn?

Hispanic foods are what they like best. When asked their favorite food, 59% named a Hispanic dish without prompting.

There’s nothing like homemade. While restaurants have their place, meals made at home are special. The majority of Hispanics (82%) said the most delicious food comes out of their family’s kitchen.

Cooking is an essential cultural connection. Authentic recipes and dishes are a link to their countries of origin; 75% said cooking keeps them connected to their culture.

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Mexican Food

The increasing number of immigrant population in the US, is topped by the Mexican presence with more than 8.5 Million legal immigrants (Mexico’s National Council of Populations, Sept. 2001). The United States is therefore slowly inheriting traditions brought about by the oldest and newest Mexican inhabitants. One cannot even deny that anything to do with the Mexican culture has gained popularity in TV shows and advertisements endorsing Mexican products to radio programs playing guitars and crooning Spanish love songs. Mexican immigrants and their descendants are also becoming socially and culturally influential as their way of life seeps into the contemporary American politics, food and daily living that will soon redefine the nation’s identity.

The demand for Mexican foods has increased and slowly becoming part of the mainstream culture and threatening to displace the long-time Italian and Chinese ethnic favorite foods. The unwillingness of Mexican immigrants to assimilate the American culture with strict preference over their own traditions (Smith, 1997: 112) is evident in their traditional choice of food in a new host country. As members of the leading minority group, Mexicans are coming out from obscurity and are collectively insisting a tangible conception of their democratic culture through cuisine (Rivera, 2006:4). This is creatively presented in their attachment to their native Hipic Mexican foods that has created a common link between the Americans and Mexicans through the culinary arts.

Mexican Traditional Food

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Mexican foods are becoming so popular and quite evident with the sales boost of salsa product outstripping ketchup sales in the United States. Tortillas are also becoming commonly needed in American palates with popular sandwich wraps replacing traditional breads (US, Levine; 2004: 32). American people are truly catching on the flavor of Mexican food that is intense and has varied spices (Wood, 2004:215). The original Mexican foods are rich in terms of proteins, vitamins, and minerals though it is characterized by some as spicy.

Corn particularly presented in corn tortillas, plays a fundamental role in the Mexican cuisine along with beans as another major staple ingredient (Wood; 215). Such food staples are often boiled and fried. Beans are also high in fiber with an anti-oxidant benefit which is excellent against disposing unwanted cholesterol and for cancer prevention. Along with avocados used in salads, soups and other main dishes, hot chili peppers are mixed with most Mexican dishes which are mostly served fried to provide the characteristic spice for flavor mostly composed of jalapeno, poblano, habanero, cascabel and pasilla as the most common spicy ingredients.

Protein-rich Mexican Diet

In the Mexican food, cilantro or Chinese parsley is a very popular herb used in salsa and sauces. It’s composition of phytonutrients, flavonoids and acid compounds are known to help control blood sugar, lower cholesterol levels and fight infection with its antimicrobial properties. Along with fresh tomatoes in the Mexican salsas, they’re used in most sauces and soups. Its lycopene-rich composition is a potent antioxidant and a rich source of vitamin C, A and K.

The papaya fruit is also a popular in the Mexican diet especially during breakfast which could be eaten as is or mixed with salsa. Papaya has been known to protect against heart disease, colon cancer and supportive to the immune system. It is also beneficial for digestion with its papain enzyme component particularly a good aid for digestion. When properly prepared, the benefits are well accepted in the human body with the best long-term effects.

Food Preparation

In Mexico, Mexican food preparation is fraught with traditional practices. In the preparation of salsa and tortillas and tamales especially during holidays, fire from the preparation is put out with either milk or butter and not water as a superstition of consistency in the food preparation is believed. As an ethnic group, Mexicans in the US do survive the ritual practices of religious and syncretic content, where the main offerings are food and beverages, such as mole during religious holidays like All Souls’ Day tamales or Saint Cross’ Day barbacoa (West, 1988:208) is upheld. These foods though take a lengthy preparation process yet in  Mexico’s different regions particularly in the rural areas during San Isidro Labrador’s feast day (West: 208),food is prepared as in a healthy manner and not merely fried with fat-rich oils.

Mexican Cuisine adaptation in the US

Mexican food demands created a major influence on American meals as shown by studies that Americans are currently eating Mexican foods four times more compared to 20 years ago (Wood: 216). Food chains are emulating the Mexican trend according to the Institute of Food Technologists (Dept of State, 2004) who claimed that Mexican food has almost doubled in popularity among people who cook regularly, from 44 percent in 1985 to 86 percent in 2003.

According to them the weak link between the super-sized and super-fattened food sold as Hipic or Mexican in the United States is the main problem as the Americanized version is loaded with calories. Further it is believed that as Hipic people blend in with American culture, Hipic would soon take in the food preparation and eating habits of the American people as they too are transformed into busybodies. While there is a mixture of both cultures in food preparation, the unhealthy element is retained as busy American-Mexicans hasten to prepare food faster fried in rich oils.

Food and health relationships

The traditional Mexican diet is advantageous but the American-Mexican is not! Staple as the main food composed of beans, corn and squash has a higher content of complex carbohydrates which is emphasized by the consumption of other fruits and vegetables. However when liberal amounts of fat are added through stewing or frying instead of baking or broiling, the purpose of a healthy diet is defeated. Fried foods which is a growing trend to a faster preparation needs fat-rich products which leads to obesity and contributes to diabetes, hypertension and a combination of these illnesses (Lisabeth and Kaplan: 2006).

Cutting down on fat, sodium and sugar in the diet would ultimately reverse the effects. It would be beneficial if the carbohydrate intake could be increased by eating servings of bread, pasta, fruits and vegetables. Spanish rice can be served with potatoes and beans as well. Corn tortillas should also be made using whole wheat flour and made with unsaturated fats such as canola oil, soybean or corn instead of lard. Avoidance of too much soft drink would also spell health as the American-Mexican drinks more water. Corn chips are also health-wise when baked instead of fried and avoidance of salty foods would mean a modified healthful Mexican meal with flavored garlic, cumin, regain, cilantro and other spices.

Works Cited

• Smith Robert. (1997). The City and the World: New York’s Global Future in Margaret E. Crahan, Alberto Vourvoulias-Bush (eds.). Council on Foreign Relations.
• Lisabeth, Lynda D. and Kaplan, Norman D. (2006). Mexican-Americans at Higher Risk for Second Stroke. Annals of Neurology, Sept.
• Rivera, John Michael. (2006). The Emergence of Mexican America: Recovering Stories of Mexican Peoplehood in U.S. Culture. NYU Press.
• United States. Department of State Reports.  (2004). Americans at the Table Reflections on Food and Culture. Diane Publishing.
• West, John. (1988). Mexican-American Folklore. Arkansas: August House.
• Wood, Andrew Grant. (2004). On the Border: Society and Culture Between the United States and Mexico. Rowman & Littlefield.

Mexican Cuisine

Mexican cuisine is a style of food that originates in Mexico. It is known for its varied flavors, colorful decoration, and variety of spices and ingredients, many of which are native to the country. What makes a meal distinctly Mexican, of course, are the lively seasonings. Not all Mexican recipes are fiery, though; while renowned for their heat, many subtle and intriguing spice combinations are also found in Mexican fare. The staples of Mexican cuisine are typically corn and beans.

Corn, traditionally Mexico's staple grain, is eaten fresh, on the cob, and as a component of a number of dishes. Most corn, however, is used to make masa, a dough for tamales, tortillas, gorditas, and many other corn-based foods. Squash and peppers also play important roles in Mexican cuisine. The most important and frequently used herbs and spices in Mexican cuisine are chilli powder, oregano, cilantro, epazote, cinnamon, and cocoa. Chipotle, a smoke-dried jalapeno chilli, is also common in Mexican cuisine. Many Mexican dishes also contain garlic and onions.

Next to corn, rice is the most common grain in Mexican cuisine. Mexican food varies by region, because of local climate and geography and ethnic differences among the indigenous inhabitants and because these different populations were influenced by the Spaniards in varying degrees. The north of Mexico is known for its beef, goat and ostrich production and meat dishes, in particular the well-known arrachera cut. Central Mexico's cuisine is largely influenced by the rest of the country, but has unique and tasty dishes such as barbacoa, pozole, menudo and carnitas.

Southeastern Mexico, on the other hand, is known for its spicy vegetable and chicken-based dishes. The cuisine of Southeastern Mexico has a considerable Caribbean influence due to its location. Seafood is commonly prepared in states that border the Pacific Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico, the latter having a famous reputation for its fish dishes. In Pueblos or villages, there are also more exotic dishes, cooked in the Aztec or Mayan with ingredients ranging from iguana to rattlesnake, deer, spider monkey, chapulines, ant eggs, and other kinds of insects.

The main characteristics of Italian cuisine is its extreme simplicity, with many dishes having only four to eight ingredients. Italian cooks rely chiefly on the quality of the ingredients rather than on elaborate preparation. Dishes and recipes are often the creation of grandmothers rather than of chefs, and this makes many recipes ideally suited for home cooking. This is one of the main reasons behind the ever increasing popularity of this cuisine, as cooking magazine in foreign countries popularize Italian recipes targeted at the home cook.

Italian cuisine has a great variety of different ingredients which are commonly used, ranging from fruits, vegetables, sauces, meats, etc Italian cuisine is also well known (and well regarded) for its use of a diverse variety of pasta. Pasta includes noodles in various lengths, widths and shapes. Distinguished on shapes they are named — penne, maccheroni, spaghetti, linguine, fusilli, lasagne and many more varieties that are filled with other ingredients like ravioli and tortellini.

Old El Paso Mexican Food

What: Kurt, the associate marketing manager of Old El Paso, needs to develop a new marketing plan to increase its brand awareness and educate the public about the convenience of preparing Mexican meals. Why: Old El Paso has been the market leader in the Mexican food industry for many years. Now, General Mills wants Old El Paso to increase its sales by 5% while maintaining the same level of profitability.

However, Mexican food industry is growing at a relatively slow growth rate of 3% per year, because Mexican food is not always on customers shopping list as there is a strong perception that Mexican food is inconvenient and difficult to prepare. That is why Kurt needs to develop a new marketing plan to raise brand awareness and educate the public in order to achieve the 5% goal. There is a misunderstanding in the communication process between Old El Paso and its customers.

Old El Paso has been positioning itself as a “Family Fun Experience” product. Meanwhile, the customers are more concerned about the process of preparing Mexican food, ie. , while many factors, including time needed for preparation and simplicity of preparation contributed to consumer perception of convenience/ease of preparation, ingredient availability was found to be the most significant barrier to making Mexican meals more often. They also need to educate their customers about the benefits of cooking Mexican food.

For example, according to their consumer research, 70% of decisions to purchase Mexican meal products are made before consumers ever arrive at the grocery store. Apply the fact to the AIDA model, it is important to raise its brand awareness and get consumers interested in its products in order to increase sales, because most of the purchase decisions are made before the customers see the actual product. With the fact that Old El Paso is the market leader and its brand equity, as soon as the brand awareness and interest is established, the sales will increase.

The biggest competitor in the Mexican food industry is private labels. Old Pl Paso has most of the market share in Mexican dinner kits (91. 2%) and Mexican components (70. 4%) category, while ranks number 3 in the Mexican salsa (15. 6%) category. Although both private labels and Old Pl Paso products are in high standards, Old Pl Paso is the only brand that offers a full product line in the Mexican food industry and is distributed in 98% of all grocery stores (with an average of 7. Old Pl Paso items on shelf). This means that Old Pl Paso is reachable to most of consumers while certain private label’s products are only available in certain grocery chains. How: Targeted results: Increase brand awareness while convince the public that it is easy to prepare Mexican food. 1) General public: Using kiosks to demonstrate the process of how to cook a Mexican meal with in-store ingredients. Reason: 80% of the population still do majority of their shopping at grocery stores.

By using in-store ingredients, the general public will know that everything they need for cooking a Mexican meal is in the store, so it is easy to prepare a Mexican meal. 2) Regular Mexican food shoppers: Place Old Pl Paso products at cashier counters. Reason: Placing products at the check-out counters to remain regular Mexican food shoppers that they could use Mexican food as an option for tonight’s dinner. Although this tactic implies impulsive shopping behaviour of some consumers, it also constantly remains consumers that Mexican food is available in the market.

The Mexican-American War, Were We Justified

The Mexican-American War was a war between the United States and Mexico which lasted from April 1846 to February 1848. It stemmed from the United States' annexation of Texas in 1845 and from a dispute over whether Texas ended at the Nueces River (Mexican claim) or the Rio Grande (U. S. claim). The war was the most devastating event in Mexican history, where Mexico lost the modern day areas of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado and Montana. The Mexican-American spawned out of land lust. The idea of Manifest Destiny and the promising lands of California, which were coveted by many European nations, led to a war of greed.

Even Abraham Lincoln, then a young Congressman, and Ulysses S. Grant, the future Civil War victorious commander and U. S. President, believed that the invasion of Mexico was not justified. Mexico had rejected a $15 million cash-for-land deal offered by the US. The area included what now covers the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Colorado and Utah. This territory was Mexican, but only nominally; control over the area was slight, and open to intrusion. Irritated at the rebuff, the US struck back in1845 by annexing Texas, a territory long disputed and fought over by both countries.

Mexico responded by severing diplomatic relations. U. S. President Polk further provoked Mexico by moving troops south to the Rio Grande, a river that historically was considered well within Mexico. U. S. and Mexican troops skirmished across the river, leading Polk to declare to Congress on May 11, 1846, that “…the cup of forbearance has been exhausted,” and that “American blood has been spilled on American soil. ” (Source: Eisenhower’s So Far From God, pages 49-55) The U. S. -Mexican War is the pivotal chapter in the history of North America.

It is the war that sealed the fates of it's two participants. For the United States, the War garnered huge amounts of territory and wealth, bootstrapping the fledgling democracy onto the world stage. For Mexico, the War sent the emerging nation into a tailspin that it is still reckoning with today, one hundred fifty years later. In the United States the US-Mexican War is virtually forgotten, and for good reason, as it is the clearest example of American greed and undiplomatic actions. The Mexican-American War was waged upon Mexico out of pure greed and disregard for international liberty.

In conclusion, the United States was unjust in its declaration of war on Mexico in 1846. The U. S. was clouded with dreams of Manifest Destiny. It had a president that was obsessed with fulfilling campaign promises and greed for new land. Polk was looking for revenge for the denial of the proposal for buying California as was evident in his original reasons for declaring war on Mexico. Also the U. S. provoked this border dispute into the two-year war that it became by purposely inciting the Mexicans into a fight. All these reasons are the evidence that the US was not justified in declaring war on Mexico.

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Hispanic and American Food Traditions The type of food that we eat is influenced by the countries and people that were once settled down in the land that we live on. Those from the past generation help influenced the way that we live and the food that we eat. Each region has their very own dishes of food that represent their uniqueness and own touch of their country.

Analysis Of Chipotle Mexican Grill

Abstract Chipotle Mexican Grill is a well-known company that deals with fast food and has made significant and distinctive progress compared to other companies in the fast food industry. The company not only prepares food in front of customers but also makes sure that food is made with integrity. The integrity is enhanced by finding, evaluating, and choosing the right ingredients, which are from animals, farmers, and the environment (chipotle.com). These are the principles that serve to direct and guide the organization and help position it as a leader in the industry.

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Mexican food Essay

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Despite the popularity of Taco Bell and Chipotle across the country, many Americans don’t really understand Mexican food. Most people who live in America don’t get to see the true beauty of food. We have fast food and microwavable food, while Mexican food is fresh and homemade. Mexican food varies by region, and there are certain ingredients that are used throughout Mexico. Mexican food has its roots from different countries. Each region in Mexico has its own type of food. Meat dishes are popular in the north, while in the south more dishes with vegetables and chicken are common.

Communities along the sea enjoy a lot of seafood dishes; using fish like grouper, red snapper, mojarra and snook. Lobster, crab and oysters are abundant. Some Mexican recipes incorporate influences from South America, the Caribbean and Africa. Common foods, such as tacos and tamales, receive a special touch in each region of Mexico.

White corn, beans, squash, tomatoes and chiles are the staples that have formed the foundation of Mexican cooking. The Mexican Indians relied on the combination of corn and beans for their protein, and they included small game, birds and fish whenever available. They either simmered or smoked the food. They did not have bread, but invented tortillas made of corn.

When the Spainards arrived in Mexico, they brought influences from the Romans: wheat, bread, olives and olive oil, the Germanic tribes: pork and lard, and the North African Moors: sheep, chickens and spices, such as cinnamon and cumin, fruit, rices and nuts. The Mexican Indians incorporated these ingredients into tacos, stews and tamales which we now consider typical Mexican cuisine.

The Term Paper on Program for Education, Health and Food in Mexico

The United Nations formulated global targets to be attained by all nations which are referred to as millennium development goals (MDGs), which need to be met by 2015. This is the foundation for the major development agendas set by separate nations in the world today that all are geared towards these goals. For instance these goals includes poverty and hunger reduction, universal primary education, ...

Chiles, one of the most recognizable flavors in Mexican cooking, was originally cultivated in South America. Mexicans continue to use dozens of varieties of chiles in cooking. Anchiote seeds and paste often season chicken and fish; dried and smoke jalapeños give Mexican soups, salsas and sauces a smoky flavor. Mexicans cooking also uses canella (white cinnamon), which has a more delicate flavor than its American counterpart.

In conclusion, Mexican food is unique in many ways! The food they eat can be exotic but delicious . Most food that they cook is healthy, filling, and is well desired. Different types of food comes from different regions of Mexico. Chiles is one of the most used ingredient of Mexican food. The ingredient can be used as a spice and was originated in Mexico.

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Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Mexican — Compare and Contrast Mexican and Italian Culture

Compare and Contrast Mexican and Italian Culture

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Shared historical influences, language and communication, cuisine and culinary traditions, art and aesthetics.

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Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine

Russian forces have made rapid gains in the eastern Donetsk region over the past week or so, capturing a few villages and closing in on the city of Pokrovsk, one of the main Ukrainian defensive strongholds in the area.

Russian forces are now only a dozen miles from Pokrovsk after Moscow’s troops pushed along a railway line and advanced about three miles toward the city, according to open-source maps of the battlefield based on combat footage and satellite imagery. The Russian progress contrasts sharply with the slow but steady gains that Moscow had made so far this year in the Donetsk region, sometimes measured in only a few hundred yards a week.

Military analysts say the swift gains reflect Moscow’s improved ability to exploit cracks in Ukrainian defensive lines, which have been thinned by manpower shortages and strained by relentless Russian attacks along a more than 600-mile front.

In recent months, the experts say, Russian forces have increasingly focused on identifying weakened and poorly organized Ukrainian units before breaking through by throwing scores of troops and armored vehicles onto the battlefield.

“Russians probe the lines to see if a battalion holds or retreats,” said Mykola Bielieskov, a military analyst at the government-run National Institute for Strategic Studies in Ukraine. Once they “find weakened battalions and brigades,” he added, “they press them no matter the losses.”

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We started our business in 2001 on the principle that the right mix of passion and fresh ingredients is the key to great tasting food. Our venture began by selling green tomatillo salsa and the best homemade tamales at the local Farmer's Market. Demand for our food was so great that we considered opening a restaurant, and one year later, we opened Patty's Mexican Kitchen & Catering. Although we had never worked in the restaurant business before, we dedicated ourselves to the joy of cooking for others full-time.vice, student groups as well as local companies and organizations routinely choose Patty's Mexican Kitchen to treat their colleagues for special occasions.

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We started our business in 2001 on the principle that the right mix of passion and fresh ingredients is the key to great tasting food. 

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