Every-one these days are acquainted with Mexican food, Whether it’s chile con carne, enchiladas, fajitas, nachos or a lovely rich mole it’s the spiciness that appeals to our palate.
At least we think we know it, what we really know is the same sauce wrapped up in a flour tortilla in different ways. A meal which is always popular, particularly on Independence Day is Chiles En Nogada, patriotic because it contains the colours of the ‘Bandera de Mexico’ which are green white and red. The colours are achieved in the dish through the use of green chiles, white walnut sauce and red pomegranate seeds. it’s a matter of personal prestige to make the dish perfectly, it sometimes takes twelve hours to cook after having started cleaning the walnuts anything up to three days before the actual cooking starts. However, many of the other ingredients are disputed and there are many local differences which may include banana, cream cheese, peaches, pears or apples and even Jerez sherry.
As well as the chile, corn is indigenous to Mexico and its most ubiquitous use is for tortillas, the convenience of a soft flour tortilla makes it perfect for street food. If you go anywhere in Mexico you’ll see food stalls on every street, mixed in among the hoardings for ‘prestanos en efectivo‘ and ‘solicitar credito‘ all selling their own interpretations of traditional Mexican food. How many ways is it possible to make a traditional Mexican burrito? Exactly as many as the number of burrito stands in all of Mexico and every recipe that’s been passed down from mother to daughter, father to son as far as any-one can remember!
