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Fine eating in Mexico goes back to prehispanic times when kings and nobles had epicurean tastes. The most prized fish, for example, were packed in snow and carried by runners from the coast to palace banquets, which boasted hundreds of dining options. Many of the traditional dishes were made using native corn, turkey, avocados, tomatoes, chilies, beans, guava, prickly pear, cocoa, sweet potatoes, and water chestnuts. Tortillas were hand-patted from corn dough by dedicated cooks, a method still used today. The coming of the Spanish conquistadors led to a fusion of the old and new European ingredients, producing dishes praised by royalty from across the globe.
Today, each state of the republic has its own specialties. For example, tradition in Michoacán calls for centidas (triangular com cakes), huepechos (sweet tamales), or tortilla pieces smothered in sauce, onion, and white cheese. In the Yucatan, a popular dish is pork and chicken pibil marinated in annatto seed and mixed with sour orange juice, while turkey is a basic staple. Chihuahua, cattle and goat breeding country, is famous for cabrito (roast kid), sabana (thinly-sliced beef), and quesadillas made with speciality cheeses like those from the Mennonite community. Jalisco and Guerrero have specialized in pozole (chicken or pork hominy soup) since the prehispanic era. Coastal resorts serve a perennial favorite, ceviche, along with other types of seafood. And the cloistered nuns of Puebla created what has become the national cuisine of Mexico-chiles emgadas and mole, which are served at special celebrations.
In Oaxaca, the specialty is "fusion cuisine from the natives and conquistadors," according to Horacio Reyes, executive chef at the Hacienda de los Laureles Hotel in Oaxaca City A typical dinner would start with appetizers such as tamales filled with mole, shark or red snapper, or a chile stuffed with melted cheese. The soup course would be shrimp consomme with cubes of prickly pear cactus paddles. A sweet-and-sour mole served with roast duck would be the highlight of the feast. Dessert could be either an apricot-like fruit called tecajote in sweet syrup, sweetened green papaya, or a cactus candy called bisnaga. "Oaxaca is made up of several different indigenous groups and they all have their special dishes," says Reyes, "for example, there are six types of tamales in the Oaxacan valley alone and five along the coast, including iguana tail and iguana egg." A basic staple sold in bulk in local markets is fried grasshoppers. While they first started out as an annoying plague to the farmers, serendipity intervened when someone figured out they were a free source of protein. Nowadays, grasshoppers are exported from fields to grace the menus of local restaurants. Reyes' favorite creation is his grasshopper truffle, a deep-fried cheese ball rolled in ground grasshopper.
Although most major cities have many restaurants with the Mexican foods that Americans are used to, the true culinary experience lies in experimenting with the authentic cuisines across the country. With so many variations and cultural influences, food in Mexico is guaranteed to surprise and delight even the most discriminating palates.
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