Mexican Cuisine

Mexican cuisine — recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010 (the first cuisine ever so designated) — is one of the world's most complex and diverse culinary traditions, built on ingredients domesticated in Mesoamerica: corn (maize, the cornerstone — domesticated 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte), chilies (50+ varieties), cacao (chocolate originated in Mesoamerica), tomatoes, squash, beans, avocado, vanilla, and turkey. The Aztec and Maya food traditions combined with Spanish, African, and Caribbean influences to create a uniquely layered cuisine. Regional diversity is extraordinary: Oaxacan mole negro (30+ ingredients including 5 types of chili, dark chocolate, and charred chili — cooked for days); Yucatecan cochinita pibil (achiote-marinated pork, pit-roasted, wrapped in banana leaves); Veracruz seafood; Pueblan mole poblano (said to have been created by nuns who blended every ingredient in their convent for a visiting bishop); and Mexico City street food (tacos, tamales, tlayudas, quesadillas). The nixtamalization process (soaking corn in alkaline solution before grinding) — a Mesoamerican invention — releases niacin from corn, preventing pellagra, and creates the distinctive flavor and texture of tortillas and tamales.