The expression 'conquer by the stomach' was created as a result of the Mexican gastronomy . We have no proof, but no doubt either. It's amazing how a corn tortilla stuffed with meat and other ingredients can generate such happiness. But the truth is that for a long time its cuisine has been relegated -by people outside its borders- to Two words: tacos Y spicy . Oh! How wrong we were!
Like a life jacket Google Arts & Culture appears to give us some classes in one of the most delicious cuisines in the world. Ingredients, recipes, history and main protagonists that come together under the title Flavors of Mexico and with which we travel the country from north to south and from plate to plate (virtually).
Google Arts & Culture presents Flavors of Mexico.
THE MAP OF GOOD EATING (AND DRINKING)
Not just tacos the 32 states of a country that stands out for its vast extension could be fed. Foodies will find on this trip their particular paradise on the plate, but also in the glass, because Mexico also has a lot to say in that art toast that we like so much.
Maybe it's an advanced level to start talking about goat, gorditas, cheese broth and beans with poison , but patience, we will not leave room for doubt. The cuisine of Northern Mexico is a constant parade of surprises. The gorditas are corn tortillas and the cheese broth is representative of Sonora, one of its main ingredients is a variety of green chillies that are only located in the northern states.
As for the poison beans… blessed poison! This is a typical Northeastern dish. It is fried beans dipped in pork roast : pork meat in chili broth and other spices. The word poison refers to butter, to the fat that the pork gives off.
If we stay in the north, we must also stop In Sinaloa . The town of Mazatlán is nicknamed the “shrimp capital” but here they are experts in merging the sea and the land, with recipes like the aguachile (with shrimp, chiles, lemon, onion or cucumber) or the governor tacos , also with shrimp, chili, tomato, cheese...
Characteristic well of Guerrero.
in chihuahua , for example, indigenous peoples celebrate the agricultural cycle with gastronomic rituals that give thanks for good harvests. The dishes usually have as main ingredients the beef, venison or goat . And if we move to Baja California, the expected moment arrives: the one with the wines.
Specifically in the region of Valle de Guadalupe, the vineyards find their ideal location , a combination between the sea and the valleys, along with desert landscapes. Its first crops date back to the 17th century and it is currently there where it is produced. 90% of the wine from Mexico.
We make the next stop in Guanajuato, in their chiles, broths and gorditas . and from there to Michoacán and its tamales . The jahuacatas are the traditional tamales, they are made from beans originating in the state and are consumed especially at Easter. But now, it's time to rest to toast, this time with the tequila from Jalisco , state in which the blue agave abounds.
Jalisco and its blue agave.
After the shot, we continue to Guerrero and his pozole . And that possessive pronoun is because its recipe is not as well known as that of Jalisco or Michoacán. Pozole is a soup whose main ingredient is nixtamalized corn kernels , that is, the corn is boiled to remove the skin and then be cooked without the head. In Guerrero it has a raw egg, sardine, avocado and pork rinds.
And refering to Mexico City Being one of the largest cities in the world, it is logical that its dishes are more numerous. But we can't leave without trying the cake , a kind of Mexican baguette that can be stuffed with meat, cheese, chorizo or a multitude of ingredients.
We are also going to talk about beauty, and the first prize goes to the chile en nogada, typical of Puebla . Its appearance mixes textures and the colors white from nogada, red from pomegranate and green from parsley which, as you may already be imagining, symbolize that of the flag of Mexico . Consists in poblano pepper stuffed with mincemeat (meat, tomato, garlic, onion and fruit), covered with nogada (whose main ingredient is the Castilian nut).
Chile in nogada.
To finish, we cannot miss the gastronomic variety of oaxaca, where the tlayudas stand out (typical corn tortillas of the state), the tamales or its infinity of moles. Either Tabasco cocoa , symbol of Mexico, or achiote, typical spice of Yucatan.
Much remains to be learned, such as the use of insects in many of their dishes , but even as a summary, we already managed to realize how much we did not know.
WHAT (AND WHO) IS BEHIND
This new Google Arts & Culture project has not only wanted to honor food, but also its history and influential people. To begin with, Mexican gastronomy was born longer ago than we can imagine, in fact, the aztecs and mayans were great cooks . But not only about origins they speak to us, but also about the strong presence that the contemporary kitchen in the country.
The mythical Mrs. Elpidia Hernández.
And since a recipe is nothing without a name behind it, Flavors of Mexico reveals some of the people who make its transcendence possible. figures like the Ms. Elpidia Hernandez , who at 80 years of age continues to cook with izote flower, the cook Beatriz Avendaño, the Flores family and his bakery Don Raúl or Doña Vero , which offers pre-Hispanic and modern cuisine in her restaurant.
Google Arts & Culture makes it easy for us, without leaving home, but wishing to do so, heading to the country. Flavors of Mexico is a love letter to the Mexican , a complete x-ray of a gastronomy that does not need to show how rich it is, figuratively and literally.