The soul of Mexican food and cooking lies deep in its impressive history. Over 4500 years ago, ancestors of the Mexican people, the Mayans, cultivated the heritage that would be passed down from generation to generation. Along the way, this heritage continued to influence the authentic Mexican food and cooking cultures that still exist today.

Like most ancient civilizations, the Mayans depended on agriculture to sustain life. The temperate climate and rich soil of Mesoamerica allowed their empire to thrive. They cultivated maize (corn), squash, beans, and chili peppers, products that remain at the heart of Mexican cuisine to this day. And while the Mayans were famous for their art, architecture, mathematical, and astronomical systems, we can also thank them for chocolate, corn tortillas, guacamole, and tamales.

If the Mayan heritage is the soul of Mexican food, the spirit comes from the people. They continued to use the same humble ingredients and primitive cooking techniques through the centuries to create the delicious, vibrant, and unique cuisine which they now share with others around the world. To protect their food and cooking heritage, UNESCO added traditional Mexican cuisine to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.

Today, Mexican cuisine is quickly becoming popular all over the world, with thousands of restaurants to prove it. Not all prepare the traditional cuisine, but most offer a taste of why the food and cooking culture of Mexico is so precious.

The heart of Mexican food

The heart of Mexican food and culture was, and still is, “la milpa”. The word milpa means cultivated field, but the meaning is much more complex. Milpas were where farmers from the Mayan and other Mesoamerican civilizations came together to cultivate crops, mainly maize, beans, squash, and chilis.

Today, on modern milpas all across Mexico, farmers grow a large variety of fruits and vegetables that make the food so delicious. Tomatoes, tomatillos, sweet potatoes, avocados, melons, onions, chia, amaranth, agave, and countless other crops grow in abundance, but the main crops are still maize, squash, beans, and chili peppers just like in ancient times.

Traditional milpas remain an important part of the unique Mexican culture and are not just for agricultural purposes, they have sociocultural importance, too. According to Mexican people, the milpa is where family, community, and the universe bond together as one. They help keep the people connected to one another and the traditions alive and relevant.

Key ingredients of Mexican food

Corn, beans, and chilis have always been staple ingredients in Mexican cuisine – even in ancient times. This is true because these are the crops that grow the best in the climate, but it’s also because they are versatile, delicious, and when eaten in combination, they provide balanced nutrition.

Corn

Mexicans call themselves the children of corn because it is such an integral part of their lives, history, and tradition. Indigenous people considered maize to be the beginning and end of humanity, and as it was in ancient Mesoamerica, maize is still the most important staple food in Mexican cuisine today.

To get more nutrition from the corn, Mexican cooks use an ancient process called nixtamalization. They boil the kernels of corn in an alkaline solution making the nutrients more bioavailable and easier to grind into masa (corn meal). Masa is the maize dough that Latin American cooks use to make tortillas, gorditas, tamales, pupusas, sopes, to thicken soups, stocks, and sauces, and in many other dishes.

Beans

In Mexican cuisine you can find dozens of different kinds of beans, or frijoles. Beans grow well in this country so are in abundance. They are filling, inexpensive, and a great source of complete protein when combined with corn. Mexicans love eating beans as a main course, or as side dishes with eggs, meat, or other grains like quinoa and rice.

Frijoles refritos, or refried beans are cooked and mashed beans that are a staple ingredient in Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes like burritos and tostadas. For breakfast, many Mexican natives smear corn tortillas with frijoles refritos before adding chopped meat or chicken, fresh tomatoes, cilantro, peppers, or fresh salsa.

Chilis

Authentic Mexican food wouldn’t be what it is without the addition of some kind of chili pepper. Farmers in Mexico grow hundreds of varieties of chili peppers that range from mild to super spicy. Chili varieties like jalapeño, serrano, chipotle, and chiles de Arbol not only add spice to dishes, but they also have complex flavor components that bring sweet, fruity, smoky, and earthy notes to the otherwise bland ingredients of beans and corn. The different chili varieties are also the most important components in sauces and salsa, also integral parts of traditional Mexican food.

Mexicans celebrate with food

The soul and spirit of Mexican food and cooking come to life during celebrations. Mexican families love to celebrate occasions like engagements, weddings, birthdays, national holidays, and religious festivals with lots of food.

Before a celebration, women relatives gather together at one of their homes and cook huge amounts of food. They might spend days preparing dishes like tamales – prepared corn husks filled with freshly made masa dough and meat or chicken, cooked beans, cheese, and chilis all wrapped up and steamed. Enchiladas which are corn tortillas stuffed and covered with mole sauce. Posole, slow-cooked pork stew with hominy and either red or green sauce. Carnitas, pork that is slowly braised in oil or lard and served on a tortilla, topped with fresh tomato and cilantro.

Dishes like these are always accompanied by fresh salsas using vegetables like tomatoes, onions, chilis, and cilantro; guacamole made with avocados and other fresh ingredients; and the famous moles of Mexican cuisine. All moles begin with chilis of some variety, then, depending on the area of the country, a variety of fruit and nut are added with different spices. These ingredients are ground finely until they become a thick sauce.

Typical daily meals in Mexico

In Mexico, most people have a hearty breakfast. Instead of cereal or toast, they might have tripe soup, pozole, chicharron (pieces of deep fried pork skin) with salsa verde, eggs, tortillas, crispy fried tortillas covered with salsa and cheese, or pieces of stewed meat in sauce. Most dishes are also served with beans that are either mashed or whole, and always with extra tortillas on the side.

Lunch is the main meal of the day and is usually eaten in the afternoon with the entire family. Lunch generally has two courses, the first might be salad or a light soup. The second, or main course, can be meat, chicken, or fish accompanied by beans, corn tortillas, or rice. Also on the table are bowls of fresh salsa or guacamole.

Dinner for most people is lighter than lunch and can be leftovers, tortillas, quesadillas, or tacos. Some families go out for street food in the evenings or have a sweet treat like ice cream instead.

There are thousands of examples of Mexican street food like tostadas, gorditas, nachos, empanadas, the list is endless. But there is no street food more popular than tacos.

Authentic Mexican street tacos use hot, soft corn tortillas, fresh off the grill, filled with grilled meat or chicken, and topped with chopped onion, cilantro, and a splash of lime juice.