Hispanic Food Guide & Glossary

  In the early 1500s, Cortés led the Spanish Conquistadores into Mexico and encountered the Aztec civilization led by Montezuma. Not only did the Spaniards find a society that had made achievements in mathematics, astronomy and engineering--they met a society that had foods and cooking methods they had never seen before. From hot chocolate, tomatoes and corn to pineapples, avocados and turkeys--the Spaniards returned home and introduced these foods into Europe.
  The Aztecs cultivated wild corn over seven thousand years ago. The Spanish, seeing that it yielded ten times more than any of the grains they cultivated in the Old World--eagerly brought the new food back to Europe. By the early sixteenth century sweet potatoes, peanuts, beans, squash, pumpkins, chilies, cocoa, vanilla, avocadoes, pineapples, coconuts, mangos, melons, corn and turkeys were taking hold in Europe. In exchange, the Spanish introduced domestic cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats to the Americas. This gave the Aztecs dairy, meat and lard. The Aztecs learned to cook with the new source of fat and in return the Spaniards learned to barbeque their meat and dress it with spicy sauces. With the addition of rice and wines, the two cultures blended into what we now think of as Mexican.
  Mexican menus still include some of the dishes served to Montezuma--including tamales, atole (beverage made from diluted corn dough sweetened with chocolate or fruit),  chili and tomato sauces.

Glossary

Adobo Sauce: Dark red sauce made from ancho chilies and tomatoes.
Albóndigas: Meatballs
Almuerzo: brunch
Ancho Chilies: mild, sweet chilies
Atole: Sweet beverage from corn masa and flavorings
Buñuelos: deep fried pastries
Burritos: Tacos made with wheat flour tortillas
Cena: late night supper
Chile: peppers that are sweet to spicy hot, click here for more.
Chipotle Chili: dark red to brown hot chili
Chorizo: Mexican pork sausage
Churros: long, deep fried pastries
Cilantro: herb, coriander
Comal: clay baking surface to bake tortilla
Comida: afternoon meal
Desayuno: breakfast
Empanadas: turnovers
Enchiladas: rolled, filled tortillas in a sauce
Escabeche: pickled fish
Flan: caramel topped custard
Garbanzos: chick peas
Gazpacho: cold vegetable soup
Guacamole: avocado sauce
Jalapeno chili: hot, small green chili
Jicama: root vegetable
Maguey: agave, tequila is made from this plant
Masa: dough prepared from lime treated corn kernels
Merienda: light supper
Mexican chocolate: sweetened chocolate blended with cinnamon for hot chocolate
Mole: chili based sauce
Pasilla chili: dark red very hot chili
Pepitas: Pumpkin seeds
Pibil: meats cooked in a barbeque pit
Picadillo: meat filling made with cooked meat, vegetables or fruits and seasoning
Picante: hot chili
Pozole: pork stew
Quesadilla: cheese taco, fried
Refried beans: cooked beans that are mashed, seasoned and fried
Salsa: sauce of tomatoes, onions and chilies
Sangria: Red wine with fruit
Taco: tortilla filled with meat and fried
Tamale: corn masa dough filled with meat or poultry, wrapped in corn husk
Tequila: alcohol beverage made from agave
Tomatillo: small green Mexican tomato
Tortilla: flat baked patty made from corn
Tostada: Tortilla with fillings, like open face sandwich

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