Ancient Mexicans Ate Spicy Food

[Klingan]

Mexican cuisine as we know it today goes back at least 1,500 years, according to a new study that looked at 500-1,500 A.D. food preparation ingredients discovered in two Oaxacan caves.

 

Based on the evidence, cavemen then had 122 dried and fresh chiles, along with corn, squash, beans, avocados, agaves, prickly pears, tropical zapote fruit, berries, wild onions and more at their culinary disposal.

 

Like a well-organized pantry, the chiles had pride of place just to the right of the entrance for one of the caves.

 

Read more here.

[Andrew Dalby]

Mexican cuisine as we know it today goes back at least 1,500 years, according to a new study that looked at 500-1,500 A.D. food preparation ingredients discovered in two Oaxacan caves.

 

Based on the evidence, cavemen then had 122 dried and fresh chiles, along with corn, squash, beans, avocados, agaves, prickly pears, tropical zapote fruit, berries, wild onions and more at their culinary disposal.

 

Like a well-organized pantry, the chiles had pride of place just to the right of the entrance for one of the caves.

 

Read more here.

 

Seems odd to refer to Mexicans of this period as cavemen. I suppose it depends on the implications of the word ... If I drive two hours north of here, I can find lots of people living in caves -- and an excellent restaurant in one of those caves, specializing in mushrooms and Loire wines -- but I wouldn't call the owner a caveman!

 

EDIT: I don't mean to criticize Klingan's choice of words -- it is the article itself that uses this word. Very interesting article, too.

Edited July 11, 2007 by Andrew Dalby

[Pertinax]

Indeed look at this sophisticated dwelling:

http://www.channel4.com/4homes/ontv/grand-.../C/cumbria.html

Look at the Woodsman's house as well!

[Klingan]

Indeed look at this sophisticated dwelling:

http://www.channel4.com/4homes/ontv/grand-.../C/cumbria.html

Look at the Woodsman's house as well!

 

Haha that's a truly remarkable cave, just in my taste! They could have used more marble thou.

 

Oh and yeah the first post is just the first three pieces of the article to give people a taste of it before reading it all.

[ASCLEPIADES]

Salve! I suppose I have a reasonable knowledge of nowadays Mexican traditional cuisine, and I think that most of it would require Old World's ingredients not available before 1492.

[Klingan]

Based on the evidence, cavemen then had 122 dried and fresh chiles, along with corn, squash, beans, avocados, agaves, prickly pears, tropical zapote fruit, berries, wild onions and more at their culinary disposal.

 

Salve! I suppose I have a reasonable knowledge of nowadays Mexican traditional cuisine, and I think that most of it would require Old World's ingredients not available before 1492.

 

I must say that this do remind me quite much of what I would call Mexican food today.

[docoflove1974]

I don't know that I would completely agree; while certain foodstuffs like olive oil, perhaps rice, and much of the citrus was not only brought over but fully incorporated into Mexican cuisine, there is so much more to the gastronomy of that country than tacos and burritos. The herbs that are most often used--cilantro, epazote, hoja santa, culantro--are native (I'm almost 100% sure); corn and sweet potatos are the main starches, with yucca and other tubers often used in the tropical areas. Chiles of so many types are used, not just as accoutrement, but as the basis for sauces. Calabasas (squashes) are a common thickener, as is tapioca (which, if not grown locally, is brought in from their neighbors down in Central and South America). Tropical fruit are a main staple in the southern regions.

 

Much of what passes as 'Mexican food' in the States is actually more reflective of the Northern Plains of Mexico; flour tortillas, burritos, fajitas, and the like are more common to Northern Mexico/Southwestern US (esp. Texas and New Mexico).

 

What I'm curious about is cilantro and tamarind...used both throughout Latin America and Asia. Was this something that the Spaniards brought over from Asia, or what they brought there?

 

If you want to know real, authentic Mexican recipes, there are several cookbook authors. My personal favorite is Rick Bayless--this guy, straight out of Chicago, spent 5 years in Mexico in his early 20s, learning from major chefs to grandmothers. He's an encyclopedia; his PBS show, "Mexico: One Plate at a Time" is a great show. I love his recipes; many are easy-to-medium, and admittedly some are more difficult. I'm sure some of you can come up with others.

[Pertinax]

Cilantro (coriander) is a N African and Asian native, Tamarind is an East African native..perhaps AD can tell us the "how" (and whyfor)of their journey?

[ASCLEPIADES]

I don't know that I would completely agree; while certain foodstuffs like olive oil, perhaps rice, and much of the citrus was not only brought over but fully incorporated into Mexican cuisine, there is so much more to the gastronomy of that country than tacos and burritos. The herbs that are most often used--cilantro, epazote, hoja santa, culantro--are native (I'm almost 100% sure); corn and sweet potatos are the main starches, with yucca and other tubers often used in the tropical areas. Chiles of so many types are used, not just as accoutrement, but as the basis for sauces. Calabasas (squashes) are a common thickener, as is tapioca (which, if not grown locally, is brought in from their neighbors down in Central and South America). Tropical fruit are a main staple in the southern regions.

 

Much of what passes as 'Mexican food' in the States is actually more reflective of the Northern Plains of Mexico; flour tortillas, burritos, fajitas, and the like are more common to Northern Mexico/Southwestern US (esp. Texas and New Mexico).

 

What I'm curious about is cilantro and tamarind...used both throughout Latin America and Asia. Was this something that the Spaniards brought over from Asia, or what they brought there?

 

If you want to know real, authentic Mexican recipes, there are several cookbook authors. My personal favorite is Rick Bayless--this guy, straight out of Chicago, spent 5 years in Mexico in his early 20s, learning from major chefs to grandmothers. He's an encyclopedia; his PBS show, "Mexico: One Plate at a Time" is a great show. I love his recipes; many are easy-to-medium, and admittedly some are more difficult. I'm sure some of you can come up with others.

Salve! HERE you can find a very basic recipe for "Mole Negro" (Black Mole), typical from Oaxaca, Mexico. Of the 28 ingredients, 18 were at least partially unavailable to mesoamerican peoples (Pecans come from North America, all the others from the Old World); any chocolate bar, Mexican or elsewhere, has sugar, fat and milk, equally unavailable.

[Andrew Dalby]

Cilantro (coriander) is a N African and Asian native, Tamarind is an East African native..perhaps AD can tell us the "how" (and whyfor)of their journey?

For coriander (cilantro), yes, it seems to have begun in the eastern Mediterranean. My hypothesis is that under the Persian Empire (the Persians were great gardeners) it spread as far as northern India. This would fit with the fact that its first appearance in an Indian text is around 400 BC. It's remarkable how it has become typical of so many different cuisines world wide -- the smell of leaf coriander in cooking always makes me think of Burmese food -- but in fact that's exactly the same story as with chilli (red pepper). Just the starting point is different.

 

With tamarind, I didn't know the point of origin. Thanks for that information! It was unknown in the classical world, I think, but it also is popular in India and southeast Asia as well as in the New World.

 

And the reasons -- well, you know the reasons, Pertinax! It's partly that they taste good, partly that they do you good. It doesn't take long for people to realise this, when a new plant appears via new trade routes.

[docoflove1974]

Man, I forgot that they use cilantro in Burmese food! My first thought with cilantro is a good pico de gallo salsa, on a small taco or some such Mexican delight.

 

That recipe, AD, is almost identical to the mole de chocolate that I have from Rick Bayless. I think he even uses unsweetened chocolate in his recipe, to further make it 'authentic'. My absolute favorite one, though is mole de pepinas, which has roasted pumpkin seeds as the base...it gives it a grassy, fresh taste that is beyond amazing. This recipe on Food Network's page is very similar.

 

Mole of all kinds is perhaps one of my very favorite sauces. I love to take chicken breasts or thights, boneless and skinless, and cook them in the mole, and serve it up with some lime/cilantro rice and black beans. An amazing dinner!

[Pertinax]

Id like to add that oil of Cilantro is a very effective vermifuge (worm killer), so its inclusion in fish dishes is a nifty way of sidestepping parasite infestation if the dish is undercooked.Tamarind is very acidic , and for those unfamiliar with it I caution modest use if experimenting.

[ASCLEPIADES]

Man, I forgot that they use cilantro in Burmese food! My first thought with cilantro is a good pico de gallo salsa, on a small taco or some such Mexican delight.

 

That recipe, AD, is almost identical to the mole de chocolate that I have from Rick Bayless. I think he even uses unsweetened chocolate in his recipe, to further make it 'authentic'. My absolute favorite one, though is mole de pepinas, which has roasted pumpkin seeds as the base...it gives it a grassy, fresh taste that is beyond amazing. This recipe on Food Network's page is very similar.

 

Mole of all kinds is perhaps one of my very favorite sauces. I love to take chicken breasts or thights, boneless and skinless, and cook them in the mole, and serve it up with some lime/cilantro rice and black beans. An amazing dinner!

Salve, Doc! The problem with this recipe fon the ancient mesoamericans would have been not so much the absence of oil, broth and sorrel, but the total lack of metalic cookware.

[docoflove1974]

Well, um, yeah...that's pretty much a given. The ingredients list is primarily what gets my attention; substitute earthenware cooking vessels for metallic ones.

[ASCLEPIADES]

Well, um, yeah...that's pretty much a given. The ingredients list is primarily what gets my attention; substitute earthenware cooking vessels for metallic ones.

Both recipes (yours and mine) require frying extensively. Without it the dishes would be unrecognizable. I understand that frying is not possible with earthenware.