Historical Factors
One of the two biggest reasons for the differences between Mexican food and American food is historical. Mexico of course was once a Spanish territory; then again, so were parts of the United States! The difference is that Mexico remained a Spanish colony for a much longer time – and you can certainly see the influence of Spanish cooking in parts of the American southwest. These are regions, which were formerly held by the Spanish and of course, also bordering Mexico.
By contrast, what is now the United States was largely colonized by immigrants from Northern Europe, especially the English, Dutch and Germans, with French settlers in some areas and later on, immigrants from eastern Europe and Scandinavia – and to a lesser extent, literally every other part of the globe.
For a long time, however, immigrants to Mexico from the old world hailed, for the most part, from Spain, leaving an indelible stamp on the new nation’s cuisine. Many Mexican recipes are adaptations of Spanish dishes, with some classic recipes from Spain surviving more or less intact. This led to a distinctive blend of culinary traditions drawn from Spanish and indigenous ingredients and cooking methods.
Mexico has of course had significant numbers of arrivals from outside of Spain since, especially settlers from Syria and Lebanon, who brought one of their traditional dishes – shawarma with them. This has been adapted into the Mexican classic al pastor. However, the Spanish influence is stronger than any other in the Mexican kitchen is.
Since the US has a much more diverse population, no single nationality’s cuisine ever assumed quite the dominance over American cooking as can be seen in Mexico with Spanish influence. The development of Mexican food is largely the product of two cuisines rather than many melding together over time.
Locally Available Ingredients
The second reason for the difference between Mexican and American cooking has to do with geography. Just as the first European colonists in America learned to use the local produce as well as importing their own, early settlers in Mexico adapted to local ingredients and the native and Spanish cuisines melded into something all its own. Since the country has a warmer climate, different ingredients are easily available, with corn, chili peppers, pumpkins, and other crops, which have been cultivated there for millennia and imported crops, which grow easily in the country.
This fusion of ingredients native to Mexico and those brought from Spain and the cooking methods of both old world and new is what brought Mexican food to fruition. In fact, this is probably the most popular fusion cuisine in the world, though people rarely think of Mexican food as anything but its own distinctive cuisine, which of course it is as well. From Mexican food recipes like huaraches to menudo, mole to Mexican casserole recipes, Mexican food is something with a flavor which is uniquely its own.
We all know that salsa is available in jars but homemade salsa is too good not to make! With the many easy salsa recipes that Mexicans themselves love to make, you can try making your own wonderful Mexican salsa to complement sandwiches, salads and chips as well as Mexican dishes.
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