It's no secret that when many dishes are imported to the United States they are changed to suite the palate of the American people. Chinese dishes often are served with more deep fried goodies, many cuisines add cheese or oil or more salt to their recipes, or tone down their spices and pungent flavors. America's southern neighbor, Mexico, has exported many of their cultural dishes to America, but is the Mexican food you're enjoying a traditional recipe, or has it been "Americanized?"
Menudo
If you've ever smelled the scent of menudo cooking slowly in a kitchen, you know how tempting a meal it makes. You may not know it's main ingredient is beef intestines. Many Americans would never think of putting a portion of a cow's digestive tract in their mouth, and would turn their noses up, despite the mouthwatering smell, which prompts some Mexican restaurant owners to substitute more palatable cuts of beef. If you're eating menudo made with anything other than intestines (also called beef tripe), you're not eating authentic menudo.
Ceviche
Ceviche is a classic Mexican street food served during the hot summer months. It is widely enjoyed, but its principle ingredient, raw fish, is one many in the U.S. avoid. Fear of food poisoning keeps many people from consuming foods with raw fish, but when ceviche is prepared in the traditional manner, there is very little risk to those who eat it. Authentic ceviche is made with only very fresh fish, and it is steeped in sharp acids, which help prevent bacterial growth. Some Mexican restaurants serve ceviche made with cooked fish to better suite the preferences of their customers, but real ceviche is always made with raw fish.
Fajitas
This dish is very popular because of its endless variability and pleasing flavor palate. What red blooded American wouldn't love a bunch of meat and cheese sizzling on a skillet and wrapped in a tortilla? If chicken fajitas are your favorite, though, you're in for a shock. The word "fajita" is literally translated to "strap steak". Authentic fajitas are made only with one of the toughest, most gristle-ridden cuts of meat available. The meat is soaked in a marinade for hours to break down the connective tissue that makes it so tough, and then grilled. Biting into a fajita is always enjoyable, but if it wasn't once a nearly inedible hunk of cow flesh, it's not a "real" fajita.
Chili
No one is quite sure of the origin of the delectable blend of peppers and meat known as chili, but the Incas and Mayans apparently used some combination of the aforementioned ingredients. It seems every Mexican restaurant worth its salt boasts a fantastic bowl of chili, but does the bowl of awesome you've ordered come with beans? Beans are a relatively new and relatively American addition to the chili game. Authentic chili, or chili con carne (which translates as peppers and meat) is served sans beans. Those tiny legumes add a lot of fiber, protein and flavor to the dish, so if you enjoy your less-than-authentic chili with beans in it, more power to you.
America is truly a melting pot. American cooks have taken the traditions and cuisines of nearly every nation on Earth, re-shaped it and made it into something different. Great Mexican food is a matter of preference, but serving authentic Mexican food can be a matter of pride. With care, Mexican chefs have taken some of America's least favorite ideas and made them into amazing food. From raw fish to the intestines of cows, authentic Mexican food is unique and, to most Americans, strangely delicious. What's for dinner tonight? Maybe you should go out and try to find the best Mexican restaurant in Tucson AZ.
Share
