No offense meant to Mom and apple pie, but the best American cuisine (that is to say, on the two American continents) by far is found in Mexico. The mestizo culture that ensued after the intermingling of Spanish adventurers and native American peoples produced a bronze race and fascinating food of an infinite variety of textures and flavors. Mexico gave to the world its foods and flavors, including cacao, turkeys, maize, avocados, tomatoes, and chilies. These have gone on to embellish the cuisines of countries all over the world.
It is unfortunate that most Americans’ exposure to Mexican cooking may be limited to Taco Bell or the seemingly infinite number of family-owned restaurants serving Mexican fare. This food, which is largely Tex-Mex – which may have given the United States both burritos and chile con carne – is good but only faintly Mexican. The best way to be initiated is to go to land of the Aztecs itself and sample the best the country has to offer.
Mexico City, which was founded on the island fortress city built by the Aztecs long before the arrival of Europeans, has been a trading hub for centuries. The Aztecs in their open-air markets received goods from throughout Mexico while its traders ranged as far as New Mexico and into Guatemala. Nowadays, a foreign visitor to the capital city can patronize any number of restaurants in Mexico City and sample authentic cuisine from each of the regions of the country.
Any sidewalk vendor in Mexico City can offer tacos of grilled meat, delicious pork rinds, cinnamon-flavored ice cream, guacamole, and tropical fruit drinks. Also, the Sanborns chain of restaurants found there offers traditional Mexican fare at reasonable prices. It isn’t fine dining, but it is a good start. Try the Sanborns’ locale at the famous Casa de Azulejos (House of Tiles) at Avenida Madero #4.
Restaurants in Mexico City offer international dining of course, ranging from Spanish, French, Italian, and Japanese. Mexicans, proud as they are of their Aztec heritage, do not quail when it comes to food that might make even the most experienced gourmand think twice. To sample pre-Hispanic food, go to Restaurante Chon, located in central Mexico City. In business since 1954, Chon offers the uninitiated the chance to eat insect larvae, grasshoppers, and crawfish, much as the Aztecs did and as modern Mexicans – especially in the countryside – continue to savor. Do not miss the grasshoppers laced with chili and accompanied by guacamole: mashed avocados and tomatoes mixed with spices. If that is not delicious or strange enough, try the venison meatballs seasoned with a sauce made of huitlacoche - a fungus or truffle that grows on the ears of corn, or crocodile steaks with pumpkin seed sauce. Address: Calle Regina 160, Colonia Centro; tel. +52 55 5542 0873.
Insect larvae long made up an important source of protein for pre-colonial Mexico. Today, the larva of insects that grow on the maguey plant are especially favored and command high prices in Mexico City. They make an expensive appetizer: about $10 per serving of the grubs that are reminiscent of almonds in flavor. They are available at Restaurante Chon and elsewhere in Mexico City.
Among the restaurants to try on a trip to Mexico City is Izote, in the fashionable Polanco district. There huitlacoche reappears to season red snapper – called huachinango in Mexico – as well as marinated scallops wedded to green tomatoes, chilies, cucumbers, and cilantro. Also available is sirloin with a sauce made of hibiscus flowers and cacao, as well as pasties filled with seasoned chicken. Address: Avenida Presidente Masaryk 513, (at Calle Socrates), Telephone: +55 5280 1671.
One of the best restaurants in Mexico City is a very modest affair that is located on the campus of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico at the Engineering School. The modestly priced Azul y Oro, operated by chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita, the author of an important book on Mexican gastronomy. There he serves excellent renderings of traditional dishes and excels at making fabulous breakfasts. Try the cold melon soup that is set off with tomato. Besides, try the chiles poblanos en nogada – the signature dish of the state of Puebla that was allegedly invented by nuns in colonial days. This consists of a very mildly hot chile pepper that resembles what Americans would call a “bell” pepper that is filled with ground pork, swimming in a sauce of cream and crushed walnuts and then decorated with pomegranate seeds. Not to be missed. Unfortunately, Azul y Oro does not accept reservations or credit cards, nor does it serve alcohol. Address: The ground floor of the new building housing the Engineering School of UNAM, near the University’s Olympic Stadium, off Avenida Insurgentes Sur. Tel: 5622-7135.
Beans, corn, and chilies form the culinary trinity of Mexico at which gourmands worship. The coming together of native American, Hispanic, and even French influences have produced dishes such as those mentioned above, but also steamed tamales stuffed with pork and olives or perhaps turkey and chocolate sauce, then there is mole poblano – the sublime sauce from Puebla that consists of ground sesame, chilies, almonds, raisins, and bitter chocolate, as well as cheese-filled pasties, and fried squash blossoms dipped in egg batter. Not to miss are the endless appetizers – botanas – such as tiny tortillas topped with tomato sauce, bits of sausage, marinated seafood, pickled pigs’ ears and trotters, or marinated pumpkin seeds.
So, besides seeing Mexico City for its excellent museums and cultural life, visiting its restaurants and going far afield of the Sanborns chain, opens the traveler to a whole new world. Once you have done so, roast beef and potatoes just will not seem the same.
RSS