Mexican food is arguably the best cuisine in the world. I don’t mean that in a “everyone loves Mexican food” kind of way. I’m talking about how UNESCO protects the entire cuisine of only two countries, Mexico and France. And let’s face it, French food is basically the basics of cooking. So we’re going to give Mexico all the credit here. In addition, a study found the Mexican food is the food that releases the most serotonin. So the science also supports that Mexican food is really the best.
Authentic vs Traditional
The term authentic is often used to describe foods that are close to the older ways of making them. But this word implies that this is the best, better, or “proper” way. I don’t want to give that impression at all. I use the term traditional to refer to the methods most similar to the older methods.
Mexican is Lebanese Food?
Actually, yes. Tacos were originally introduced to Mexico by the Lebanese. They traditionally cooked meat on a vertical spit and put it in pita or similar bread. The oldest style of taco in Mexico is the al pastor which is pork roasted on a vertical spit along with pineapple and then put on corn tortillas. Although we mainly hear about the Spaniards’ influence in Mexico, the Lebanese also had significant influence.
Corn vs Flour Tortillas
This is another case where some people may view corn tortillas as more authentic, but actually both are traditionally used in Mexico. In the south, there is enough fertile soil to grow corn, so this is the staple in the region. In Northern Mexico, there isn’t enough topsoil to feed corn, but wheat can thrive. So flour tortillas are traditional in this region. Fun fact, northern Mexico is arguably the producer of the world’s best flour. In fact, Italy imports its best flour from northern Mexico and the southwest US. Here’s another thing Italy had to get from Mexico: tomatoes. That’s right, one of the staples of Italian cuisine wasn’t known to Italy until it was brought from the new world.