Table Of Contenta n C o o k !
I C
F
Mexican ood
Wendy
Blaxland
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I Can Cook!
M F
exican ood
Wendy
Blaxland
This edition first published in 2012 in the United States of America by Smart Apple Media. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher.
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First published in 2011 by
MACMILLAN EDUCATION AUSTRALIA PTY LTD
15–19 Claremont St, South Yarra, Australia 3141
Visit our website at www.macmillan.com.au or go directly to www.macmillanlibrary.com.au
Associated companies and representatives throughout the world.
Copyright text © Wendy Blaxland 2011
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Blaxland, Wendy.
Mexican food / Wendy Blaxland.
p. cm. — (I can cook!)
Includes index.
Summary: “Describes historical, cultural, and geographical factors that have influenced the cuisine of Mexico.
Includes recipes to create Mexican food”—Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-1-59920-668-4 (library binding)
ISBN 978-1-59920-727-8 (eBook)
1. Cooking, Mexican—Juvenile literature. 2. Food—Mexico—History—Juvenile literature. 3. Cookbooks. I. Title.
TX716.M4B57 2012
641.5972—dc22
2011005444
Publisher: Carmel Heron
Commissioning Editor: Niki Horin
Managing Editor: Vanessa Lanaway
Editor: Laura Jeanne Gobal
Proofreaders: Georgina Garner; Kirstie Innes–Will
Designer: Stella Vassiliou
Page Layout: Stella Vassiliou
Photo Researcher: Claire Armstrong (management: Debbie Gallagher)
Illustrators: Jacki Sosenko; Guy Holt (map, 7, 9); Gregory Baldwin (map icons, 9)
Production Controller: Vanessa Johnson
Manufactured in China by Macmillan Production (Asia) Ltd.
Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Supplier Code: CP March 2011
Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank the following for their generous help and expert advice: Emeritus Professor Eugene Anderson, University of California;
Pedro C. Chan, Mexvic, Victoria; Yim Ho, chef, Café Pacifico, Sydney; Wayne Olson, Reference Librarian, U.S. National Agricultural Library; Lynne Olver,
editor, FoodTimeline; Mireya Reyes Alvarez, Sydney; and Dena Saulsbury-Monaco, cook and librarian, Montreal.
The author and the publisher are grateful to the following for permission to reproduce copyright material:
Front cover photographs: Refried beans courtesy of iStockphoto.com/AdShooter; huevos rancheros courtesy of PixMac/JJAVA; fruit salad courtesy of
Shutterstock/irabel8; tortilla courtesy of Shutterstock/Denis Vrublevski.
Back cover photographs: Brown paper bag courtesy of Shutterstock/Nils Z; huevos rancheros courtesy of PixMac/JJAVA; pumpkin courtesy of Shutterstock/Le
Do; corn courtesy of Shutterstock/Elena Elisseeva; avocado courtesy of Shutterstock/Nattika; and capsicums courtesy of Shutterstock/Hal_P.
Photographs courtesy of: Dreamstime/Scukrov, 7 (top left); Getty Images/Sean Duan, 29, /John E. Kelly, 21 (top left), /Judd Pilossof, 23 (top center), /Lew
Robertson, 27 (top left); iStockphoto.com/ajafoto, 10 (tea towel), /alantobey, 30 (top), /Alst, 22 (falling fruits), 23 (falling fruits), /brinkstock, 13 (clipboard),
/dkgilbey, 24 (cinnamon sticks), 25 (cinnamon sticks), /gerisima, 6 (suitcase), /Juanmonino, 7 (top right), /Robyn Mac, 10 (hanging utensils), /Urosh Petrovic,
throughout (red oven mitt), /SensorSpot, 4 (boy), /T-Immagini, 30 (bottom), /travellinglight, 7 (bottom left); Photolibrary/Alamy/© BrazilPhotos.com, 28
(right), /FoodCollection, 19 (top left), 25 (hot chocolate), /Tim Hill, 17 (refried beans); PixMac/bodo011, 5 (bottom right), /foodcolors, 7 (center left), /JJAVA, 15
(huevos rancheros), /Rdviola, 28 (left); Shutterstock/Africa Studio, 4 (corn), 5 (corn), 6 (corn), /Aaron Amat, 11 (grater), /Ambrophoto, 8 (oranges),
/Anat-oli, 9 (pig), /Andrjuss, 8 (pineapple), /Antonio S, 8 (fish), /Mark Aplet, 13 (electric mixer), /Apollofoto, 8 (custard apple), /atoss, 8 (prawns), /Mauricio
Avramow, 7 (bottom right), /bgfreestyler, 19 (limes), 23 (limes), /Bomshtein, 9 (wheat), /Adrian Britton, 10 (baking tray), /Darren Brode, 11 (electric mixer),
/buriy, 9 (rice), /C Byatt-Norman, 8 (mince), /Ilker Canikligil, 10 (saucepan), 13 (saucepan), /ZH Chen, 10 (measuring cups), /Coprid, 13 (soap dispenser),
/Mikael Damkier, 10 (frying pan, measuring jug), /Raphael Daniaud, 11 (blender), /ejwhite, 11 (colander), /Elena Elisseeva, 8 (corn), 15 (herbs), 19 (herbs), 21
(herbs), /elwynn, 8 (guava), /EtiAmmos, 27 (aniseeds), /Iakov Filimonov, 13 (knives), /Gilmanshin, 13 (knife block), /grublee, 14 (tomatoes), 15 (tomatoes), 19
tomatoes), 21 (tomatoes), /Hal_P, 8 (capsicums), 20 (capsicums), 21 (capsicums), /Jiri Hera, 8 (chicken), /Oliver Hoffmann, 8 (kidney beans), /holbox, 9 (crab),
/Jiang Hongyan, 14 (egg), 15 (eggs), 27 (eggs), /Tischenko Irina, 10 (large knife, butter knife), /Rafa Irusta, 9 (beans), 16 (bean sack), 17 (bean sack), /Eric
Isselée, 9 (cow, deer), /K13 ART, 8 (blue bowls, green bowls), 11 (bowls), /Kayros Studio, 13 (fire extinguisher), /Wolfe Larry, 4 (chilies), 5 (chilies), /LazarevDN,
10 (sieve), /Le Do, 8 (pumpkin), /Chris Leachman, 10 (chopping board), 15 (eggs), 27 (eggs), /Magone, 8 (cheese), /Viktar Malyshchyts, 8 (watermelon), /Petr
Malyshev, 13 (kettle), /Layland Masuda, 8 (limes), /Stefan Michael Matwijec, 30 (center), /Iain McGillivray, 10 (tongs), /Mongolka, 18 (avocado), 19 (avocado),
/Mopic, 13 (first-aid box), /Aksenova Natalya, 9 (chicken), /Nattika, 6 (chilies), 8 (chilies in bowl), 18 (whole avocado), 19 (chilies), /odze, 22 (strawberries),
/M Unal Ozmen, 8 (flour), 24 (chocolate), 25 (chocolate), /picturepartners, 16 (beans pile), 17 (beans pile), /Ragnarock, 11 (slotted spoon), 13 (frying pan),
31, /Stephen Aaron Rees, 11 (wooden spoon), /Neil A Rodrigues, 14 (coriander), /Serg64, 9 (fruit & veg), /soncerina, 10 (fork), /stanislaff, 8 (pork), /Alex
Staroseltsev, 6 (beans), 8 (refried beans), /STILLFX, 10 (peeler), /Swapan, 8 (mangoes), /tacar, 8 (rice), /testing, 8 (corn kernels), /Ev Thomas, 13 (fire blanket),
/ultimathule, 8 (hanging chilies), /Matt Valentine, 10 (bread knife), /Graça Victoria, 10 (oven mitts), 13 (oven mitts), /Vlue, 10 (steak knife), /Valentyn Volkov, 8
(sliced cucumber), /vseb, 8 (whole cucumbers); Wikimedia Commons/Alejandro Linares Garcia, 7 (center left).
While every care has been taken to trace and acknowledge copyright, the publisher tenders their apologies for any accidental infringement where copyright
has proved untraceable. They would be pleased to come to a suitable arrangement with the rightful owner in each case.
Contents
I Can Cook! 4
Mexican Food 5
Mexican Food Basics
Traditions and Styles 6
Mexican Ingredients 8
Cooking Basics
Equipment 10
Weight, Volume, Temperature, and Special Diets 12
Safety and Hygiene 13
Let’s Cook!
Huevos Rancheros 14
Refried Beans 16
Guacamole 18
Burritos 20
Mexican Fruit Salad 22
Hot Chocolate 24
Pan de Muertos 26
A Mexican Food Celebration: Día de los Muertos 28
Try This! 30
Glossary 31
Index 32
Cooking Tips
Glossary Words Safety Warning
Ask an adult for help when you
When a word is printed in see this red oven mitt on a recipe.
bold, it is explained in the How To
Glossary on page 31. Cooking techniques
are explained
in small boxes with this handprint.
I
Can Cook!
Cooking is a rewarding and lifelong skill. With some basic cooking
knowledge, a little practice, and great recipes, you can cook entire
meals! Cooking for your family and friends is a fun activity, and a
mouthwatering meal can take you to places that you have never
been. Are you ready to have fun cooking—and eating?
A World of Food
Every day, people all over the world cook delicious and nutritious meals. What
they cook depends not only on the ingredients available to them, but also on their
country’s food culture or cooking style. A country’s style of cooking is shaped over
time by its culture, economy, climate, and the land itself.
Cook Your Way Around the World
You can explore the great cuisines of the world in
your own kitchen. The special flavors and wonderful
aromas of a country’s food culture come from fresh
ingredients and particular spices or herbs, which
you can find in your local supermarket or a
specialty store. Share with your family and
friends authentic dishes from different
countries that look great and taste
even better.
You can cook mouthwatering
food from different countries
by following a few simple
steps. Some recipes involve
combining just a couple
of ingredients!
4
Mexican Food
M
exican Food Worldwide
Mexican food is popular around
the world, but especially in
Mexican food is known for its intense, varied flavors, the United States (U.S.),
which borders Mexico. The U.S.
wide use of spices, and rich, colorful ingredients. It blends
and some other countries
local cooking styles and ingredients with European ones.
even have Mexican
Mexican food is just as fun to cook and eat as it looks!
fast-food chains!
Spicy or Sweet?
Mexico is the birthplace of chocolate, vanilla, and a whole range of chilies, as well as corn,
beans, and tomatoes. Spain and France introduced their taste for meat, garlic, and onions
to Mexico, resulting in a vibrant cooking style that features simple snacks, such as burritos,
and complex sauces, called moles.
Cooking Mexican Food At Home
Some Mexican dishes are very simple and can easily be made at home. Guacamole, for
example, needs hardly more than avocados and tomatoes. This book has seven recipes that
you can follow to cook a meal on your own or with a little help from an adult. Some of the
recipes don’t even involve cooking! The recipes can be adapted to suit special diets, too.
NORTH EUROPE ASIA Mexico is located in North
AMERICA America, immediately
MEXICO south of the United States.
AFRICA
SOUTH
AMERICA
AUSTRALIA
N
Corn is native to North
and South America. It is
a favorite street food in
Mexico, eaten roasted and
straight off the cob.
5
Mexican Food Basics
T
raditions and Styles
Mexican cooking traditions and styles developed from early
civilizations, such as the Maya (250–900) and Aztec (1100–1521),
and were later heavily influenced by the Spanish.
MtaahCrenaeoxt drit nc ahcar rh(neeti el oi cimipeon)so,pg kob(rrrieenitadganginhe.stnt ) (i tlnse f t),
Blending Vibrant Cultures
The most important Mayan foods were corn, beans, and pumpkins, along with wild game,
fruit, and fish, with flavors from chilies, chocolate, and vanilla. The Aztecs used the same
foods, particularly corn, but added tomatoes and turkeys. They also ate protein-rich insects.
In the 1520s, the Spanish (and later the French and other Europeans), who conquered
Mexico in the 1500s, brought new ingredients to the country, such as wheat, beef, pork,
cheese, garlic, and onions. Later influences came from the Caribbean and Portugal. Today,
Mexican food is a vibrant blend of European and Native American cooking styles.
6
Tortillas
No Mexican meal is complete
Regional Food without tortillas, which are made
from wheat or ground corn. Tortillas
Each Mexican region has a distinct cooking style and delicious specialties
can be used to wrap tacos and
made from local ingredients cooked with native and introduced spices and
enchiladas, as “plates” for tostadas
flavorings. The map below breaks Mexico up into six main regions and
and as “scoops” for totopos. They
discusses the ingredients and special foods that are popular in each.
can even be dried and ground into
flour to make gorditas,
or dumplings.
Central
Central Mexico’s food combines Aztec ingredients, such as corn,
pumpkin, and chili, with Spanish meat- and wheat-based cooking.
Yucatán Peninsula
Shredded meat dishes include pork carnitas (braised or roasted)
Many Yucatán baked chicken
and barbacoa (slow-cooked meat). Special occasions call for
and pork dishes (pictured)
pozole (pictured), a soup or stew of dried corn and meat.
use fruit-based sauces rather
than chili, often flavored with annatto seeds,
UNITED STATES oranges, garlic, and pepper. The Maya here
OF AMERICA are traditionally beekeepers and make honey-
sweetened cakes, including rosca de miel, and
NORTH
honey-based drinks, such as balché.
Gulf of Mexico CUBA
CENTRAL
North
Northern Mexico’s WEST
Spanish-influenced food includes dishes YUCATÁN
made from local goat meat and beef, PENINSULA
SOUTHEAST
such as carne asada (thinly sliced, spicy,
grilled beef, pictured). Large, wheat-based
BELIZE
tortillas are used here to make burritos. OAXACA
GUATEMALA
HONDURAS
West EL SALVADOR NICARAGUA
The mountainous state of Jalisco
Pacific Ocean
specializes in birria (pictured), a dish
of goat meat in a spicy chili sauce.
Oaxaca
Oaxaca is famous for its moles, celebratory
dishes cooked with complex sauces
containing up to thirty ingredients, including
Southeast
Fiery Caribbean-influenced recipes include spicy peanuts and cocoa. Other Oaxacan specialties include
dishes, such as arroz con pollo (rice, vegetables, and chicken). tamales (steamed snacks with meat wrapped in corn husks
Coastal Veracruz serves pescado a la Veracruzana (pictured), or leaves, pictured), tlayudas (crispy tortillas with refried
which is fish topped with a hot chili, olive, and tomato sauce. beans, shredded meat, and salad) and Oaxacan cheese.
7
Mexican Food Basics
M
exican Ingredients
Mexican food relies as much on the meat and cheese introduced by the
Spanish as it does on native ingredients, such as chocolate, vanilla, corn,
beans, and, that Mexican must-have, fiery chilies.
Meat
Northern Mexican cooks
enjoy beef, venison, and Staple Foods
goat, while southern Corn is such an
Mexican cooks prefer important staple
pork and chicken. food in Mexico that it
was once considered
sacred. Wheat is
commonly used in
the north. Beans are
another important
Seafood staple food and are
Fish and other
often paired with rice,
seafood, such as
especially in the south.
shrimp, are important
foods in coastal states
bordering the Pacific
Ocean and the Gulf
of Mexico.
Dairy Products
Dairy products,
such as cheese, are
popular in southern
Mexico. Vegetables
Tomatoes, cucumbers,
corn, pumpkins,
bell peppers, and
chilies are popular
Fruit
Mexican markets blaze with vegetables.
brilliantly colored fruit. Juicy
oranges and sweet limes
jostle with watermelons,
pineapples, mangoes,
guavas, and custard
apples.
8
