Talk:Mexican cuisine

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Divide into regions

Should not this article be divided into the diffrent regional cusines such as Oaxacan, etc... A lot of people seem to assume that Mexican is this monolithic cusine, when its more like Chinese or Italian, very much regional based. I think we need to disabuse people of that idea. --Weyoun6 07:27, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Paragraph 4 makes a mention of that, but it's obviously far too embryonic. A useful first step would be to indicate items strongly associated wth a particular region in the list at the bottom of the page: Cochinita pibil (Yucatán), for instance. –Hajor 12:54, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I'm also against splitting the article more simply because there's very little data available about specific dishes as it is. Also, "Cecina" is Spanish for beef jerky. --Lyojah 16:04, 5 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

How do I add links at the bottom of the page? ASterling (talk) 05:58, 3 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Dahlia

I am looking for traditional preparations of Dahlia. Is there already one written ? Like this it is hard to find, though i even found the refried beans. thank you. --217.184.138.154 15:11, 23 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Further Classification

I think the list of foods should be divided into things like appetizers, main courses, desserts, etc. to make it more manageable for readers. Sykil 00:10, 6 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Redirection of term "Mercado"

This word of course is Spanish for "market", but it does not occur in this article, neither as a description of a recipe nor of an ingredient. Wherefore art thou re-directing it unto this page? --69.16.84.5 23:17, 28 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Looks like it has been redirected for two years. The original Mercado article makes it pretty clear why it was redirected here. Do you think maybe marketplace would be a better, more literal redirect? Kuru ^talk 23:26, 28 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Done.--Rockero 23:42, 28 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It should be labeled as marketplace. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Clown1337 (talk • contribs) 23:43, 25 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Very basic treatment

I was a bit disappointed at your treatment of Mexican cuisine which you recognize as one of the most varied in the world. I just read the article on Argenitean cuisine and it is much more elaborate and deep and Argentinean cuisine is nowhere, nowhere! near as rich, varied and complex as Mexican Cuisine. Maybe based on the Argentinean cuisine article something similar could be done for Mexican food with much more detail, historical placement, ingredients, traditions, innovations, regional differences, etc. Also, the comment at the beginning about some people considering it greasy and spicy I find unecessary because it is somewhat editorial a little of a negative image. Nothing like that is mentioned on the articles on Argentina or the US, for example.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 138.220.48.111 (talk • contribs)

I agree. While I don't quite have the expertise to write it the article, this article barely skims the surface; Mexican cuisine is one of the world's great cuisines. There is a "high" Mexican cuisine little known, evidently, outside of Mexico.--Kelt65 (talk) 04:54, 13 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

In fact the article is mostly weak, getting weaker towards the end. What strikes me about that list of dishes is that several would appear to be slight Mexican variations or mere spanish translations of dishes which are common to many cuisines and cultures. The problem here is not that these dishes are innacurately claimed as Mexican, but that it is almost impossible from this list alone for the reader who is not already aquainted with Mexican cuisine to find which dishes are the ones which truly exemplify Mexican cuisine. --JamesTheNumberless 10:54, 5 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Surely the heavy use of lime should be mentioned somewhere, even in a short article like this? At least from my experience, it was served with almost every dish (and beer). --192.195.49.10 06:29, 28 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Regarding American Cuisines

At the risk of insulting somebody (which is not my intention) ...

The article briefly mentions American cuisines that are mistaken for Mexican cuisine. In particular it prominently mentions "Cal-Mex" cuisine. I have personally never heard the term. I used to live in California and what I found at virtually all of the "Mexican restaurants" was Tex-Mex. Searching around the web I see a few specific restaurants and chefs that serve foods that they refer to as "Cal-Mex" but these appear to be cases of chefs locally inventing new dishes, not a case of an established cuisine. As such using this term here seems inappropriate (i.e. misleading). "Tex-Mex," by contrast, is a cuisine that goes back to the 19th century and has become well established in American culture (even if the average American probably does not even recognize the term). Some may debate how "great" this cuisine is (compared to, say, Cajun cuisine) but it is, nevertheless, an established cuisine.

I realize this is not the main point of the article but it still seems worth correcting. Can anybody clarify if there is some point that I am missing? --Mcorazao 01:53, 11 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I edited to remove "nachos" from the botanas list. The article goes to great length to discuss the difference between "Mexican" cuisine and "Tex-Mex." Nachos were introduced at the Texas State Fair, of course - and would only be served at tourist locations in Mexico. Today there are numerous authentic restaurants in California - although mostly simple and casero style places. I'll help as I can. I'll use Nancy Kennedy and others as references. --AmySterling —Preceding unsigned comment added by AmySterling (talk • contribs) 05:17, 5 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Techniques

I would like to see more on the techniques used in cooking Mexican food...not only of historical value but of epidemiological value as well.

Spanish Influences

One thing that has always fascinated me about Mexican food / agriculture is that whilst Spain is one of the World's major producers and consumers of olive oil, why didn't Mexico become a major olive growing region? The climate would seem to be ideal and the oil perfect for Mexican cooking. Anybody know?? --MichaelGG 05:34, 24 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Well, Michael, I've been in many parts of Mexico many times (including rural areas). Your question is actually quite interesting. I'd say because as suitable as it could be for Mexican cuisine, the use of olive in cooking is not widespread and is used mainly for more "special" recipes (like the christmas dinner, for example). As for the growing, I'll put my money on the fact that it is probably much more expensive and hard to grow than corn, and does not have such a big demand in the market. You must be aware that in a great percentage of the cases, there is not nearly enough support from the government for agriculture and farmers, making corn a much more suitable option, since even if it doesn't sell well, the year's harvest is enough to survive and feed animals, something that olive would not do at all. Hope I didn't go for too ling and helped you understand a bit, mate. Cheers! Vicius 16:56, 7 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Basque Influence(?)

I know information on this is probably scarce, but the similarities between Basque cuisine and many regional Mexican cuisines has struck me as very interesting. Beef tongue is, generally speaking, a very important food source to both countries/regions, as are potatoes and beans (although the kinds of beans and preparation tend to be quite different). Is there anything out there regarding the Basque influence on Mexican cooking that can be included in this article?69.235.82.244 16:04, 1 December 2007 (UTC)James Lopez[reply]

Jewish Influence

There is hardly anything out there written about the Jewish influences (mainly Sephardic) on Mexican cuisine, but it seems the similarities between some very traditional Mexican dishes/meals and Sephardic Jewish dishes/meals is more than speculative. Breaded and fried meat dishes are very important to both cultures, and the Sephardic Jews traditionally eat rice, beans, corn, and lentils during Passover-- all of these are staple foods in Mexican cuisine (in virtually all regions). Also, as if this were not enough, the Mexican dish of capirotada, which is Mexican bread pudding, is a direct descendant of a traditional Sephardic pudding. Is there anything out there on this phenomenon that anyone knows of which could be included in this article?69.235.82.244 16:14, 1 December 2007 (UTC)James Lopez[reply]