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Beautiful. Unique. Mysterious. When you think about Mexico, these are but a few of the words you may envision. In a land rich with history and culture, Mexico offers an authentic taste of yesteryear mingled with the personal flavors and tested with love over time. Each dish has its very own personal touches that make it exceptional; each spice has a purpose. One thing is for sure: one person can never truly know everything about Mexican food.

Encyclopedias of information have been printed in hopes of pinpointing certain cuisines found in and around the beautifully traditional Mexico, but the truth is that each dish is different offering a piece of the person preparing the meal in question. Perhaps adding a slightly spicier Chile pepper, or adding mangos instead of tomatoes is the key to that perfect new salsa.

Regardless of how you look at it, everything you need to know about Mexican food can be found in any kitchen where intrigue and compassion are home.

Tradition dictates that good meals are essential to the family structure as well as the culture. Missing meals is not a good idea, and when you only have what you or your neighbors grow, that means you learn to cook what you have on hand. There are many unique subcultures within the culture of Mexico. The various regions are well-known for having specific ingredients other areas just do not have. Historically, the people made delicious meals, candies, drinks, and snacks out of what was grown in their own backyards.

Authentic meals consisted mainly of corn tortillas, fruit salsas, and a meat indigenous to the region. Even chocolate and coffee can be found in some of the regions of Mexico grown with the same skill learned centuries ago. Lard was often used in the preparations, but health conscious people today use a different variety of oils such as vegetable oil, olive oil, or canola oil.

Of course, authentic Tex-Mex meals consist of cheeses, more meats, and lots of other ingredients inherited as favorites by Texans with a Hispanic heritage. Today, this is a wonderful example of a cuisine that changes as the needs and desires of the people change or evolve over time. Wondrous examples of Tex-Mex meals can be found throughout the Americas today * even in Mexico!

Manipulating foods together and watching the chemistry of the delectable ingredients is a wondrous experience. If you appreciate the ability to play with your food before you even cook it, when you know more about Mexican food, you will realize the realm of possibilities opens up for you. Just a pinch of this and a dab of that can make any meal different. As a cook, you need to explore the possibilities. Examine what is possible to explore what you are made of.

Knowing everything there is to know about Mexican food would take many lifetimes of experimenting, researching, and applying what you learn. This is a cuisine that is constantly changing as the people who cook it eat it change. Being a part of history starts in the kitchen, and if you appreciate delicious meals, the meals you create will be forever remembered and explored.