Why Color Is Important To Notice In Mexican Restaurant Food
Mexican cuisine is vibrant, bursting with bright flavors, and often served in hefty portions to keep you satiated. But this wasn't always the case, as ingenious people had to hunt for their food and rely on plants and wild chile peppers to survive, per Mexicali Cantina Grill. They were eventually introduced to lye-treated corn via a method called nixtamalization, which also helped to create tortillas. Spanish-based ingredients soon came into the mix, as Mexico began to incorporate rice, garlic, and coriander into their dishes, as well as sourcing their dairy and protein from goats and cows, among several other animals.
Today, Mexican cuisine has expanded into Tex-Mex foods in the United States, namely with nachos, spicy fajitas, and queso dip, per Aqui es Texcoco. Though if you happen to stumble upon an authentic Mexican restaurant, you'll likely notice some of the following within their dishes: maize-based tortillas, soft tacos, white cheese, scratch-made frijoles, and the use of coriander and epazote, as the source explains.
These types of ingredients not only serve as a base for tasty flavors and contrasting textures but for color purposes as well. Here's why color is important to notice in Mexican restaurant food.
The flavors of a rainbow
Popular Mexican foods like huevos rancheros, machacha, and menudo are all bursting with rainbow-like colors and fresh ingredients, per Chef's Pencil and D'La Santa. Some of these colors are deep and dark, like the broth of pozole de pollo, while others are bright and vibrant, like a plate of chilaquiles. Ingredients like green and red peppers, yellow corn, and red salsa all enhance the vibrancy of a dish, which often receives a finishing touch of green cilantro.
Color is important because it showcases the variety of vegetables, proteins, and spices that are central to authentic Mexican cuisine. It also highlights the celebratory colors of the country itself, from its picturesque beaches to its lush landscapes, per The Culture Trip. Even the homes are painted in a rainbow of bold colors, via Zose Media.
So next time you're dining at a Mexican restaurant, take a moment to notice how colorful the dishes are, as each ingredient pays homage to the rich and beautiful culture of Mexico.