6 "Mexican" Dishes No One Eats in Mexico

[Bob Riebe]

https://www.eatthis.com/mexican-food-they-dont-eat-in-mexico/

The crap they call Queso, is an insult to any form cooking , period.

[Ranger99]

Tortilla chips and anything, especially
what we call salsa
That's strictly Texmex

[oldandslow]

I really don't care what they prefer to eat in Mexico. What little supposedly authentic Mexican food I have indulged in has been bland, pretty much tasteless, stuff. Give me Tex-Mex and keep the Mexican.

[gene_225]

About 50+- years ago I served with a Capt. who was married to a "Mexican" woman. She came from a wealthy family. She told me that when she moved to the US, she had to get her parents cook to teach her how to cook Mexican food because they didn't eat that stuff, only the poor folks did. Their family ate hamburgers, steak, and food like that. But in the US she was expected to make Mexican food when serving guests. So... What is Mexican food?

[Bob Riebe]

But What, Exactly, Is Traditional Mexican Cuisine?

First and foremost, traditional Mexican cuisine only applies to authentic Mexican dishes. Even as close to the border as we are in San Diego, most Mexican food served in the U.S. is far from authentic or traditional. Burritos, chili con carne, chimichangas, hardshell tacos and enchiladas (as we know them in the U.S.), queso dip, nachos . . . all Tex-Mex.

Even fajitas are a Tex-Mex invention (offered to tourists in Mexico now because so many Americans associate fajitas as authentic).

Tex-Mex is a cuisine only very loosely related to Mexican cuisine. Invented by early Texas settlers, Tex-Mex was inspired by, and adapted from, Mexican cooking, however the ingredients and culinary practices associated with traditional Mexican cuisine aren’t at all a part of this U.S.-based type of “Mexican” food.

In contrast, most authentic Mexican food derived from a combination of ancient Aztec, Mayan and Spanish traditions. Quoting Cristina Potters of Mexico Cooks!, “There are specific recipes to follow, specific flavors and textures to expect, and specific results to attain. Yes, some liberties are taken, particularly in Mexico’s new ‘alta cocina’ (haute cuisine) and fusion restaurants, but even those liberties are based on specific traditional recipes.” For example, the traditional dish of “…carne de puerco en chile verde–as served in the North of Mexico, in the Central Highlands, or in the Yucatán. There may be big variations among the preparations of this dish, but each preparation is traditional and each is authentic in its region.”

Here are a few key signature aspects of traditional Mexican cuisine to help you distinguish authentic Mexican from Tex-Mex dishes:

    fresh and healthy ingredients such as tomatoes, chiles, not jars of store-bought salsa for example
    traditional spices (such as coriander and epazote) instead of cumin or dry oregano
    maize-based tortillas, not wheat tortillas
    soft tacos, not crisp taco shells
    white cheese (like cotija or fresh cheese) instead of yellow (cheddar) cheese
    cooked corn grains and complete corn cobs rather than salsas and dishes with sweet corn as an ingredient
    frijoles prepared from scratch, not Americanized refried beans

[Mule 11]

Thanks. I have read that tomatoes are not good for you being a nightshade. I don’t agree with that butt have no real knowledge. What do you think?

[orerancher]

Dunno Who Invented Them....But I loves Me some Tacos!  (Soft)

[Bob Riebe]

Thanks. I have read that tomatoes are not good for you being a nightshade. I don’t agree with that butt have no real knowledge. What do you think?

So are potatoes but unless you are extremely allergic to them or eat multi-pound worth day after day, they will not harm you.

[Bob Riebe]

Dunno Who Invented Them....But I loves Me some Tacos!  (Soft)

I generally prefer soft, but some of the tortillas are so darn thick nowadays, I am getting greater appreciation for corn based shell.

If you want to have really good taco or burrito , use lefse; I had a genuine Pakistani curry dinner 50 years ago, the the only shell type bread available in the U.S. then was lefse potato bread, and even they said it was almost better than what they had at home.

[Mule 11]

Thanks. I have read that tomatoes are not good for you being a nightshade. I don’t agree with that butt have no real knowledge. What do you think?

So are potatoes but unless you are extremely allergic to them or eat multi-pound worth day after day, they will not harm you.

Thanks for your input. Won’t ask ya about corn as the answer will be the same...

[Mule 11]

My problem is I Love corn potatoes and tomatoes and rice and pasta and You get the drift.

[ironglow]

About 50+- years ago I served with a Capt. who was married to a "Mexican" woman. She came from a wealthy family. She told me that when she moved to the US, she had to get her parents cook to teach her how to cook Mexican food because they didn't eat that stuff, only the poor folks did. Their family ate hamburgers, steak, and food like that. But in the US she was expected to make Mexican food when serving guests. So... What is Mexican food?

   Admittedly, wealthy families eat steak etc, but I doubt that is often enjoyed by the average Mexican, all that much.
  We had an exchange student from Mexico, and she was accustomed to many of the same foods we are...however, as is usual, exchange students are rarely from home of "average" income, when we are talking of widely stratified cultures such as today's Mexico.
   Doesn't it seem that what the larger percentage of the people eat...more or less indicates their diet?

[Dee]

https://www.eatthis.com/mexican-food-they-dont-eat-in-mexico/

The crap they call Queso, is an insult to any form cooking , period.

When was the last time you were in Mexico?

[Lloyd Smale]

surprising that chilli with beans and meat was started by mexicans in texas where they scream the loudest that it isnt chilli.

[Dee]

Hadn't heard that one.  Chili peppers, onions, tomatoes, and a few other spices is chili down here.
H
Never heard the Mexicans and beans story.

[Dixie-Dude]

Most Chinese food isn't exactly from China, but from Chinese immigrants in San Francisco.  Just as most "Mexican" food is actually from Texas.  Barbeque originated in the south.  A lot of fried foods also originated in the south.  Baked foods were usually from the north because stoves were used more to keep warm, so cook in them, especially older wood stoves.  It was hot in the south so a lot of cooking was done outside, thus the barbeque and fried foods. 

[oldandslow]

Real Texas chile has NO beans. Don't know who first dreamed it up but it is good stuff.

[Lloyd Smale]

its in that article Bob posted and we talked about it here before. Supposidly they used meat that was getting a bit ripe to use it up.

Hadn't heard that one.  Chili peppers, onions, tomatoes, and a few other spices is chili down here.
H
Never heard the Mexicans and beans story.

[Lloyd Smale]

my mistake. Supposidly chilli with meat originated in texas by mexicans that wanted to use up questionable meat. Beans in chili was originated by cowboys and i cant find where because on the trail meat was hard to keep fresh and beans were plentiful so cowboys mixed beans into chili to get protien. Id have to guess due to the fact chili was a southern thing and there was many more cowboys in the south that it originated in the south.

[Casull]

I really don't care what they prefer to eat in Mexico. What little supposedly authentic Mexican food I have indulged in has been bland, pretty much tasteless, stuff. Give me Tex-Mex and keep the Mexican.

+1.  I kind of get sick hearing about how this or that isn't "authentic".  Who cares, we're Americans and we make things BETTER.

[Dixie-Dude]

Yeah, most Italian food was originated in America by Italian Americans.  Yes, we take from our various heritages and make it better and mass produce it so everyone can enjoy.  Corn, Okra, some types of squash, potatoes, some types of beans, and tomatoes were all used by first Americans. 

Americans never took to eating dogs, cats, rats, and horses or mules.  Other than hunters, most Americans never eat squirrel, rabbit, quail, dove, elk, moose, or other wild animals.  The Russians who lived in Stalingrad during WWII, said they ate their dogs and cats, then the rats.  The guy they interviewed said the rats tasted much better than the dogs or cats. 

[Bob Riebe]

14 “Italian” Recipes That Aren’t Actually Italian
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/packages/italian-cooking-basics/italian-recipes-that-arent-actually-italian
You can add Pizza as we make it.

11 Chinese Foods That Are Not Really Chinese
https://www.biculturalmama.com/2016/05/chinese-foods-not-really-chinese.html

[Dee]

https://www.eatthis.com/mexican-food-they-dont-eat-in-mexico/

The crap they call Queso, is an insult to any form cooking , period.

When was the last time you were in Mexico?

When was the last time you were in Old Mexico?

[Bob Riebe]

Does not matter where it is made, it is a horrid slop.
Making it into slap like that brings out the umami flavor which I like in meat, but not in cheese.
That stuff reminds me of the cheeses with mold, they taste the way toe-jam smells.

[Dee]

Does not matter where it is made, it is a horrid slop.

Well, your ignoring my question, so I'm gonna assume you've likely never been to Old Mexico. 

[Bob Riebe]

Does not matter where it is made, it is a horrid slop.

Well, your ignoring my question, so I'm gonna assume you've likely never been to Old Mexico. 

I was in Tijuana a long time ago but that is not Old Mexico.
What does that have to do with melted cheese slop?

I have had all of the cheeses listed below, a positive item of the grocery stores now carrying foods not common to the U.S.

It's also the type. Cheddar cheese comes from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, England. England, you'll recall, is some distance from Chihuahua. The mild yellow cheese loosely derived from cheddar, which is often called "queso," couldn't be more different from the white, nuanced, tangy cheeses of Mexico that offset the heat of the peppers.

There are several kinds of authentic Mexican white cheese, each with its own unique flavor profile. These include queso blanco, queso Oaxaca, queso panela, a񥪯, chihuahua, and cotija, to name but a few. They range in taste from mild to strong-flavored and aged. Queso blanco, for example, has fewer calories and far less fat and cholesterol than cheddar.

[Dee]

Does not matter where it is made, it is a horrid slop.

Well, your ignoring my question, so I'm gonna assume you've likely never been to Old Mexico. 

I was in Tijuana a long time ago but that is not Old Mexico.
What does that have to do with melted cheese slop?

I have had all of the cheeses listed below, a positive item of the grocery stores now carrying foods not common to the U.S.

It's also the type. Cheddar cheese comes from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, England. England, you'll recall, is some distance from Chihuahua. The mild yellow cheese loosely derived from cheddar, which is often called "queso," couldn't be more different from the white, nuanced, tangy cheeses of Mexico that offset the heat of the peppers.

There are several kinds of authentic Mexican white cheese, each with its own unique flavor profile. These include queso blanco, queso Oaxaca, queso panela, a񥪯, chihuahua, and cotija, to name but a few. They range in taste from mild to strong-flavored and aged. Queso blanco, for example, has fewer calories and far less fat and cholesterol than cheddar.

My point is,  you don't know what they eat down here, you just know what you read.
As far as queso and other dishes, you may not like it, folks down here do.
Including Mexicans.
I was in a Mexican cafe this mornin, owned by a family from Old Mexico, along with customers some being from Old Mexico.  They seem to like the queso just fine.

[Dee]

I really don't care what they prefer to eat in Mexico. What little supposedly authentic Mexican food I have indulged in has been bland, pretty much tasteless, stuff. Give me Tex-Mex and keep the Mexican.

And me, and a lotta Mexicans agree with you.
Bob is an English major turned Mexican food critic from way way north of Texas.

[Bob Riebe]

My point is,  you don't know what they eat down here, you just know what you read.
As far as queso and other dishes, you may not like it, folks down here do.
Including Mexicans.
I was in a Mexican cafe this mornin, owned by a family from Old Mexico, along with customers some being from Old Mexico.  They seem to like the queso just fine.

A lot of Yankees like the slop , probably most.
I had some Nacho at Perkins a few weeks back, the they did not put the yellow stuff on, but their while  stuff, (if I had tipped the plate a bit, it would have poured off) was even worse; some times it is better the devil you know, not the one you do not.

Every ones personal statement on this site, including food experts quoted , is an opinion, que sera, sera.

We have Hernandez Burrito, Taqueria La Campechana and La Perla Market in the Northern area I am in which are all owned and worked in by Old Mexico (one is actually from South of that) persons, whose English is a bit hard to understand.
If they have that yellow slop there, I have never seen it.

If free Tortilla Chips are offered they come with a salsa.

[Dee]

Well Bob, I've never been in a Mexican restaurant (and I've been in a a bunch of'em) where queso was served unless asked for.
If chips are served in any Mexican restaurant I've ever been in, its usually with house salsa.