Let’s Eat: Mexican

There is no doubt that we love Mexican food, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many sombrero-heavy establishments serving sloppy burritos and watered-down margaritas. But what about real Mexican cuisine?

When the Spanish arrived in Mexico in the 16th century they encountered corn, tomatoes, avocadoes and pineapples; ingredients they had never seen before. Similarly the Spanish conquerors introduced the natives to dairy, olives, citrus and walnuts. French and German settlers also had an impact, but none of the invaders managed to dramatically change the staple diet of beans, chillies, and in particular corn. It is used as the basis for nearly everything: tortillas, breads, pastries, nachos, soups, cakes and much more. “Without corn there is no Mexican cuisine” says Marco Cuervo, head chef at Lupita.

Chillies, coriander and limes are used on an almost daily basis too. Other common ingredients are tomatillo, a sweet and sour tomato-like fruit, herbs like achiote and epazote that are used for cooking beans, cuitlacoche, a fungus that grows on corn, and nopales, or edible cactus leaf.

The most traditional method of cooking meat is underground, however nowadays most people slow cook or grill over a hot plate or an open fire. Ceviches are popular in Mexico too, where fish and seafood are marinated in citrus juices that naturally ‘cook’ the fish. Tamales are steamed parcels of corn starch, filled with meat or vegetables and wrapped in a banana leaf or corn husk, usually served as a starter. Mexican cheeses like Chihuaha, Oaxaca and queso fresco are used in many dishes (“if you don't cook with Mexican cheese, you are not cooking Mexican” says Marco). Moles are the sauces, and can be made with up to 50 different ingredients; mole poblano is perhaps the most famous around the world as it contains chocolate.

For Dia de los Muertos celebrations, a sweet bread called pan de los muertos (bread of the dead) infused with orange blossom is eaten. For Independence Day a dish called chiles en nogada is made, consisting of a poblano chilli stuffed with minced beef and dried fruit, cooked in a white walnut sauce and decorated with pomegranate and parsley to resemble the Mexican flag. Naturally tequila, mescal and beer are consumed.

And what about the high street watering down Mexican cuisine? Marco is diplomatic it. “Mexican food has been misunderstood for a long time. In a cosmopolitan city like London, you can get lots of different proposals. It is great that Mexican gastronomy is promoted in any way, from traditional, street food to Tex Mex, fusion and Brit Mex. Authentic or not, it all helps the customers to create a general culture and have choices in order to go for the real deal. Like my dad use to say ‘the sun shines for everyone.’”

Eating out
Lupita
Lupita prides itself on being London’s most authentic taqueria, and as a guarantee of this their guacamole is prepared at the table with a pestle and mortar made of volcanic stone. Popular choices include Tacos Gobernador, six marinated prawns served over soft corn tortillas and melted cheese, and drizzled with homemade chipotle mayo sauce, and Tacos de Nopales, with baby cactus served over refried beans and Chihuahua cheese.

Mestizo
Despite being located on a fairly barren stretch of road between Camden and Euston, Mestizo has been going strong for nine years. They offer antojitos (Mexican tapas) such as Sopa Tortilla, a fresh tomato soup with fried corn tortilla strips, dried chilli, sliced avocado and sour cream, and Ensalada Nopales, a salad made with edible cactus leaf. The Molcajet Mestizo is “unique to us and made with chicken or beef or both all cooked in a volcanic stone bowl with cheese, chorizo, grilled spring onion, cilantro, sliced avocado and a choice of sauces with corn or four tortillas.”

La Bodega Negra
This hip Soho restaurant famed for its sex shop frontage has been drawing the crowds in thanks to its menu of street food and carefully crafted cocktails, plus they offer more than 30 varieties of tequila. Try the tacos with tender braised beef, or national dish chilli poblano. Also check out their Shoreditch site, Casa Negra.

Shopping
To buy ingredients, Mestizo and their sister restaurant El Burrito sell salsas, cuitlecoche and edible cactus. For Mexican cheese there’s Gringa Dairy in Peckham, get chillies from the Cool Chile Company, and everything else from mexgrocer.co.uk