All the best chefs, no matter what type of food they create, use fresh produce for their dishes. When it comes to Mexican cuisine, there are a number of fruits and vegetables that make up some delicious Mexican dishes including tortillas, salsas, and some excellent desserts. Being distinctly traditional, typically served with the bulk of a meal are squash, corn and potatoes. Often added to make great flavor enhancers and create a bit of flare to any dish includes produce such as mangos, tomatoes and peppers. Today, we at Eddie’s Mexican Restaurant would like to highlight the common fruits and vegetables found in Mexican cuisine.
What Fruits & Vegetables are Popular in Mexican Food?
Corn: Corn forms the base of all sorts of traditional dishes, which is a basic starch in Mexico. IN addition to being dried and used for dough, corn can be eaten fresh. In the form of a tortilla is the most popular way to eat corn in Mexico.
Mango: Also known as the Champagne mango, the Ataulfo mango is a kind of mango that is distinctly Mexican. The fruit has a smooth, non-fibrous texture and is very sweet, also it is smaller than the mangos you typically find in U.S. stores. A great addition in desserts, salsas, and it also makes a great snack are mangos.
Papaya: When their skin turns from an amber to an orange hue, papayas are ripe and are native to Mexico and Central America. They are frequent ingredients to quesadillas, salads, and desserts.
Peppers: The poblano pepper is one of the popular Mexican peppers. It has a variety of uses since it is one of the most commonly grown peppers in Mexico. The poblano pepper can be stuffed, dried, fried, or served in mole sauce.
Potatoes: Being prepared very similarly to the way one would prepare them here in the states, potatoes in Mexico are commonly sliced, baked, and deep fried. Potatoes are a common vegetable in Mexican cuisine and used in a variety of different ways and in different dishes.
Tomatillo: Boiled, fried, or steamed, these fruits are fairly versatile. Inside of the paper-like husk that surrounds them called a calyx is where the tomatillo grows. The calyx can be split open and the whole fruit is edible when the fruit is ready to be eaten. In Mexican green sauces, tomatillos are the key ingredient. With a bright green color, tomatillos are tart in flavor.
Squash: Squash have been a staple of the Mexican diet for a very long time as it was first grown around 8,000 BCE. Cooked similarly to summer squash and is an excellent source of vitamin C is a distinctly Mexican gourd called a Chayote. It can be marinated with lemon or lime and added to salsas and salads, and it is rarely eaten raw because of its tough texture.
Authentic Mexican Cuisine in Las Vegas, Nevada (Just Minutes from Summerlin, North LV, Paradise, Lone Mountain & Henderson, NV)
There are plenty of other produce used in Mexican cuisine such as tomatoes, avocadoes and spinach. When it is implemented and cooked in harmony with other fine ingredients, you get to indulge in sweet and savory dishes. If you are having a craving for exceptional Mexican food, try Eddie’s Mexican Restaurant for lunch or dinner.
