The fusion of Mexican cuisine

The foods brought by the Spanish—which themselves were a fusion from several centuries before the Conquest—came from the most diverse origins of Europe, Asia and Africa.

Wheat, rice, onions, garlic, sugar cane, various fruits and vegetables, and notably pork (both meat and lard), beef (meat and dairy products), chicken, sheep and goat, which enriched the Indigenous cuisine.

With pig lard and olive oil, the Spanish brought over the culinary technique of frying, which had not existed previously in Mexico. 

In addition, they introduced the production of sausages, beer and liquor distillation, as well as the drying and crystallization of fruits and their preparation as preserves, using sugar or brown sugar-based syrups.

Convents created recipes and recreated other Hispanic or Indigenous recipes. Some examples of these include moles, pipianes, adobos and almendrados, and of course desserts.

Although both are part of Mexican cuisine, some Indigenous foods were mixed with Spanish cuisine (such as corn sopes seasoned with salsa, cream and sprinkled with cheese)

Other Spanish foods were mixed with Indigenous dishes (such as leg of lamb or pork jerky marinated with dried chilis).<br>

Other Spanish foods were mixed with Indigenous dishes (such as leg of lamb or pork jerky marinated with dried chilis). Likewise, noodles took root after a long journey to reach Spain from China (their place of origin) and Italy.

In the 16th Century in Mexico, wheat began to be used to create several types of bread, which adopted an incredible number of shapes, flavors and colors in various regions of the land. 

With the independence in 1821, the country opened to foreign visitors, especially Europeans and the French in particular. Throughout the century, colonies of people from Italy, Germany and the US were formed, as well as many others.

The French influence is present in even the most modest of places, even among Indigenous communities. Look no further than the Gallicisms used there: consommé, restaurant, mayonnaise, menu. Other less used, but still prevalent terms include: omelette, champiñón (mushroom), croquette, crepe, brochette, baguette, canapé, vol-au-vent, mousse, souffle and buffet.

Immigrants brought along with them their cultural baggage, especially their culinary customs, which further enriched the fusion of Mexican cuisine.

The Spanish names for different types of pastas (<i>espagueti, tallarines, macarrones, ravioles, canelones, lasaña</i> and <i>fetuchini</i>) are all of Italian origin, as well as the word for sausage ("salsicha," from the Italian "salciccia").

Anglicisms that made their way into the Spanish vernacular include bísquet, panqué, bistec, budín o pudín, pay, coctel, ponche, rosbif and paste (biscuit, pancake, steak, pudding, pie, cocktail, punch, roast beef and paste). Milanesa (schnitzel) refers to northern Italy, but Milan was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire so the food is is therefore Austrian.

We see this fusion present in taquerias with tacos al pastor (which uses Greek and Near Eastern technique); in torterias with sausages, schnitzels and mayonnaise; in taverns with rice and steaks;

In Indigenous towns with lamb barbacoa and consommé; in altars of the dead with mole, beans and tamales; on national holidays with pambazos and pozole; in the Mérida market with kipe bola, in the Tapachula market with chop suey or in the Guadalajara market with misoshiru soup.

Of all the Mexican foods out there, the only one that has not undergone any sort of fusion and has remained the same is the corn tortilla. This is despite the fact that the nixtamal is now ground mechanically instead of in a metate, and that tortillas are no longer "thrown" by hand, but are made in tortilla machines. However, the ingredients and the process remain the same.