For thousands of years, corn has been the most important food in Mexico.  It is part of almost every Mexican meal.  Corn is served as a vegetable or even cooked in a stew.  The main use for corn is to make tortillas.  The corn is ground into cornmeal and used to make the tortillas.  Tortillas are flat hot cakes that are baked on a hot pan.  Tortillas are eaten plain or filled with meat or vegetables.  Tortillas are also used to make many other dishes such as enchiladas, quesadillas, tostados, burritos, and tacos.

   

Another favorite food in Mexico is frijoles, or beans that are boiled and mashed.  After they have been mashed, the beans are fried.

 

Most Mexican foods are made or served with hot, red chili peppers. 

 

Food is often used in celebrations and festivals. A meal for a festival might include guacamole with corn chips, bean soup, peppers stuffed with shrimp, estofado, and pineapple sorbet. 

   

 

An everyday meal would probably include an enchilada.  Here is a recipe for chicken enchiladas.

            12 7-inch corn tortillas

            2 cups olive oil

3 cooked chicken breasts, skinned and boned

            1 onion finely chopped

            1 jalapeno pepper finely chopped

6 tablespoons sour cream

            2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

 

Heat the olive oil in a large pan.  Using tongs, dip the tortillas in the hot fat to soften them one at a time.  Lay the tortillas on a large board.

To make the filling, shred the chicken breasts.  Then mix together the onion, jalapeno pepper, and sour cream in a bowl.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put a small amount of the shredded chicken lengthwise across the center of each tortilla.  Add a spoonful of the sour cream mixture and roll each tortilla tightly.  Place the enchiladas in a greased casserole dish, sprinkle with cheese, and bake in the oven 15 to 20 minutes.  Serve hot onto warmed plates with side dishes of guacamole.