Description

Mexican cuisine is primarily a fusionofindigenous Mesoamerican cooking with European, especiallySpanish,elements added. The basic staples are native foods, such ascorn,beans and chili peppers. Europeans introduced a large numberofother foods, the most important of which were meatsfromdomesticated animals (beef, pork, chicken, goat, and sheep),dairyproducts (especially cheese), and various herbs and spices.

While the Spanish initially tried to impose their own diet onthecountry, this was not possible and eventually the foods andcookingtechniques began to be mixed, especially in colonial eraconvents.African and Asian influences were also introduced intothe mixtureduring this era as a result of African slavery in NewSpain and theManila-Acapulco Galleons.