Tasty Mexican Spices - Cumin, Chili, Coriander and More
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by: KCKudra
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Many Mexican recipes contain Mexican spices. You can get some of these spices, such as garlic, pretty much anywhere but others give unique flavors and are harder to find. Epazote is an uncommon spice. Also known as "Mexican tea," epazote flavors foods such as beans. It is poisonous in large amounts so care should be taken. It is good at soothing intestinal pains caused by overindulgence in beans and similar foods. The spices should be matched to the meal so spices for Mexican refried beans, for example, would be a different mixture to the spices for cheese enchiladas.
One very popular spice in Mexican foods is chili powder, or chile powder. If you want a chili powder recipe, you should have no trouble in finding one. Chili adds flavor to meats, poultry, and vegetables. Chipotle is a kind of chili powder, which is made from dried, smoked jalapeos. It has a unique flavor and suits many recipes. Chipotle is also becoming popular in other countries. Ancho is another kind of chile pepper, which has a sweet, fruity taste. Other chili varieties include green chile powder and pasilla chile powder. Chili powder is usually made from various chilies and other Mexican spices.
Cumin, coriander, and oregano are very popular Mexican spices. Tomato dishes are often improved with some earthy oregano. Coriander is spicy and goes well with many recipes. Cumin, which takes three or four months to grow, has a very unique taste. It is a dry seed from the cuminum cyminum herb, which is a member of the parsley family. This spice is used to make chili powder and a variety of curry powders. You can also make a tea called "cumin cider" from this spice. Cumin has been used in cookery for hundreds of years throughout Mexico.
Some Mexican spices are used alone and others are made into blends. One popular blend is called recado rojo. It was used many years ago by the Mayans and is still extremely well liked. The annatto seeds it contains give it a red hue, which is transferred to the recipes you use it in your cooking. Cinnamon, cumin, garlic, clove, and oregano are some of the spices in recado rojo. Mexican foods from the Yucatan area are associated with this spice blend. It is also quite simple to make your own.
Achiote is the shrub that the annatto seeds come from which is added to the recado rojo mixture. This shrub is grown in Southeast Asia and was introduced to the Spanish in the 17th century. Consider an inedible fruit that is used for its seeds. Long ago American Indians used the seeds to make body paints. Parts of the shrub can be used in medical remedies for health problems such as headaches and burns.
If you want to have a try at making your own Mexican spice blends, you can get the key ingredients from most major grocery stores. You could mix a few of the spices mentioned here with some salt and paprika, then blend them together. You can add the resulting mixture to chicken, beef, or pork. Whether you are baking, broiling, grilling, or making a stew, this spice blend really brings out the flavor of whichever Mexican recipe you are creating.
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