Ben Scoggin, Senior
In honor of Cinco de Mayo coming up on May 5th, the Pirates’ Pearl is bringing you a breakdown of great food to enjoy for the Mexican holiday. Mexican food is an incredibly complex and varied style of food. There are options for whatever meal or type of diet you prefer. We are here to discuss the basic elements of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine as well as typical foods you can enjoy at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Mexican cuisine has evolved over an extremely long period of time and has incorporated many different elements from many other cultures. Mexican food incorporates avocados, beans, rice, spices, cheeses, peppers, vegetables, and many more ingredients. One of the most frequently used ingredients is corn. Corn can be found in virtually every meal, whether it is in the form of a tortilla or whole kernels. Chicken and pork are very common meats you can find in a variety of Mexican dishes. However, most of the food you will find at Mexican restaurants in this area is what is called “Tex-Mex” food. This food has all of the basic elements of Mexican food, but it is more Americanized. However, this doesn’t mean that the food is of lower quality. Most of your favorite Mexican foods like fajitas or hard shell tacos are Tex-Mex, it just means it is less traditional than the food you would find in a traditional Mexican restaurant.
There are countless great Mexican dishes to begin the day with breakfast on Cinco de Mayo. One of the most popular is huevos rancheros. Huevos rancheros is made up of fried eggs served on top of corn tortillas topped with salsa. The salsa is generally made up of tomatoes, chili peppers, and onions. It is also served with rice and beans as a side to the eggs and tortillas. The dish is garnished with avocado, guacamole, or cilantro. I have personally had this dish many times and it's a great, hearty way to get the day started.
Lunch is the largest meal of the day in Mexico, and usually includes appetizers, main dishes, and then soups or salads as a side dish. There are practically infinite amazing dishes you can enjoy for lunch, but a personal favorite is the carne tampiquena. This is one of the most popular dishes to have for lunch; it consists of steak, rice, cheese, guacamole, beans, enchiladas, and grilled peppers. This dish is rumored to have been the favorite of Princess Grace of Monaco, and it is easy to see why. There are more than a dozen different ways to cook this dish and you can add or substitute anything you want. My favorite method is to use tortillas to make the steak and peppers into tacos to enjoy.
Dinner is usually a smaller meal after eating such a large lunch, but it still a great time to enjoy some authentic Mexican food. A great end of day meal is a cup of Café de Olla (spiced coffee) and some Tres Leche cake (Three Milk Cake). The spiced coffee has espresso with aromatics like cinnamon and orange peels added to increase the flavor. Tres Leche cake is a delicious treat to end the day right. The cake is served cold, and is a creamy and delicious sweet treat to enjoy with friends and family.
With all the amazing food opportunities that the holiday has to offer, make sure you go out on Cinco de Mayo and find recipes that suit your tastes and preferences. Mexican food is amazingly varied so there really is a dish for everyone. Celebrate the holiday right and enjoy all of the food and drinks that this culture has to offer. Stop by one of the local Mexican restaurants if you don’t feel like cooking at home, but beware, this is going to be the most packed day of the year...so get ready to wait!
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