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You can look it up but I don't believe there would have been any tortillas in NM prior to the early 20th century to wrap things in. There was fry bread and sopaipillas but no corn or flour tortillas before then as far as I can tell. It's amusing to think all these dishes folks think are so authentic to the rest of the Southwest are actually from 1920s and 30s L.A.
Sorry, CAVA, but with all due respect, the notion that there were no tortillas in NM until the early 20th century would also strongly suggest there were none in Mexico either. Where do you suppose most of the early population came from? Old Mexico, with manos and metates and comals...and making tortillas. Corn was here and was ground on stone metates long before the Spanish arrived, but with the exception of piki I'm not sure anyone can say the Indian population here made tortillas (though it's somewhat likely that they did in some form).
If you're talking strictly tortillas de harina you might be closer to the truth, but you're not specifying in this post. The Spanish people that came to New Mexico certainly brought their own foods along, leavened breads, etc. as a way of carrying their culture to this part of the new world, but early on there were plenty of mestizos and Spanish who had embraced New World food out of taste or necessity. And they would have brought treating corn with lime, and, thus, tortillas.
Though, in my experience, most flour tortillas in Mexico appear in the North there is the tlayuda or tlalluda of Oaxaca, which is basically an oversized tortilla and appears in both corn and wheat flour versions. Wheat tlayudas are more common now than corn for these big things, but that may have been different in the past.
I don't think it's all the same. I'm sure a hundred people will have a hundred different opinions, but here's mine...
Mexico is completely different.- tortillas, meat, and beans. To me it's not nearly as spicy as “American” Mexican food... but it's good. Usually very fresh.
Anywhere else in the U.S. especially east of the Mississippi River – they pretty much think Taco Bell is Mexican food.
As one who has lived in Mexico briefly and traveled all over the northern and central parts of the country, Mexican cuisine is extremely varied, and far more than tortillas, meat and beans. It seems to me that all of Mexico--regardless of region, is defined by chile. The chile sauces, soups and regional dishes are second to none.
In the tourist areas, they have toned the food down for people who are not used to the chile flavor and heat. But if you eat in homes and everyday restaurants (not tourist traps), it can be quite hot/spicy/firey.
Tex-Mex and interior Mexican food are my favorites--but even Tex-Mex has been blanded down in places, as has New Mexican.
Mexico is completely different.- tortillas, meat, and beans. To me it's not nearly as spicy as “American” Mexican food... but it's good. Usually very fresh.
Anywhere else in the U.S. especially east of the Mississippi River – they pretty much think Taco Bell is Mexican food.
Mexican food is a lot...a LOT more than tortillas meat and beans, though that's a common misperception.
Speaking of misperceptions.....Chicago is East of the Mississippi, and the Hispanic population of that great city is over 750,000...only 150,000 or so less than that of the entire state of New Mexico. I don't think all those Hispanics (from a variety of countries but the majority Mexican-American) left all their heritage at the river bank.
One of the greatest Mexican restaurants in the world, certainly the equal of the best in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Puebla, Oaxaca, etc. is in Chicago. Restaurants: Restaurants - Rick Bayless | Frontera Click on Menus for Frontera Grill and/or Topolobampo. You'll see lots of things you'll never encounter in New Mexico but that you WILL find in the great restaurants of Mexico. It's not all fancy things..their third place Xoco does great street-style food.
There isn't much in New Mexico (home of the LA Burrito) that can touch Frontera/Topolobampo, though some places in Sta Fe try, for genuine Mexican food.
And apart from high Mexican Cuisine, there are tons of fine Mexican restaurants all over the Midwest. And there are Taco Bells in Mexico.
If I ever hit Chicago again, I WILL try both of Bayless' restaurants. It is really authentic interior Mexican food, if his and his wife's history is any indication...years of extensive travel all OVER Mexico, and authentic recipes begged and borrowed from both home cooks and restauranteurs.
I have several of his cookbooks, and I enjoy his PBS series when I remember to catch it.
When I think of New Mexican food I think of things my mom makes. Everything from Mexican hot dogs to oxtail stew. Posole, chicharrones, buche, sopa, colitas, albondigas, mole, chilaquiles, caldo, chile rellenos, sopaipillas, calabacitas, tamales - all things my mom makes and that I consider New Mexican food.
My family history includes immigrants from Mexico and some of the old Hispanic families of Northern New Mexico. Therefore, I think what I consider New Mexican food includes things from Mexico and things which evolved here in the state over hundreds of years. I also know that it includes things which are Americanized and were only very recently added to our culinary lineup.
If I ever hit Chicago again, I WILL try both of Bayless' restaurants. It is really authentic interior Mexican food, if his and his wife's history is any indication...years of extensive travel all OVER Mexico, and authentic recipes begged and borrowed from both home cooks and restauranteurs.
I have several of his cookbooks, and I enjoy his PBS series when I remember to catch it.
Rick Bayless is great. I watch his show on PBS every Saturday and I enjoyed watching him on Top Chef Masters on the Bravo TV network a while back.
He makes a lot of stuff that I'm used to and also stuff that I'd never heard of before.
Rick is the real deal....an authority on a par with his friend Diana Kennedy as the two most knowledgible chefs/cookbook writers in English, though their books are translated into Spanish. I've shared a few meals with him thanks to mutual friends in Chicago and also in Oaxaca, where he used to lead some culinary tours (maybe still does, but I'm thinking he's got too much going on now).
Cathy, you'll very much enjoy a visit to his restaurants, where Mrs Tecpatl and I have been known to dine at lunch and return again at dinner.
And speaking of tortillas...if readers have never had the pleasure of making and eating homemade tortillas de maiz (sooo much better than storebought) here is a two part epicurious video featuring one of my old Oaxaca friends, Iliana de la Vega, giving a lesson. Iliana owned a great Oaxaca restaurant, El Naranjo, for a number of years and now teaches Oaxacan Mexican cooking at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). Tortillas Recipe, Video, and Tips at Epicurious.com
Rick Bayless's show is on the local (ABQ) PBS channel 5.1 on Saturdays at 3:00 PM
This coming Saturday, Nov 13th
Mexico: One Plate at a Time - Tacos Hola!
Rick looks at the upscale tacos produced in stoneware cazuelas in taquerías around Mexico; he makes his own, including pork with smoky tomato sauce and potatoes, creamy braised chard, potatoes and poblanos, and Veracruz-flavored chilled seafood.
I don't think it's all the same. I'm sure a hundred people will have a hundred different opinions, but here's mine...
Anywhere else in the U.S. especially east of the Mississippi River – they pretty much think Taco Bell is Mexican food.
There are a lot of Mexican restaurants on the East Coast and other heavily populated areas, many of them operated by Mexican families. I know several in PA and MD.
But we're really trying to talk about Mexican vs. New Mexican Food.
Rich
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.....Chicago is East of the Mississippi, and the Hispanic population of that great city is over 750,000...only 150,000 or so less than that of the entire state of New Mexico. I don't think all those Hispanics (from a variety of countries but the majority Mexican-American) left all their heritage at the river bank.
) that can touch Frontera/Topolobampo, though some places in Sta Fe try, for genuine Mexican food.
And there are Taco Bells in Mexico.
