Mexican Corn

Hello friends and lovers of Mexican gastronomy and culture! In this edition of the blog we will wake up your curiousity about maize or corn! We will review different topics such as its origins, varieties, as well as the delicious Mexican products and dishes where we can find it!

Approximately 7,000 years ago, Mesoamerican people domesticated the maize plant in Mexico. Maize, as it was known to these cultures, was the most consumed crop and the one that had a high survival to climatic changes. These Mesoamerican cultures not only used maize as part of their food, but it was also an important part of their religion. The word maize was introduced into the Spanish language by the indigenous people of the Antilles and meant "that which sustains life". Nowadays, in Mexico, maize and corn are used interchangeably.

Scientifically, corn is called ¨Zea mayz¨ and is a grain that belongs to the Graminae family, like wheat, rice, oats and other grains. Mexico has the largest variety of corn grains in the entire planet, with 59 native breeds or varieties! These varieties, or also called races, include numerous ranges separated by ear shape, color, kernel texture, adaptations to the environment and genetic diversity.

For Mexicans, corn is part of their daily diet and continues to be the most cultivated grain in the country, accounting for 17.38% of agricultural production. Corn is widely used in sweet and savory food products; among the most outstanding are nixtamalized corn flour, corn starch, breads, salty snacks, corn syrup, candy, among others. Due to the importance of corn in Mexican culture, on September 29th of each year the "National Maize Day" is celebrated.

For our readers who do not know what nixtamalization is, it is the process by which corn kernels are softened when soaked in an alkaline solution made from water and the ash from the wood used for cooking.

In Mexican cuisine there are countless dishes where corn is the main guest, here's a little taste to make your mouth water!

With the delicious nixtamalized corn flour we can prepare a wide variety of delicious Mexican dishes. To begin with, a Mexican table should always have good tortillas and from these we can make various dishes such as chilaquiles, enfrijoladas, enchiladas, quesadillas, tacos and tostadas, etc. Other delicious dishes that can be prepared with corn include atole, esquites, gorditas, huaraches, panuchos, pozol, pozole, sopes, tamales, tlacoyos, and tlayudas.

Don't all the names ring a bell... To whet your appetite, here they are all finger-licking descriptions!

Enfrijoladas are corn tortillas filled with meat or cheese and bathed in a creamy bean sauce. Enchiladas are also corn tortillas stuffed with meat or cheese, but these are smothered in sauce or mole; there are many types of enchiladas that vary according to the region.

Quesadillas are corn or flour tortillas folded in half and heated on a comal, which traditionally have Oaxaca cheese inside and can be accompanied by stews. They differ from tacos, since the latter do not usually have melted cheese inside and only have a stew.

And tostadas are dry or fried corn tortillas that usually have a stew and beans, cream, salsa and cheese on top of the stew.

Among the most loved Mexican snacks are gorditas, sopes and tamales.

First we have the gorditas, which are round balls of nixtamalized corn flour dough that are usually fried in pork lard. They are filled with stews, beans, pressed pork cracklings or fresh cheese and are served with cream, salsa and fresh grated cheese.

Sopes are also made with  nixtamalized corn flour, but they are like a small, round tortilla, which is covered with refried beans, cream, salsa, lettuce and grated cheese.

And finally, tamales are a sweet and savory delight. Basically, it is corn dought that is usually filled with stews, jams or fruit, wrapped in corn or plantain leaves and steamed.

If you are looking for a street food, look no further! ¨Esquites¨ are fresh corn kernels that are cooked in water with epazote and salt; we usually prepare them with mayonnaise, lime, chilli and a little grated cheese. In Mexico you can find small street stands dedicated exclusively to selling ¨esquites¨ and corn husks!

And if you are looking for a more comforting dish, pozole has pre-Hispanic origins, it was used in rituals. It is a nixtamalized corn soup cooked with pork or chicken. It can be served with avocado, oregano, dried chile, lettuce, onion, lime and radishes.

Other delicious treats are:

Panuchos are made with a small raw corn tortilla, which is fried instead of being put on the comal. When fried, it is inflated and a "little bag"  is created, which is then filled with stew or beans.

We also have the unique huaraches, which are also prepared with nixtamalized corn flour dough. The word huarache in Mexico means flip-flop, so this Mexican snack has the shape and size of a mexican  flip-flop  and is covered with stew.

Very similar is the tlayuda, which is a giant oval-shaped corn tortilla, that is relatively dry, covered wit beans,  Oaxaca cheese, tasajo, salsa, cream and sometimes mole.

And finally, tlacoyos, which are also Mexican snacks made with nixtamalized corn flour dough, lard and salt. They are often filled with beans, cheese or pressed pork cracklings.

And the drinks?

One of the most unique drinks is atole, a hot drink made of cornstarch or masa that is diluted in water or milk and is traditionally prepared with piloncillo or sugar and cinnamon. Nowadays there is a great variety of flavors such as strawberry, coconut, chocolate, peanut, vanilla, guava, among others.

Pozol is a cold drink made from fermented corn dough, mixed with cocoa, sugar and diluted in water.

As you can see, we have many similar Mexican dishes, but remember that Mexico is a very large country with many regions; Germany could fit 5.4 times inside the Mexican territory! So each region has its varieties and versions of some dishes. But all the dishes have the same thread that unites them, and that is corn!

Visit our online store  Mexhaus.de, our corn products section, as well as the Mexican specialties section where you can find a variety of prepared dishes, as well as traditional Mexican products to make your favorite recipes.

Tell us which is your favorite and leave us your comments in the publication!