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"Definitely, there is a before and after the Conquest, they (the Spaniards) brought us many ingredients, techniques and methods that we did not use, like cheeses, bread - we used corn, instead of bread -, as well as showing us their gastronomic culture."
Food, like any other important cultural aspect, is in perpetual construction and change. For chef Fernanda Covarrubias Araiza, Mexican cuisine is a blend of Mexican and Spanish food and techniques, which makes it one of the amplest cuisines in the world.
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During an interview with EFE in Merida, capital of the Mexican state of Yucatan, where Chef Covarrubias participated in the III edition of the Club Sibarita International Gastronomic Festival; the acclaimed chef stated that Mexico and Spain were enriched by gastronomic exchange.
"Definitely, there is a before and after the Conquest, they (the Spaniards) brought us many ingredients, techniques and methods that we did not use, like cheeses, bread - we used corn, instead of bread -, as well as showing us their gastronomic culture," stated the owner of "La Postreria," in Guadalajara.
According to her, Mexican cuisine is a mix of different techniques and products, "a mix of prehispanic food, plus the food and the Spanish techniques we learned." A cuisine, being part of cultural construction, is in perpetual development and change.
The exchange of products and techniques is one of the most important elements in cuisine, which is reconstructed by the people that make it. According to the Mexican chef, there is and incalculable gastronomic contribution from the Spanish conquerors, and that surely in Spain there is also a before and an after.
"There are a lot of things that chefs admire about Mexico and that we Mexicans see, maybe as normal, because it's what we've grown up with, but that little by little we learn to appreciate as part of our culture and our origins," Covarrubias concluded.
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