February 2025 Issue
Cultural Foodways: The Traditional Flavors of Mexico
By Dana Peters, MS, RD
Today’s Dietitian
Vol. 27 No. 2 P. 8
Discover the Country’s Staple Seasonings
Mexican cuisine features flavors as bright and crisp as the sun-filled land from which it hails. With an estimated 37.2 million people of Mexican descent living in the United States as of 2021,1 it’s a culinary journey worth exploring for RDs and their patients and clients.
“Herbs, spices, and chiles are essential to Mexican cuisine,” says Crystal Orozco, RDN, CDCES, CPT, a Latina RD and owner of Vida Nutrition Consulting. “Mexican cuisine is known for its bold and rich flavors, and each region in Mexico is rooted in history, tradition, and rich in culinary history.”
“The unique thing about Mexican cuisine is that there’s no one cuisine; instead, a myriad of tastes and cuisines make up Mexican cooking. Mexico has seven culinary regions, each with distinct food and drink styles,” explains Marina Chaparro, MPH, RD, CDE, a Latina RD and owner of Nutrichicos.
Whether it’s arrachera from the meat-forward Norteño region; cochinita pibil, a pork dish of Mayan origin from the Yucatán; or the street tacos famously hailing from Mexico City—herbs, spices, chiles, and other flavorings are the heart and soul of Mexico’s vast culinary scene.
However, somewhere along the way, Mexican food in the United States picked up the reputation of being somewhat unhealthy. It is, in fact, nutritious, at least in part thanks to its diverse profile of seasonings and flavorings. For example, herbs and spices may help protect against disease due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and glucose-modulating properties.2
“Spices and herbs have been utilized for centuries, not only in cooking but also for their medicinal properties in various cultures. In some societies, spices have even served as a form of currency,” Chaparro says. “Spices and herbs can help not just enhance flavor and improve texture in foods, but in terms of nutrition, they can help decrease the use of salt, sugar, and fat because they make food flavorful.”
It would be an immense undertaking to create a list of all the seasonings and flavors found in Mexico. This article will offer just a sample of some of the country’s most used flavorings.
Popular Mexican Herbs
• Cilantro: Brought to Mexico by the Spanish conquistadors, Cilantro is one of the most widely used herbs in Mexican cuisine. Its bright, fresh flavor balances out the bold flavors of many dishes, including tacos, salsas, beans, and guacamole.
• Epazote: Epazote’s distinct flavor is described as similar to a mix of oregano, anise, citrus, mint, and sometimes tar. Leaves are typically used fresh and may be added to soups, stews, and pots of beans. Some believe adding epazote to beans helps to reduce gas and bloating sometimes associated with eating beans.
• Mexican Oregano: Different than Mediterranean oregano, the Mexican variation has a stronger, more pungent flavor with citrus notes. It’s often used in meat dishes such as carnitas as well as in mole and beans.
Popular Mexican Spices
• Achiote: Achiote is a seed with a bright orange color and a strong, earthy flavor. It’s often used in sauces and marinades and is a key ingredient in achiote paste, which is popular in the marinades of pibil-style dishes from Yucatán.
• Anise: With an herbal flavor similar to licorice, anise is found mostly in pastries or desserts in Mexican cuisine. Notably, it’s used in Pan de Muerto, the traditional bread of the holiday Día de los Muertos.
• Cinnamon: Canela, the type of cinnamon found in Mexican cooking, has a milder, sweeter taste than the Cassia cinnamon typically found in the United States. It’s used in desserts and pastries as well as mixed with other spices in savory sauces such as mole.
• Cumin: The warm, earthy flavor of cumin complements many Mexican dishes. Typically used in small amounts, whole cumin seeds are often ground with garlic and other spices to create unique seasoning blends.
Popular Mexican Chiles
• Jalapeño: Jalapeños may be the most well-known chile outside of Mexico. They’re milder than many other chiles with an almost sweet taste. Oftentimes, they’re pickled in vinegar and enjoyed as a side or condiment. When they’re dried and smoked, jalapeños are called chipotle peppers.
• Serrano: Smaller, thinner, and spicier than jalapeños, many Mexican cooks prefer these chiles for salsas and guacamole because of their sharp, clean flavor.
• Ancho: According to Mexican food expert Diana Kennedy, many chiles can be used dried or fresh, such as the ancho/poblano pepper.3 Ancho chiles are the dried version of the poblano and are large, flattened peppers with lots of wrinkles. They’re often paired with other chiles and have a sweet, dried fruit flavor.
• Chile de Árbol: Chile de árbol may be used fresh or dried. It’s a fairly spicy chile that pairs well with tomatoes and tomatillos, making it perfect for salsas or enchilada sauce. It can also be used to flavor chocolate or hot chocolate drinks.
• Guajillo: Guajillo chiles are one of the most commonly used peppers in the Mexican kitchen. They are found just about everywhere, including salsas, moles, and marinades. Their modest heat makes them perfect for pairing with other chiles.
Popular Mexican Citrus
• Lime: Limes are a quintessential Mexican flavor. Used in everything from salsa, guacamole, ceviches, and agua-chiles to tacos, beans, and enchiladas, a squeeze of lime adds brightness and freshness to Mexican food. They’re also high in vitamin C, which helps with the absorption of plant-based iron found in beans.
• Bitter or Seville Orange: Brought to Mexico by the Spanish, bitter or Seville-style oranges have high acidity and work well in marinades for meat and seafood. The fruit has a rough, thick skin and ranges from bright orange to green in color, depending on where they are grown. They’re most popular in food from Yucatán and Veracruz. Mexican chef Pati Jinich offers the following substitute if you can’t find bitter orange at the store: equal parts grapefruit, orange, lime juice, and white distilled vinegar.4
Vanilla and Chocolate
Two iconic culinary flavors, vanilla and chocolate, are both native to Mexico. Culturally, their use dates back centuries. While they are commonly found in desserts and other sweet foods, they may also be used for savory dishes and sauces.
• Vanilla: The vanilla bean was first cultivated in Veracruz and is used in pan dulce, horchata, and flan to this day. The sweet, woodsy flavor of Mexican vanilla is distinct from other types of vanilla and may also contain notes of cinnamon, cocoa, raisin, and tamarind.
• Chocolate: Chocolate consumption dates back to the Aztec empire. Today, Mexican chocolate is made from cacao nibs, sugar, and cinnamon giving it a grainy texture due to the high sugar content. Other ingredients, such as chiles, vanilla, nutmeg, or almonds, may be added to create a more complex flavor.
Getting in the Kitchen
It’s easy to see the contribution seasonings and flavorings have on Mexican cuisine is vast and complex as well as how the cuisine is deeply rooted in history, tradition, and family.
“While I lived in Merida, Yucatán, I fell in love with Yucatecan cuisine, which is renowned for its unique flavors, especially for its underground cooking, also called pib,” Chaparro says. “One of my favorite recipes is cochinita pibil, which is pork marinated with a traditional recado rojo that utilizes so many spices like cumin, achiote, oregano, and cinnamon as well as sour orange to marinate the pork. Each family can create their distinct recado rojo, which gives the cochinita a unique flavor.”
As dietitians, we can encourage our patients and clients, whether they have Mexican ancestry or not, to embrace this cultural cuisine both for flavor and for health.
“There are many quick & simple ways to start incorporating these ingredients at home,” Orozco says. “Start with small amounts of ingredients like cilantro, lime, and mild chiles (such as poblano or Anaheim). Try adding cilantro to salads or tacos, or use cumin and oregano to season beans, soups, or grilled meats.”
What’s even better is that everyone in the family can enjoy flavors and seasonings from Mexico. Chaparro, who specializes in working with kids and families, says there’s no need to wait to introduce flavors to the youngest eaters.
“As soon as babies start eating at 6 months, you can introduce herbs and seasonings,” she says. “As long as the food is presented safely and appropriately, babies can enjoy spices like cinnamon, vanilla, garlic, cilantro, and so many others. Just be careful with the spice!”
Truthfully, the possibilities are endless when it comes to Mexican seasonings and flavorings. So, whether you choose to experiment with chiles or citrus, your culinary adventure is sure to be as bright, fresh, and vibrant as Mexico itself.
— Dana Peters, MS, RD, is a registered dietitian and food and nutrition writer living in the Chicagoland area. She’s passionate about making food simple, getting back to kitchen basics, and the power of eating together. Find out more at danapetersrd.com.
Additional Resources to Explore
Don’t stop here on the Mexican flavor journey. Dive even deeper into the nutrition and flavor profiles of the herbs and spices with the resources below.
Books
• Jinich P, Mosier A. Treasures of the Mexican Table: Classic Recipes, Local Secrets. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 2021.
• Presilla ME. Peppers of the Americas. Lorena Jones Books; 2017.
• Cámara G, Watrous M, Nilsson M. My Mexico City Kitchen: Recipes and Convictions. Lorena Jones Books, an imprint of Ten Speed Press; 2019.
Websites
• The Ultimate Guide to Mexican Spices: https://spicesinc.com/blogs/ultimate-guide-mexican-spices
• Your Latina Nutritionist: https://yourlatinanutritionist.com/blog/mexican-herbs
• Pati Jinich, Mexican Chef: https://patijinich.com
• Where Does Vanilla Come From?: https://nielsenmassey.com/where-does-vanilla-come-from/
• Cilantro/Coriander, Coriandrum sativum: https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/cilantro-coriandercoriandrum-sativum
• What Is Epazote & How Do You Use It?: www.thekitchn.com/ingredient-spotlight-epazote-152167
• What Is Mexican Oregano?: www.bonappetit.com/story/what-is-mexican-oregano
• Crystal Orozco, Latina RD and Owner of Vida Nutrition Consulting: https://vidanutritionconsulting.com
• Marina Chaparro, Latina RD and Owner of Nutrichicos: www.nutrichicos.com
References
1. Moslimani M, Noe-Bustamante L, Shah S. Facts on Hispanics of Mexican origin in the United States, 2021. Pew Research Center website. https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/fact-sheet/us-hispanics-facts-on-mexican-origin-latinos/. Published August 16, 2023. Accessed November 10, 2024.
2. Jiang TA. Health benefits of culinary herbs and spices. J AOAC Int. 2019;102(2):395-411.
3. Kennedy D. The Essential Cuisines of Mexico. Clarkson Potter; 2009.
4. Bitter orange. Pati Jinich website. https://patijinich.com/bitter_orange/. Published December 25, 2009. Accessed November 18, 2024.