Learning How to Use Mexican Spices

The herbs and spices used in Mexican cuisine are what truly give you the Mexican flavor you are craving. Without these spices, Mexican food would be bland. These herbs and spices bring out the goodness that we have come to expect from Mexican cuisine. If you truly want to make Mexican food, it pays to know about the spices.

Chile powder is used in almost every Mexican dish. This common spice is usually a mixture of many different chilies. Chipotle is one kind of seasoning you may find. It is made from dried smoked jalapeno peppers. Ancho peppers, on the other hand, give food a more sweet, fruity flavor. Many commercial chile powders that you find at the market are actually a combination of oregano, coriander, cumin, garlic, salt, and chilies.

Epazote is an herb that you can grow in your garden. Some call it Mexican tea. This herb is traditionally used in bean dishes to not only add flavor but to help digestive upsets that beans can cause. A few leaves are added while the beans are cooking. Be careful when you use epazote because it is very potent. Large quantities of this herb can be toxic.

Annatto seeds are used to color food and give it a distinct flavor. This spice is most often used in rice recipes or sauces. The seeds are soaked in water for at least an hour before using. They are usually crushed after soaking. Some recipes use the leftover water that the seeds were soaked in and other recipes use the seeds themselves. They are a common ingredient in marinades.

You see cilantro at a lot of Mexican restaurants used as garnish or added to tacos and salads. It looks a lot like flat leaf parsley. Cilantro is what they call the leaves of the coriander plant. It should always be used when fresh. Cilantro has a tangy, pungent flavor that it imparts easily to salsa, rice, moles, beans, soups, and stews. It has a way of brightening up a dish.

Cumin is a spice made from the seeds of the cumin plant. They can be used whole or ground into a powder. Cumin is often used in conjunction with chile powder to create a balance in flavor. It is often used in soups, stews and other common dishes. Azafran is known as Mexican saffron, or safflower. This spice is used in very small amounts because it can be bitter. It causes the dish to develop a beautiful saffron like color and is often used in rice and seafood dishes.

If you are looking for free traditional Mexican recipes you will find that you need many of these spices as well as thyme and oregano. Mexican oregano is very different from Italian oregano. It has an earthy quality that really adds a lot to the food. Unless you live in an area with a large Mexican population, it may be difficult to find. You can sometimes find it in the grocery store or in specialty herb catalogs.

Understanding how to develop the flavors of Mexico will involve learning about the spices and herbs they use in cooking. That authentic Mexican flavor you want cannot be developed without them. Use these spices the right way and you will find your recipes turn out better than ever. Learning how to use these spices will change your cooking for the better.

The great thing about Cinco de Mayo is that every family makes their favorite Mexican foods to celebrate with and traditional Cinco de Mayo food is whatever you want to make. There are no traditional foods associated with these festivities so you can make whichever Mexican dishes tantalize your taste buds.