DIAGRAM OF A LOCAVORE

The Flavors of Latin America

BY RON FRIIS AND HIS FURMAN CLASS
“HISP ANIC CULTURES THROUGH FOOD”

MEXICO

Mexican food tends to balance taste extremes: lime, onion, jalapeño and salt, where bitter meets smoky meets spicy meets salty and cool. Its main ingredients are clearly visible in most dishes: cilantro, lime, chilies, and fresh corn tortillas. Unlike the vibrant, artificial rainbow of yellows and reds you would get at the local chain, colors in authentic Mexican food are less showy. Where a taco from Taco Bell might be overstuffed with multi-colored cheese, tomato cubes, sour cream and meat, all wrapped in a thick, crispy yellow shell, a taco found in a Mexican street stand has only meat, onion and cilantro, wrapped in one or two hot corn tortillas. You can then spread on a stripe of a smoky hot chipotle salsa before showering your taco in lime. That’s it. There’s nothing wrong with sour cream or cheese but that’s not how you’ll get them in Mexico. Authentic Mexican foods feature sauces cooked long and slow. Pre-Columbian, indigenous recipes use ingredients such as pumpkin seeds, shredded turkey, unsweetened chocolate and any of a dizzying array of fresh or dried chilies to make sauces that are typically cooked down and then fried to produce mature, smoky flavors. Chile sauce is what makes an enchilada an enchilada.

PERU

Peru has one of the most diverse cuisines of the world, largely a result of the country’s immense genetic crop variety. There are 35 varieties of maize and 150 varieties of sweet potatoes alone. This diversity reflects the wide array of landscapes, which vary drastically from coast to the Andes Mountains to the Amazon jungle. Since the days of Columbus, Peru’s cuisine has been shaped by the influence of immigration from Spain, Italy, West Africa, China, and Japan. Corn, beans, squash, and tubers such as potatoes and yucca are some of the main staples. Quinoa and kiwicha (amaranth) are also important and highly nutritious—full of vitamins, minerals, and surprisingly complete protein. With direct access to the Pacific, Peru prizes its varied seafood, central to many of its dishes, including the popular ceviche, raw seafood “cooked” by marinating in lime or lemon juice, an ancient Incan technique modified when the Spanish brought citrus from the Orient. Meats include cuy (guinea pig—a delicacy), goat, beef, and chicken. Peruvian food is often spicy, due to the use of ají peppers. Tortillas are not part of the cuisine, but corn is an integral feature. Choclo, large corn kernels, is one of the ingredients served with ceviche. Evaporated and condensed milk, a result of geographic necessity, are other key elements.

CUBA

The three main influences on this Caribbean cuisine come from immigration. More than any other Latin American country, Cuban food is predominantly Iberian, showing the roots of the regional Spanish cuisines: olive oil, pork, black beans and rice is called moros y cristianos. The second most important influence is reflected in Cuba’s main crops of sugar and bananas: African dishes brought by slaves. Cuba is one of the most racially African countries of the Spanish-speaking world. Number 3 is the surprise— Chinese. There is an established cocina china-cubana based on the use of rice and sweet and sour flavors. Many claim that there is no better method for roasting pork (pernil) than the world famous Cuban caja china, a metal grill box topped with a charcoal pan believed to have been brought to Cuba by the Chinese who built the railroads in the 1850s. Sauces and marinades help define Cuban food: a sofrito is a sauce of olive oil, peppers, garlic, onion, and oregano that often serves as the base of a dish; mojo is a marinade made with onions, garlic, lemon, olive oil, and cumin; boniato is a garlic dressing that accompanies pork.

COLOMBIA

The cuisine of Colombia reflects its geography. Mountainous Bogotá serves ajíaco, a hearty potato soup served with cream, capers and avocado, to stave off the cold at its high altitude. Pork and seafood are popular around the Caribbean coast, and barbecued meats nourish the eastern regions. Located along the equator, Colombia produces a variety of exotic fruits, including lulo, níspero, and zapote. Across the diverse regions, several of the most important ingredients are corn, rice, beans, meats, chicharrón (fried pork skin), and plantains. Colombian tamales are wrapped in plantain leaves. The arepa is a staple Colombian food: while similar to a tortilla, it is completely unlike the flour or corn tortillas from Mexico. Arepas are often made from coarse cornmeal— thus whiter and stiffer than wraps—or from sweet corn itself, then called an arepa de choclo. A fried arepa topped with soft, salty Colombian cheese is a wonderful breakfast.

Colombian bakeries are fixtures in US Latino communities. They feature a wide array of sweet and savory rolls for breakfast, lunch, dessert or snacks. Buñuelos are lightly fried, not crusty, but soft and cheesy. You find baked and fried pastries stuffed with everything from guava to dulce de leche to sausage. If you’re lucky, they’ll have fried Colombian empanadas, typically made from corn meal and stuffed with pork, potato and seasonings.