To think of Mexican food as merely hot and spicy is to oversimplify a much more complicated set of sensations. The great traditional foods of Mexico, like moles and posoles, are a complex blend of savory and earthy flavors, with chopped condiments and spicy salsas generally served on the side to use as a seasoning and for textural contrast.

For some reason, perhaps because it was a hot concept that could easily be communicated, spiciness became the defining characteristic of all things “Mexican” in the United States. It just ain’t so.

Old-fashioned Mexican-American restaurant food is heavy. Real Mexican food and the modern updates we favor feature lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, herb garnishes, fresh chopped salsa, rice, beans, tortillas, traditional meats and poultry, and plenty of fresh seafood. Modern Mexican cuisine is light and healthful, with a large dose of flavor.

All that sour cream and melted cheese associated with Mexican food is actually an American restaurant innovation. Typical corn and tortilla snacks, such as enchiladas, tacos, and quesadillas, are meant to be delicate, nutrient-dense morsels, not the leaden doorstops they can be in the United States. Think back to the big, heavy platters of meatballs and spaghetti of the 1950s that have become the refined vegetable pastas of today and you can see the direction Mexican food is taking.

Our glossary is full of interesting info on the dishes and ingredients. The only thing that we’ll admit gets complicated is that chiles has different names when they’re fresh and when they’re dried; for example, a dried jalapeno is not a “dried jalapeno,” it’s a chipotle. But don’t worry, bite off a little at a time (in all senses of the word if you’re new to chiles!), and in no time you’ll appreciate this whole incredible world of flavor.

Derived from “Understanding Mexican Cooking,” Mexican Cooking for
Dummies (IDG: 1999).