Mexican Food: Spicy, No! Rich In Flavor And History, Yes!

The history of Mexican food is long and distinct. Since before the 1500s, the making of fine Mexican cuisine has been in the making. The foods of Mexico are known for having rich flavors and brilliant colors, and are made from a variety of ingredients. Yet many people shy away from eating Mexican food because they buy into the myth that it is mainly a spicy cuisine.

"When people visit from America and try the food here, they are always pleasantly surprised," explains Laurena Martini, executive chef of the Puerto Vallarta Beach Club (www.PuertoVallartaBeachClub.com), a new private boutique resort located on Los Muertos Beach along the Mexican Riviera. "They come in, somehow, believing it is going to be spicy and hard to digest, but they leave loving our food and wondering why it took them so long to discover it."

If you have been shying away from trying Mexican foods, now is the time to give it a try. After all, most people like chocolate, and it was first a part of Mexican cuisine. While, over the years, Mexican cuisine has borrowed from other countries around the world, those other countries have also been inspired by the styles and ingredients that Mexico is known for. Today, Mexican food still follows many of its original traditions, including the frequent use of corn, beans, avocado, tomato, and tomatillo.

Some of the best-known and most popular Mexican dishes are Oaxaca's famous black mole, the popular pozole, or chiles rellenos. There are also a variety of tasty salsas, used for topping these dishes. Traditional Mexican food was cooked in ceramic pots or cast-iron skillets over an open fire. Much of the food was either steamed or fried, as it is today.

A trip to the local market is an explosion of sensory experiences where exotic fruit, vegetables, chilies, nuts, meats and seafood are found in stunning displays set up daily by the local vendors. Every state in Mexico has distinct cuisine based on climate, traditions and local produce grown there, but one thing is for sure, beans, corn, tortillas and rice staple foods and can be found everywhere from the family run "cenadurias," to the fine dining restaurants.

The famous black mole sauce of Oaxaca has over 50 different spices and chilies ground into a paste with dark cocoa beans to create a delicious semi-sweet sauce for chicken or turkey, which is then lightly sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. The stuffed Poblano chilies (chiles rellenos) that are lightly coated in egg batter and filled with cheese or meat and deep fried and laden with a tangy tomato and oregano sauce, are a treat that many people love.

Mexican food can easily be prepared at home. If you haven't tried your hand at making some of their dishes, give these recipes a try: (insert recipes)

Shrimp and Mango Ceviche.
-300 grams fresh shrimp peeled and deveined
-1 large ripe but firm mango
-1 cucumber no seeds
-half red onion finely diced
-2 cloves garlic
-1 tsp minced fresh ginger
-1 small green chili with no seeds diced
- half red bell pepper diced
-2 tbsp chopped cilantro
-juice of 2 limes and half an orange
-2 tbsp olive oil
-sea salt and pepper to taste
Serve chilled with slices of avocado and fresh tostadas or corn chips.
Marinate the shrimp in lime juice for 2 hours, drain and combine with the rest of ingredients. If you prefer you can poach the shrimp in boiling water, drain, chill and then combine with other ingredients.

Grilled Tomatillo Salsa
-10 small Tomatillos
-1 onion
-3 cloves garlic
-handful of cilantro
-2 dried "chiles de arbol" also known as Cola de rata, or rats tail because of their thin long shape (a dried red chili very common in most stores).
-1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano
- sea salt and a tablespoon of o