Flavor Ingredients for Mexican Cuisine
There is a long history of interplay between the foods of Mexico and those of the United States. There are many different flavor ingredients that make up Mexican cuisine, whether it is traditional, Tex-Mex, or So-Cal style. Choosing flavor ingredients for these different styles largely depends on the dish that one is creating and the area that the food is from. There can be surprising differences between a Mexican dish prepared in the Southern California style and the same dish prepared in a Tex-Mex style restaurant.
A number of different bases can be used for Mexican dishes, especially in soups and sauces. Beef, like Advanced Biotech’s Natural Quesote 10% ETOH, and chicken are most commonly used, though more traditional dishes may also call for seafood flavors. Spice flavor is also commonly used to produce the chili base commonly used in Mexican foods, as well as tomato flavors. Onion extracts are also a popular flavor ingredient in Mexican food dishes, and can be used in a number of different products from re-fried beans and rice to the full range of sauces.
Corn is another staple, and is vital to the creation of authentic Mexican dishes. Corn flavor can be used to enhance the flavor of corn tortillas or in a full range of other types of pre-made and packaged foods. However, this is not the only vegetable flavor that can be used in Mexican cuisine.
Powdered food mixes such as that for Mexican rice or those used in Mexican food kits can be greatly enhanced by the addition of cheesy and creamy flavors. With any of these additions, it’s important to choose a mixture of flavors that will provide the correct flavor profile for Mexican cuisine, especially if the dish being created is more authentic in nature.
Another popular flavor addition for Mexican cuisine, especially that of the Southern California style, is citrus. Lime and lemon are the perfect complement to seafood dishes as we as rice’s, and even products such as salsa and tortilla chips for some added zest. A variety of herbal flavors are also used in these dishes, with cilantro being especially popular. Herbal flavor ingredients, such as Advanced Biotech’s Natural Octyl Butyrate or Natural Gamma Valerolactone, can be used to enhance a wide range of dishes.
Mexican cuisine can be very simple or very complex. One of the more complex dishes available is the traditional Mole, which can utilize as many as thirty different ingredients in its creation. Some of these ingredients may be a little bit unexpected, such as chocolate, peanuts, or even peanut butter. Choosing the right flavor ingredients to recreate an authentic Mole taste is especially important when producing a packaged variant of the dish to be used as a sauce.
No discussion of Mexican cuisine would be complete without a nod to the range of Mexican desserts that are available. From flan, which uses caramel flavors, such as Advanced Biotech’s Natural 5 Methyl Furfural or Natural Cinnamon Extract, to creamy flavors, such as Natural Delta Undecalactone, there are many flavor ingredients that can go into Mexican desserts. Tropical fruits such as mango are also popular, especially in confectionery dishes, so a flavor creation team looking to create Mexican style food products have a lot to choose from.