School of Hospitality

Diploma in Events Management

Semester 3

Cultural Representation in Food

Mexican Cuisine

Chen Yong-Lin Joshua (18082909)

Pho Thanh Thu (18068668)
Sebastian Yeoh Yee Soong (18087155)
Teng Yeeng Xuang (18073312)

08th May 2019

I hereby state that this material is original and a result of my own effort. Any material
copied from other sources will be given their due respect in the form of referencing and
bibliography

Date/time received:
Lecturer’s signature: Marks Award

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Table of content
I. Introduction . ........................................................................................... 1
II. Cultural Description ........................................................................................... 3
1. Pozole ........................................................................................... 3
2. Pan de Muerto ........................................................................................... 4
III. Cultural Analysis ........................................................................................... 5
1. Acculturation ........................................................................................... 5
2. Globalization ........................................................................................... 6
3. Pull Factors ........................................................................................... 6
IV. Self-Development ........................................................................................... 7
V. Conclusion ........................................................................................... 8
VI. Bibliography ........................................................................................... 8
VII. Appendix ........................................................................................... 10

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I. Introduction
This report is written for the purpose of studying cuisines and to understand the cultural
background behind it. The chosen topic for this report is Mexican cuisine.
The history of Mexican food came from a great deal of varieties and it had been said
that it originated from The Mayans Indians. According to the history, The Mayan
Indians are the native nomadic hunters and gatherers. To survive, corn tortillas with
bean paste, wild meats, tropic fruits and fishes became their common food item while
they are on the hunt. Eventually, Mexican food came into a significant change when
Spanish invaded Mexico. The Spanish soldiers realized that the people of the Aztec
capital Tenochtitlan consumed food that are largely based on corn with chilis and herbs.
The people of Aztec also eat their food with either tomatoes or beans as side dishes
too. As time goes by, the soldiers learned to combine their imported food source such
as rice, beef, pork, chicken, wine, garlic and onions with the local food. The people
were delighted with the new combination of food culture and dishes such as lomo en
adobo (pork loin in a spicy sauce), chili rellenos (large, mild-flavored chilies stuffed with
cheese, beef or pork), and the quesadillas which was also known as guacamole. Ever
since, these cuisines became a part of the traditional Mexican food (Uttara Manohar,
2018).
In the early period of the native Mexicans, they did not have advanced kitchenware to
heat their food. Therefore, they used cast iron skillets and ceramic ware on an open
fire to get their food heated. They also used different cooking method such as steaming
and frying. For example, the native Mexicans used to wrap their meat with cactus or
banana leaves and hang them above a deep pit of boiling hot water. Moreover, a
‘metate y mano’ and a ‘molcajete’ was used as grinding stones to smash ingredients
such as herbs. Both tools were made out of lava rock or stone which can be found
through looting by the gatherers. Overall, Mexican cuisines are the blending of the
influences from different sides of the world and it is said that Mexican food varies by
region which is also influenced by climate and geographical differences (World Food
and Wine, 2005).
II. Cultural Description
1. Pozole
During history of Mexico especially in Aztec empire (post-classic period from 1300 to
1521), maize has played an essential part in the physical nourishment and has always
been tied to the spiritual traditions. Corn was considered as a sacred plant because
the Aztec believed that it was brought to the earth by the god Quetzalcoatl as a gift to
human. Every crop season they would hold a celebration in honor of their Maize god
– Centeolt. There are many Mexican traditional foods are made with corn as a primary

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ingredient and one of them is Pozole which is usually cooked on special occasion such
as weddings, Independence Day and Christmas.
In the 16th century, Pozole was first mentioned in "General History of the Things of
New Spain" by Friar Bernardino de Sahagún, a Spanish missionary. Originally, Pozole
was made from human meat of prisoner in ritual sacrifice and only for the priests and
emperors. There was a highly symbolic significance to this meal because people at
that time would consume it as a part of holy communion ritual, allowing the participants
have experience in connecting with the gods (Mexican Pozole, n.d). After Spanish’s
conquest in the 1500’s, cannibalism was banned and the meat in this ceremonial dish
was replaced with pork (Pozole: An Authentic Mexican Dish Everyone Should Try,
2017).
Traditionally, Pozole is made with pork, garlic and a special kind of hominy corn called
Cacahuazintle in a clear broth, plus the added number of garnishes including chilis,
salsas, onions, avocado, radishes, lettuce and cabbage. Besides, there are three types
of Pozole reflect the colors of the Mexican flag: green (Verde), white (Blanco) and red
(Rojo). Pozole Rojo is the most well-known with the deep red broth is made with dried
chilis like guajillo, ancho or piquin. Meanwhile Pozole Verde which often made with
chicken uses tomatillos (Mexican green tomatoes) as a base and Pozole Blanco
is made without the addition of color from green or red sauce.
2. Pan de Muerto
In Mexico, during last days October and first days of November, one of the most
important religious holidays called “Day of the Dead” is held to honor those who have
left this world and celebrate the continuity of life. On the altar, there is always displayed
the Pan de Muerto or bread of dead which symbolize fraternal offering to the souls.
There are some theories about the origin of Pan de Muerto, one of them indicated that
in order to honor the deities, the Aztecs sacrificed a virgin by taking her heart and
covered it in amaranth seeds for the priest to eat it. Until the conquest of Mexico, the
Spanish colonizers tried to eliminate this sacrificial ritual by using a heart-shape bread
covered in red sugar simulating the blood of lady (Jorge, 2017).
There are some symbolic meanings of the configuration of this unique bread. As for
the circular shape, it represents the constant cycle that passes between life and death.
The ball at the top of the bread represents the skull of the skeleton. Beyond that, the
four or eight strips resemble the bones which are placed in the shape of cross and
symbolize four main points related to deities which are Quetzalcóatl (god of Wind and
Wisdom), Tláloc (god of Rain, Water and earthly fertility), Xipetotec (deity of Agriculture
and Vegetation) and Tezcatlipoca (lord of the Sky and the Earth) (Chards, 2018). This
bread is flavored with orange blossom water and covered with sugar or sesame seeds.

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 Besides traditional families who still make Pan de Muerto at home using old recipes,
nowadays, Pan de Muerto can be found easily all over Mexico at any bakery shops or
markets in different shapes and motifs. For instance, in some areas of country, breads
are made in form of animals, plants, hearts or filled with various types of cream.
III. Cultural Analysis
1. Acculturation
“Acculturation is the process by which a certain culture adapts their cuisines to another
culture in which is the country that they live in hence too their social, cultural and
physical situation” (Scanlon & Joseph, 2010). Scanlon and Joseph (2010) also stated
that the current wave of Mexican immigrants, particular to areas of the United States
that have been relatively untouched by former waves, provides an excellent
opportunity to observe the culinary acculturation at work in the public sphere, and in
doing so better understand it’s correlation to cultural incorporation and cross-cultural
acceptance. The Acculturation of Mexican food has changed since the Mexican went
to America. Many Mexican restaurants can be seen on the streets but many to most
of the Mexican cuisine that we have tasted may not even be the original taste and
recipe to the delightful Mexican food. The Americanization of Mexican food is a process
of Mexican food that has been improvised and “changed” after being introduced to
America. Hispanic in American are the biggest subgroup (Lisabeth, 2010). The
Western diet often leads to huge amounts of weight gain and unhealthy body as it has
a high level of induced processed foods, refined carbohydrates and high level of
concentrated sugar and salt intake (Fung, Sofianou & Tucker, 2011). In comparison,
the Mexican diet more commonly consists of whole food staples and ingredient such
as corn tortillas, beans, tomatoes and rice (Kaiser, Lopez & Vera-Becerra, 2016).
Therefore, prominent and huge differences can be found in both cultures, refraining to
American-born Mexican and Mexican immigrants. Although American-born Mexican
still have a soft spot for their cultural Mexican diet, they hugely gravitate towards a
western diet consuming food such as pizza, hamburgers, quesadillas, cheese by
consuming large amount of fast food (Kaiser, Lopez & Vera-Becerra, 2016). However,
Mexican-born immigrants tend to adhere to an authentic Mexican based diet (Fung,
Sofianou & Tucker, 2011) which consists of many plant based products such as
tomatoes, beans and tortillas. For example, cheese was used as an ingredient instead
of a topping in real Mexican cuisines. Fruit-flavoured Margaritas are not the true
creation of the Mexicans (Food & Fun, 2014). Lastly, the beef added in Mexican meals
are due to Texans love for beef which is not the true original recipe, the originals are
often more based on bean, corn and rice (Food & Fun, 2014).

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2. Globalization
Globalization has given people around the world a chance to experience and taste vast
diversities of foods internationally. Many international foods cannot be indicated as
“foreign” food in city centres around the world. Mexican food has expanded immensely
around the globe as we know now, before going internationally, Mexican food was
scarcely able to find outside the territories of Mexico, but now it has become a normal
cuisine that we consume on a daily basis around the world. Dishes such as chili, salsa,
nachos and burritos can be easily found around the world especially the United States.
For example, traditional Mexican food are not eaten spicy but after being introduced to
America, chili peppers have been added for the extra flavour when eating Mexican
food (Erica, 2008). For drinks, Corona has been introduced where Americans first took
notice of it and slowly being explored and became a famous beer that people would
choose around the world. (Erica, 2008). Mexican fast food chains called “Tex-Mex”
soon became famous in the U.S. sooner than later, introduced to the Europe due to
popularity and the rest of the year by 1990s (Anne, n.d).
3. Pull Factors
In the year of 2014, it is found that there are more than 54,000 Mexican restaurants in
USA and those Mexican restaurants came out as 8% of the total US restaurants
landscape. This has proven that Mexican dietary is heavily consumed by the
Americans all year round as the menu is positioned among the top 3 most recognized
menu types in the USA. According to the investigation of the CHD Expert, Mexican
restaurants are most likely to be gaining $700,000 each year as consumers tend to
spend more than $39 Billion just to dine in Mexican delicacies. 34% of the revenue
gained (approximately $13 Billion) will be used by the restaurant owners to purchase
resources such as food, beverages or even disposable products.
Among 54,000 Mexican restaurants in operation, it is stated that there are roughly 56%
of Full Service Restaurant (FSR) and 44% Limited Service Restaurant (LSR) in US.
FSR market segment refers to ‘Casual Dining’ that provides high class service and
food quality which comes in a slightly high price. LSR market segment in the other
hand refers to restaurants that provide quick service which require customers to pay
before food is served at the counter. For example, Acapulco or El Torito are FSR
Mexican restaurants while Taco Bell and Chipotle are LSR Mexican restaurants. This
has proven that most of the Americans love Mexican food as the menu offers a variety
of food consisting of healthy ingredients such as greens and proteins used in their
cooking. Not only the delicacy itself that attracts tourists from around the world, the
convenience and budget friendly menu options are also the reasons why tourists keep
coming back to experience Mexican food (CHD Expert, 2014).

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IV. Self-Development
 Teng Yeeng Xuang
In my research for this topic, i have learned that Mexican food came from a long and
diverse history. I have also learned about the intelligence of the people in expanding
their food specialty by combining different ingredients together in order to spread their
culture and norms. Back in the days, the natives were really creative when it comes to
tools creation and efficiency in cooking their food. For examples, they were able to
make use of the raw materials around them such as stone and iron to create their own
kitchen utensils. Therefore, in this context i have acknowledged that we don’t really
fully rely on advanced technology in order to expand or spread one’s food culture as
long as there is creativeness and faith in oneself.
 Pho Thanh Thu
Mexican cuisine can be considered as one of the greatest cuisines in the world which
is diverse, unique, both simple and sophisticated. It is an interesting mixture of culture
since many dishes are inspired by other cultures, making it varied and rich. This variety
of cultural adaptions makes Mexico an ethnic diversity of culinary experiences. The
diversification of Mexican food also comes from the differences in geography, climate
and ethnic. It is a huge achievement for Mexican cuisine for being recognized and
appreciated after a long history because of the harmonized combination between
tradition and modern. From the famous traditional Mexican dishes which are loved by
a lot of people to the positive improvement of these dishes, it is once again proved that
Mexicans always continue developing authentic dishes and applying new interesting
cuisines from all over the world at the same time.
 Chen Yong-Lin Joshua
In this report, i have learn many things such as, how the foods were originated, what
equipment they used, how unique the dishes are, how other country improvise the
Mexican dish and so on. The main dish or ingredient they use are tortilla, as they use
it as wrap with other ingredient, or cut them up and eat them as chips. Tortilla or in
Spanish they call it small torta, are made from wheat or corn.
 Sebastian Yeoh Yee Soong
For me personally, I always thought of Mexican food to be quite interesting but too be
honest, I have never tried Mexican food before although it is a food culture that has
been quite globalized. But one thing for sure is that tortillas can be seen in our daily
life and also on sale at most supermarkets just like something made locally. What I
learnt is that Mexican food has come from a long time ago to what it is now, from
originally somewhat seems to be like a vegan food transformed and adapted into a

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 food culture that is spicy and full of cheese and meat/beef, to think of it, it certainly has
come a long way. Mexicans should be really proud of what has become of their food
culture although it has been improvised and sidetracked from its traditional footsteps
a long time ago. Mexican food seemed to have proved itself to be one of the food
cultures that can be globalized and will continue to be a food culture that is experience
and known by everyone all around the globe.
V. Conclusion
In conclusion, as the report shown, Mexican food are said to be bring the Mayans
Indians and to survive they feed on corn tortillas, bean paste, wild meat, tropic fruit
became their meal, but change significantly when the Spanish invaded Mexico. As time
pass, the Spanish start to combine their food with the Mexican and such have a new
combination with the food culture. Ever since, food like lomo en adobo, chili rellenos
and quesadillas became a part of traditional Mexican food. During the early period,
they use cast iron skillets and ceramic ware on open fire to heat their food. Cooking
method such as steaming and frying being use.
As time passes by many of the Mexican foods start to lose its originality as the Mexican
went to America, even there is Mexican food can be seen on the streets of America
there is no doubt that majority of the dish or taste has been improvised from its original
taste and recipe.
In this report, I have learned many things on the Mexican cuisine. Mexican love to
include tortillas into their food or as their sides as chips. Mexican is one of the foods
that I enjoy as they have unique taste and different from the American and Asian
cuisine. It is interesting how Mexican food were originally fusion with Spanish to bring
out the flavour. During this era Mexican cuisine have travel throughout the continent,
they still held one of the unique dishes and spices when comparing with other dish of
different cuisine.
VI. Bibliography
1. Acculturation of Mexican Americans. Retrieved from
https://latinoamericastudies.wordpress.com/2016/09/02/accultuartion-of-mexican-
americans/
2. Berry, A. The Globalization of Mexican Food. Retrieved from
https://onthegas.org/food/the-globalization-of-mexican-food
3. CHD Expert. (2014, May 13). Mexican food is the 3rd most popular menu type in the
USA, representing 8 percent of the total national restaurant landscape. Retrieved from
https://www.chd-expert.com/blog/mexican-food-is-the-3rd-most-popular-menu-type-
in-the-usa-representing-8-percent-of-the-total-national-restaurant-landscape/

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4. Chards, M. (2018). Day Of The Dead Bread Is A Strange Yet Sweet Way Of
Celebrating Death. Retrieved from https://culturacolectiva.com/history/pan-de-muerto-
day-of-the-death-sweet-bread
5. Jorge. (2017, December 8). ‘Pan de Mouerto’: The sweet part of the ‘Dia deMuertos’
Festivity. Yucatan Times. Retrieved from
https://www.theyucatantimes.com/2017/10/pan-de-muerto-the-sweet-part-of-the-dia-
de-muertos-festivity/
6. Manohar, U. (2018, February 19). Mexican Food History. Retrieved from:
https://tastessence.com/mexican-food-history.
7. (n.d.). Mexican Pozole. Retrieved from https://www.facts-about-mexico.com/mexican-
pozole.html
8. (2017, May 25). Pozole: An Authentic Mexican Dish Everyone Should Try. Retrieved
from http://benitosmexican.com/news/pozole-authentic-mexican
9. Scanlon, P. (2019). Cuisine as an agent of acculturation. Retrieved from
https://athenaeum.libs.uga.edu/handle/10724/27000
10. Stefaniya Tkach, E. (2008). The Globalization of Mexican Cuisine in the United States.
Retrieved from http://globlac200.blogspot.com/2008/09/globalization-of-mexican-
cuisine-in.html
11. World Food and Wine. (2005). Mexican Food History. Retrieved from https://world-
food-and-wine.com/mexican-food-history.

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VII. Appendix

Figure II.1. Pozole

Source: https://www.wearelatinlive.com/

Figure II.2. Cacahuazintle

Source: https://theculturetrip.com/

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Figure II.3. Three types of Pozole: Verde (green), Blanco (white) and Rojo (red)
Source: https://www.pinterest.com

Figure II.1. Pan de Muerto

Source: https://www.theyucatantimes.com/

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 Figure II.2. Cream Pan de Muertos
Source: https://www.eater.com

Figure III.3 US Mexican Market Potential Breakdown

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