ARRIBA!

The variety, colours and mouth-watering flavours of Mexico have

become firm favourites in kitchens around the globe. Australia is
no exception, with growth in the category burgeoning across the
country. The Australian Retailer lifts the sombrero on why Aussies
are going mad for Mexican.

The Australian RETAILER 15

 In the AISLES

In the not-too-distant past, most Australians’ However, she says, as the cuisine continues to
repertoire of Mexican food stretched to mince- gain popularity, it is continually evolving.
filled hard shell tacos sprinkled with grated
“With the rise of restaurants and food trucks
cheese. In recent years, however, Australian
offering authentic Mexican, consumers are
home cooks and diners have spread their
becoming more savvy and knowledgeable in
culinary wings and embarked on a passionate
their culinary skills.
love affair with Mexican cuisine, embracing
the myriad flavours it has to offer. WILL THE REAL MEXICAN PLEASE STAND UP?

While Asian and Mediterranean cuisines have

long been favourite staples of the Aussie diet,
it seems the Mexican variety is giving them a
run for their money. A quick scout around most
towns and cities in Australia will uncover ever-
increasing numbers of Mexican restaurants,
street food trucks and pop-up eateries to
support the claim.
It’s hardly surprising Aussies have embraced
this worldwide culinary trend – with a foodie
culture booming down under, consumers are
always on the lookout for the next ‘big thing’.
Mexican cuisine fits the bill perfectly, with the
allure of the exotic, ancient culture it hails
from represented in its plethora of flavours
and colours.
In fact, so significant is Mexican food on
the world stage, it was bestowed special
recognition by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
in 2010. UNESCO added Traditional Mexican
Cuisine to its List of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity – a list that catalogues
social, cultural and artistic practices that have
been passed down through the centuries.
With such a rich culinary history, it’s no wonder
Mexican food appeals to foodies eager to
test new tastes. But there’s more to Mexican
than tacos and guacamole – and Australian
consumers are proving eager to know about it.
The crunchy taco shells we are so familiar
with, as it turns out, are an American invention,
part of the ‘Tex-Mex’ variety of Mexican food
most Australians have grown up with. A fusion
of American and Mexican cuisine, Tex-Mex is
characterised by its heavy use of shredded
cheese, meat, beans and spices.
Mission Foods National marketing manager
Erin-Jade Watson says the simplicity of Mexican
food is has always made it a popular dinner
choice for Australians, with many of us having
grown up with the simple Tex-Mex offering.
“The core Mexican meal was a taco with some
mince, tomato, lettuce, salsa, cheese and sour
cream,” Erin-Jade says.
“Tex-Mex is sometimes viewed as unhealthy
because it often uses a lot of meat, cheese
or sour cream, but authentic Mexican
traditionally focuses more on fresh vegetables
used in the sauces, along with fresh lime juice,
coriander and avocadoes,” Erin-Jade says.
“It’s all about a fresh, flavoursome taste.”
But, she adds, the line between authentic
Mexican and Tex-Mex has blurred, at least for
Australian consumers.
“Over time, it has become harder to separate
the two,” she says.
“The influence of other Latin American cuisines
is also making it difficult to define what
authentic Mexican is.”
True – but the staples of authentic Mexican
food remain, indisputably, beans, corn and
chilli (fresh, dried, smoked and pickled). Corn is
used to make tortillas and tamales; in fact, corn
tortillas with bean paste were a common food
item with the Mayan Indians, where Mexican
food is believed to have derived from.
In the mid 1300s, honey, salt and chocolate found
its way into the Aztecs’ cooking. Wild game,
such as turkey and duck, had now become
domesticated and was also being used.
When Spain invaded Mexico in 1521, sheep,
pigs and cows became part of the diet.
Dairy products, garlic, different herbs,
wheat and spices were also introduced and
the assimilation of many different cuisines
including Caribbean, South American, French,
West African and Portugese began.
Today, these influences are evident in the wide
variation found in Mexican food from region
to region. Garlic, onions, lemons and limes are
also used generously, along with tomatoes,
avacadoes and, surprisingly perhaps,
chocolate (a dark and bitter type, used to
make hot drinks).
Coriander, known as cilantro in North America,
is the most common fresh herb in Mexican
cooking. Chillies are also a primary flavour,
SO SIGNIFICANT IS
MEXICAN FOOD ON THE
WORLD STAGE...UNESCO
ADDED TRADITIONAL
MEXICAN CUISINE TO ITS
LIST OF THE INTANGIBLE
CULTURAL HERITAGE OF
HUMANITY...
and can be smoked, dried, fresh, or pickled.
Jalepeno is the most common, which is known
as chipotle when smoked and dried.
In most of Mexico it would be unusual to put
cheese in tacos, enchiladas or tostados but
if cheese was used, it would be one of the
many Mexican cheeses like Chiapas, which
is crumbly like fetta, or panela, which is a
smooth, fresh white cheese.
“It is the diversity of the options available that
makes Mexican a favourite,” Erin-Jade says.
“We are also seeing the rise in popularity of
lime notes in many dishes. Beans and moles are
also increasing in popularity.
“The dinner kits are often most popular with
families, while single and double income
families with no kids often prefer to experiment
with the components.
Erin-Jade says consumers want to replicate
their favourite meals at home and they want
the quality and taste to be just as good as
at a restaurant. Mexican food, by design, is
cuisine about sharing and entertaining.
“This also leads consumers to be more
adventurous to impress their dinner guests.
The ability for consumers to be able to control
the level of complexity of the meal, makes the
cuisine appeal to most people.”

16 The Australian RETAILER

Mexican
MORSELS Grilled fish tacos with
le chipotle-lime dressing
and bl ack turt
s: beans.tyPipents.oBlack turtle beans
Frijoleeth ensenada, mexico, is famous for its
be ans ar e m ain
e refried be ans. fish tacos. here's our version of this
are used to m ak delicious, but simple, iconic dish

Tortillas: soft pancake-like flatbreads INGREDIENTS

made from corn flour. 500g white fish fillets, chopped
6 corn tortillas
wrapped in
Tamales:
3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
a dish made from corn dough,
ed with a spic y sauce. 1 bunch coriander, chopped
corn husks, then stea med and serv
¼ cabbage, shredded
2 limes, cut into wedges
. The generic term
Mole: a sauce or a stew
2 avocadoes, sliced
es.
r a number of sauc
used in Me xico fo Marinade:
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
x version involves
Salsa: also a sauce. The Tex-Me
es, but the true Me xican
2 tbsp white vinegar

chopped tom atoes and spic the y accompany.

2 tbsp fresh lime juice
the dishes
versions vary as widely as 2 teasp lime zest
2 cloves garlic, crushed
wrapped around 1 teasp chilli powder
Enchilada: an d co ve
A corn tortill a
re d with a chi ll i sauce. The wor
d pinch black pepper
a fillin g lli’.
p or cover in chi
means ‘to wra Dressing:
250g sour light cream
¼ cup chipotle sauce
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 teasp lime zest
salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Marinade: whisk together all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Place fish into a bowl and pour marinade over the
fish. Cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
3. Dressing: combine sour cream and chipotle
sauce, stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and
refrigerate until needed.
4. Remove fish from marinade, grill in a lightly oiled
pan or barbecue until cooked.
5. Assemble tacos by placing fish onto tortillas,
add tomatoes, coriander and cabbage. Drizzle
with dressing.
6. Roll tortillas, serve garnished with lime wedges
and avocado.

The Australian RETAILER 17

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