Indigenous Mexican Food

By Cindy Gomez
Staff Writer

Last year UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) did something it had never done since its first conference in Paris in November of 1946: it designated Mexico’s cuisine as one of the Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. There are only 47 such Masterpiece proclamations worldwide, and this is the first time a country’s cuisine has ever been honored. UNESCO’s proclamations emphasize the need for all of humanity to protect, preserve and share the masterpiece of Mexico’s cooking with the entire world:

“The importance of intangible cultural heritage is not the cultural manifestation itself but rather the wealth of knowledge and skills that is transmitted through it from one generation to the next. The social and economic value of this transmission of knowledge is relevant for minority groups and for mainstream social groups within a State, and is as important for developing States as for developed ones.”

Learning about indigenous foods is a way not only to learn about the culture and history of the Native people of Mexico, but also an opportunity to assimilate the wisdom of their healthy eating habits. The ancestors that cultivated and harvested the richness of these lands left us a legacy that—if learned—will bring us better health and reinforce the respect for the land and plants cultivated by Mexican people for thousands of years.

The Aztecs and many other indigenous peoples throughout the North American, Central American and parts of the South American continent at different times have all spoken Nahuatl (pronounced: Nah-Wah-TL). Nahuatl is the name for the language and also the name for a large group of indigenous people that spanned from the U.S., through Mexico, Central and parts of South America. Today Nahuatl is spoken in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico by some 1.5 million people.

The Aztecs (also interchangeable with Nahuatl) believed that the gods created people from corn dough. Corn is still king in Mexico, a staple in Mexican cooking. But the corn used by the Mexican people, even today, is not the yellow corn we are used to in the U.S., but instead maiz cacahuazintle (white hominy corn) which has a much higher nutritional value. This popular corn is used in pozole, tamales, tortillas, and many other typical Mexican and Latino dishes.

The Mexican cookies called “Gorditas de la Villa” are typical of central Mexico, and a healthy alternative to desserts filled with refined white sugar and empty calories. Maiz cacahuazintle is loaded with vitamins and protein. The raw cane sugar cake called “piloncillo” used in this recipe also contains protein and “impurities” consisting of vital minerals and nutrients that are missing from sugar substitutes and brown and white sugars. The leavening used in this recipe is a natural mineral/salt used for centuries in Mexican cooking, Tequesquite, which is made up primarily of sodium bicarbonate and sodium chloride. For more information on these amazing indigenous ingredients, their uses, and step by step preparation of this recipe, watch HPR’s: Cooking with the Gomez at hpr1.com or scan our QR code.

Gorditas de la Villa:

1 tsp. Tequesquite* or ¼ tsp. salt and ¾ tsp. baking soda (dissolved in 2 tblsp hot water and strained)
½ cup equivalent Piloncillo* (dissolved in tequesquite water with additional ¼ cup water)
3 Tbls peanut butter (organic forms or made with honey are best)
4 egg yolks
2 Tbls lard
2 cups toasted corn Pinole* OR Mexican white corn flour

*Piloncillo, Tequesquite, and Pinole (or white corn flour) are not readily available at your local grocer. So, if you want to try to make this recipe with authentic ingredients, you are going to have to prepare ahead of time. You can find these products in the Twin Cities at the Mexican markets, so if you travel there regularly you should have no trouble finding plenty of places that carry a variety of these products. However, the easiest way is to buy them is online. A few places I’d check out are MexGrocer.com, latinmerchant.com, and alegrofoods.com. Once you have all the ingredients, you are ready to begin.

First, dissolve your tequesquite in water and strain out any stones or hay. If you are substituting salt and baking soda, just add those to your corn flour. Then, add your piloncillo or sugar to your tequesquite water, adding water on top to help dissolve the piloncillo or sugar. Once the two are dissolved completely, mix in your peanut butter. Peanut butter is my own twist on this recipe, but I find that it adds back some of the nuttiness that is missing from in the corn flour available in the U.S.

Cut the lard into your corn flour and then add and cut in your piloncillo mixture. Wisk 1-3 tablespoons water with your egg yolks and mix them into your flour to form a dough. Keep adding warm water to your dough until it is a cookie dough consistency. You will need a hot plate or skillet at medium heat to heat your cookies. Using about 2-3 Tbls of dough, roll into a ball and pat into a cookie before laying the patties on the hot plate. Let the dough rise and dry on the outer edges before turning once. These delicious cookies can be served by themselves or with a variety of toppings like: butter, caramel, cajeta (a Mexican goat milk caramel), chocolate syrup, sweet and condensed milk, dulce de leche, jams or jellies.

Buen Provecho! (Wishing you a tasteful and healthy meal).

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