Why Mexican Food isn't Popular in India

What does the modern Indian dining experience consist of.....apart from Indian food? From dining like a Mafia boss in an Italian restaurant to going on an adventure in the Indo-Chinese jungle or just finding a nice, chill place to eat some burgers and fries, we have it all here. It's not 2023 anymore, and we don't have to eat like peasants, although their food is making a major comeback these days.

Have you ever thought about Mexican food? Not when you are hungry, but about its origins and how similar it is to that of Indian cuisine?... Of course, you haven't...

If you aren't aware, Mexican cuisine has many similarities to Indian cuisine and not just flavour-wise. Mexican history is rich and diverse like India's and in the words of Gustavo Arellano, who is an American writer and author of the book 'Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America', "Anyone who comes to Mexico, they put in their little bits and pieces of their culture". From the colonization of the Spanish to the influences of the Germans, the Czechs, and the Lebanese immigrants, Mexican cuisine has adapted and transformed over the years.

One thing which ties together both cuisines is the usage of spices and chillis. You might think that India is responsible for the spread of both of them, but only one travelled from us to Mexico. Did you know that chilli peppers did not originate in India? (even though we produce a lot of it) According to Onmanorama, "Chilli was brought to India by Vasco-Da-Gama in the 16th Century, before which black pepper was the only source through which spices were incorporated into Indian cuisine." Chilli peppers made their way to Europe from Mexico as part of the Columbian Exchange. Portuguese brought chilli peppers with them to India and during that time tobacco and corn were also brought to India from the Americas.

Trade between these two countries both directly and indirectly resulted in cuisines which are very similar in taste and appearance....almost. This might be one of the reasons why Mexican cuisine hasn't reached its peak in India like Italian, American or Chinese cuisine. Not to say that stand-alone Mexican restaurants or fast food chains serving Tex-Mex (Texas-Mexican fusion) food like Taco Bell, and California Burrito don't exist in India. Our exposure to Mexican food in India comes primarily from the USA, which introduced to us a version of Mexican food known as "Tex-Mex", which as I stated above comes from the culinary heritage of Mexicans in Texas in the USA or Texans with Mexican heritage.

Molcajete

Tortilla Press

Hand Cranked Grinder

The striking similarities between these Indian and Mexican cuisines are so evident even in some of the equipment we use in our kitchens. The "molcajete" (mortar and pestle) in Mexican cuisine is used to make various spice powders and pastes. It resembles our "Hamam Dasta" which is used for making anything from ginger-garlic paste to chutneys to grinding of spices. The tortilla press used over there is used for making pooris in India. The "hand-cranked grain grinder" (I don't know the actual name) is used in both cultures to make fine powders out of grains, rice, and other spices.

Dining has evolved over the years. People go out to eat and experience meals which they wouldn't normally consume or get the opportunity to experience. Mexican food is too close to home and that's the best reason I have for its lack of representation in the Indian food scene. Every time I make a dish from Mexico for a group of people, one unimaginative individual has to joke about how it resembles something else from our cuisine.

Mexican Burrito

Indian Thali

Authentic Mexican food like Arroz Con Leche, Elote, Mole, Gordita, and Tostadas resemble classic Indian foods like Rice Kheer, Bhutta, Chicken curry, Baida Roti, Khakra or Papad respectively, and also, my own personal theory that an Indian thali is just a deconstructed version of the Mexican Burrito will somehow take its form in the latter half of this decade. (Wait and see! Patent pending..)

The reason I decided to write about Mexican food is that I feel it's very underrated, and it deserves way more credit and recognition than it does currently. It could be us turning blindsided to authentic Mexican cuisine as we are still stuck with nachos and tacos or the popularity of Mexican cuisine is still under growth due to its similarity with our cuisine. Either way, we have only scratched the surface.

There is a lot more to look forward to.

That's it for this time! See you next week!