Spices Used in Mexican Foods

Over the past few days, many cities and states have started the process of opening up again — most with social distancing and other rules in place. Other states are remaining shut down for the time being. No matter where you live if you like to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, it’s going to look different this year.

Here is a quick post about spices used in Mexican food. Something a little different…

The spices used in Mexican food help give it a one-of-a-kind flavor that you desire. Since many of us are cooking more at home right now, maybe you can use these spices to create your own dishes!

Cumin

Cumin is probably one of the most often used spices in Mexican foods. Chalupas, rice dishes, and enchiladas are common foods where you’ll find these spices.

Chili Peppers

Chili peppers are one of the main ingredients in many Mexican dishes. There are many different types — to cover them all would require several posts! You can use chili peppers for both meats and vegetables. Add an entire chili pepper to a dish and remove it after it has been cooked, or sprinkle chili powder into your food. Various chili powders, such as Chipotle, Ancho, Juajillo, and Pasilla, are common used in Mexican dishes.

Coriander

Coriander is another spice often used in Mexican foods as well as in Asian and Caribbean recipes. This spice has a strong taste often found in meat dishes as well as burritos.

Cilantro

When you think about Mexican food, you may think of Cilantro. This is the leaf of the coriander plant. You can find Cilantro in salsa, guacamole, meat and fish dishes.

Oregano

Oregano can also be found in this type of cuisine; however, you’ll most likely use the Mexican variety rather than using Mediterranean oregano. You will often find oregano in dishes using tomatoes.

Other Spices

When making sweet dishes, you can expect to use cloves, cinnamon, anise and cocoa. They may also be used in savory dishes, as in the case with Mole which is served with chicken dishes.

Other spices you may find in Mexican dishes include Epazote, Yucatan spice, Achiote seeds, Amaranthe, Boldo, Hoja Santa, as well as honey, agave, and vanilla.

If you learn how to mix the spices used in Mexican food, you can begin to create Mexican cuisine that you and your family will love. Break out the cookbooks or find some recipes online to try your hand using these spices.