Mexican Cooking Terminology
INGREDIENTS
Aceite -- oil
Achiote --
these reddish seeds
of the annatto tree are prized
both for the color they impart to food
and for their unique flavor.
Adobo -- red thick chile paste
Adobo Sauce -- Tomato based sauce used to can chipotles
Ancho --
a Poblano chile that has been
dried and turned a black-red color;
means wide
Arroz -- rice
Azúcar -- sugar
Bolita -- ball of masa
Chicos --
Dried sweet corn used whole or
crushed in a seasoned stew.
Chile Caribe --
Red chile pods blended with
water to a puree and seasoned.
Used in such dishes as carne adovada.
Chiles, Green --
Found in a variety of sizes, shapes, and piquancies,
they are an important part of Southwestern dishes.
Before use, the skin is removed.
Used in sauces, relishes, stews, and as chile rellenos.
Chiles, Red --
Green chile that has ripened and dried.
Usually used ground or crushed for added seasoning
or in making a variety of sauces.
Chipotle, Sauce --
red, spicy sauce, named after a small black Chile
Chorizo--
A wonderfully fragrant sausage made with
a seasoned ground pork mixture.
Usually sold in links and
must be cooked before being eaten.
It is usually removed from
the casings and crumbled.
Cilantro --
This fragrant herb is ubiquitous in Mexico
and has become so indispensable
that it's hard to imagine Mexican food without it.
Crema de espárragos -- asparagus cream
Crema de ave -- chicken cream
Crema de cangrejos -- crab cream
Cuero -- pork skin
Cuitlacoche -- This fungus,
a parasite found on ears of corn,
is known in Mexico asthe poor man's caviar.
Cuitlacoche are used in everything from soups to omelets to crepes.
Enchilada Sauce --
Red sauce made of mild to hot
chile pulp or chile powder,
spices, and beef or pork or both.
Used for enchiladas.
Also called red chile sauce.
Farina -- wheat flour
Fideos -- vermicelli; thin pasta
Frijoles--
Beans, there are many varieties
of dried beans grown in Mexico.
Most commonly used is the pinto bean.
Frijoles Refritos --
Refried beans.
Pinto beans that have been
boiled, mashed, fried in pork fat.
Great when topped with
longhorn or jack cheese.
Fresh Masa --
A moist dough of ground, dried corn
that has been soaked in
lime water, then cooked.
Used in tamales.
Grasa -- fat
Harina --
All-purpose flour.
Harina Azul --
Blue corn meal flour for tortillas.
Harina Para Atole --
Blue corn meal flour for gruel.
Harina Para Panocha --
Sprout wheat flour
for Indian pudding (Panocha).
Masa--
This corn dough, made from
treated ground field corn and water,
can be purchased fresh or frozen
from tortilla "factories" in major cities.
It spoils quickly,
so use within a day if fresh or thawed.
Masa Harina --
Masa in dehydrated form to
which water is added to produce
dough similar to fresh masa.
Mole--
A sauce or mixture containing chile.
There are many variations,
only a few containing chocolate.
Manteca de Cerdo--
The rendered fat of pigs
is the traditional cooking fat
of Mexico but is truly
essential in only a few dishes.
Lard has one-half the cholesterol of butter.
Miel de abejas -- honey
Nixtamal --
hominy; raw corn grains,
soaked in chalk, then ground
to make a
dough (masa)
for tortillas, tamales, chalupas
Nopales --
Looking like the paddles used in ping-pong,
these cactus paddles are delicious in stews.
Be careful when you handle them, though.
Those thorns can hurt.
Pan -- bread
Pan tostado -- toast
Panela --
unrefined sugar used for buñuelos or atole
Piloncillo --
Brown, unrefined cane sugar
found in cone-shaped pieces
used to sweeten coffee and desserts.
Pimienta -- black pepper
Queso fundido –- melted cheese
Sal -- salt
Salsa Jalapeño --
A hot sauce or relish
made of Jalapeño chiles, onions,
and either red or green tomatoes,
and seasonings.
Tortilla--
Tallarrines -- noodles
Telera -- small loaf of bread
A thin round of ground corn
made into dough ( masa )
and quickly cooked on a comal.
It serves as the bread of Mexico-
as a wrapper, an edible scoop and a plate.
In Mexican villages it is common
to see the tortillas "patted",
or carefully shaped by hand,
and cooked on a comal.
Unfortunately, city dwellers usually
must suffice with tortillas made in "factories",
where they are made by machines.
Tortillas vary in color,
from white to yellow.
You can also find red or blue
tortillas made from wild corn.
Wheat and flour tortillas are also common,
but for most Mexicans,
the word tortilla means made with corn masa.
Tortillas de Harina --
Flour tortillas made from wheat flour.
Usually are 7 - 10 inches
in diameter and 1/4 inch thick.
They remain mostly white
after cooking on a griddle,
but are flecked with brown
and puffed in spots.
Used for burritos and as an
accompaniment to any Southwestern meal.
Tortillas De Mais --
Corn tortillas made from masa
pressed into a thin pancake,
then quickly singed or "blistered"
on a hot griddle.
Used for enchiladas, tacos, taquitos, chalupas,
huevos rancheros, tostadas compuestas
to name a few.
Totomoxle --
dried corn husk used as tamale wrappers
Vainilla -- Vanilla
Vinagre -- vinegar
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