THE SOUTHWEST

EXPLORATION AND SETTLEMENT

• This region was first founded by Spanish explorers.
• The famous Santa fe of trail opened the area to Anglos, who brought some of their customs with .
• Foods of the southwest trace their roots to the native Americans and the spainiards.

CORN AND INDIAN TRIAD

• Some of the southwest native Americans lived in the permanent villages where they grew maiz/corn.
• Maize beans and squash are referee to as the Indian triad or the three sisters.
• Maize is soaked in lye, which causes the kernels to swell.
• Swollen kernels were the ground between two stones and a meal.

CHILIES

• Columbus took back chilies from the region now called Mexico.
• Chillies contain vitamin A and C.
• Chili peppers were taken with the Spanish over four hundred years ago.
• A colorful sight of Santa Fe today are the strings of dried chilies called Ristras.

PINON NUTS

• The Spanish brought with the apple, peach, and apricot trees and vineyards.
• They adapted the piñon nuts of the native Americans to make wonderful pastry's
• Piñon nuts are found on the pinecons.
• Empanadas are small turnovers filled with mixture of dried fruits, pork, and frequently piñon nuts.

ARRIVAL OF ANIMALS

• Before the spaniards came the only domesticated animals were dogs.
• The spaniards brought cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, goats, and horses.
• Dried beef was introduced by spaniards, to help them survive the winter.
• Native Americans ate little meat.

FRY BREAD AND SOPAPILLAS

• People enjoy Indian food, or lamb stew with fried bread.
• Spaniards brought fry bread and sopapilas.
• Sopapillas are hollow delicious hot filled with honey.
• The spaniards refined the fry bread to Sopapillas.

RICE AND WHEAT

• Rice and wheat were brought to the new world by the Spanish.
• Wheat grew well in Sonora.
• Wheat tortillas are not a source of calcium as the maize ones are.
• Wheat are more popular than the maize ones.

TORTILLAS

• Mexicos two basic foods are frijoles and tortillas.
• The word tortilla actually means little cake.
• Dried corn kernels and cooked in a solution of lime and water.
• Tortillas may be used as a spoon or dipping beans.
• Tortillas can be used on tacos chips etc.

FRIJOLES

• Frijoles are beans
• Usually red black or pinto beans.
• Mexicans often eat beans 3 times a day.
• Often beans are cooked plain and eaten with tortillas.
• Sometimes they are smashed and fried to make refried beans.

TAMALES

• One of the most popular uses of corn is to make tamales.
• Tamales means bundle.
• A dried cornhusk is softened in water.
• The Tamale is often rolled up, tied, and seamed.

AVACADO

• Avocado is sometimes called alligator pear.
• Avocado is actually a fruit.
• Avocado is used to make guacamole.
• Avocados are green.

CHOCOLATE

• Chocolate is made from cocoa bean.
• The cocoa bean is native to Mexicans.
• Chocolate is used in a lot of desserts.
• One of Mexicans favorite beverage is heated with chocolate and flavored with cinnamon.

PRICKLY PEAR

• Prickly pears are cactus fruits.
• They are sweet and can be eaten raw, right off the plant.
• The can be really sweet or syrupy sweet.
• They are actually prickly on the outside.

TEX-MEX

• The Anglo influence is more prominent in the food of Texas.
• Ranchers who migrated from the south brought their foods.
• The ranchers brought foods such as hot breads and chicken fire with steak with them.
• Tex mex is popular with ranchers.

COWBOYS AND CHUCK WAGONS

• The first Americans the drift to the southwest were cowboys.
• Food was kept in a rolling kitchen.
• They stored flour, cornmeal, rice, salt, coffee, brown sugar, dried pinto beans, lard, bacon, salt etc.
• The main chuck wagon foods were biscuits.

BOWL OF RED AND FAJITAS

• Chile con crane is made with small cubes of meat that are simmered with ancho chilies until the meat falls apart.
• The chile is then thickened with corn meal and served with side dishes of bean and rice.
• Fajitas are a specialty food of Texas.
• Fajitas are made with meat and vegetables.

SOUTHERN CALIFRORNIA

• South western influence is light.
• The Spanish came early to California.
• One can enjoy seafood based cookery.
• Along the coast you would find seafood.

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