A Delicious Guide to Mexican Dessert Food History

Traditional Mexican Food

Traditional Mexican food is richer and more varied than you might think. Empanadas, for example, are a Mexican food, which can be savory or sweet. These are stuffed pastries containing anything from shredded beef to sweetened pumpkin. Empanadas can be served as a breakfast food or snack. They might also be served as a Mexican dessert, generously filled with fresh fruits and cream.

Flan is probably the best-known Mexican dessert outside Mexico and is actually a legacy of the Spanish colonial era. Many Mexican desserts emerged after years of colonial rule, when the Spanish introduced pastry-making skills and ingredients such as hard wheat flour, eggs, and milk. These ingredients were combined with the indigenous fruits of Mexico to result in some delicious cakes. A short French occupation also introduced crepes to the region and a taste for fine-textured yeast breads.

History of Mexican Food Desserts

When looking at Mexican food history and Mexican food culture, it is important to realize that chocolate has been used in Mexico for centuries as a traditional Mexican food. Chocolate, vanilla and honey were firm favorites in Mayan times. The Aztecs used it as both currency and food, as did the Mayas before them. The Spaniards took chocolate back to Spain from the Aztecs and a special chocolate drink became a firm favorite of the Spanish king. Nuts, seeds, and honey were added to give it a rich flavor.

Champurrado is a chocolate-based Mexican drink, which is also served as a Mexican dessert. Mexico has given not only chocolate but also vanilla, peanuts and coconuts to the world, according to Mexican food history.

Popular Mexican Desserts

Mexicans mix caramelized milk with other ingredients to make the syrup they call Cajeta. This can be eaten alone, on pastries or used as an ice cream topping. Cajeta is often served on top of Mexican crepes.

Sapotes dulces is a well-loved Mexican dessert, popular in the Yucatan. Sapotes are a type of fruit. They are orange and have a creamy taste, something like coconut and vanilla combined. To make sapotes dulces, the fruit is mixed with rum, sugar and orange juice and served chilled.

Mexicans might have started off with only chocolate, coconut, vanilla, honey and fruit to make desserts from but thanks to all the new technology brought over during various occupations of the country, Mexican desserts have evolved into something very special and unique.

Why not find some Mexican dessert recipes and make your own delicious Mexican sweet dishes? You might like to be creative, perhaps adding some finely diced jalapeño to your Mexican chocolate cake recipe or some raspberries and vanilla to your Mexican flan recipe.