South America- Mexico
Learning IntentionTo develop students’ knowledge of the Mexican cuisine and it’s health limitations.
Success CriteriaI will list the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the Mexican diet.
I will put my knowledge of the SWOT analysis into the Healthy Food Pyramid of what should be eaten in small amounts, moderately and mostly eaten. I will give my opinion of which recipe is the healthiest for a Mexican to eat and suggest ways to make the dish healthier. |
Production of Beef Chimichangas with Tomato Salsa: Skills and Processes Focus
- Make sure you are shown how to deseed a chilli as the seeds are exceptionally hot.
- Be careful when frying the Chimichangas as the oil may spit and is very hot.
- You must fold your Chimichangas carefully and they must be fried with the folded side down first, otherwise they may open up during frying.
- It is vital to ensure that students are aware of the potential danger that chilli can have if they for instance rub their eyes after having contact with chilli.
- They also need to be aware that chilli in general is potent and should be used relatively sparingly
What about South American food production?
All over South America, corn is grown in abundance. Corn alone is not a complete and healthful diet. It has less protein than wheat and lacks certain vitamins and other desirable nutrients. Beans (lentils, kidney beans) are also grown and widely consumed around South America. In fact Mexico’s consumption of lentils is 12 times that of Australia’s (Longnecker 1999).
Beans are rich in protein and when they were planted in the same field as corn many years ago, the bacteria on their roots collected nitrogen and helped preserve the fertility of the soil, which is quickly depleted by corn alone. The corn-bean combination, supplemented with other vitamin-rich vegetables, was the staple food of the Indian civilization, and continues to feed millions of South American’s today.
What about the history of Mexican foods?
South American cooking is strongly influenced by two European countries due to early colonial settlement. They are Spain and Portugal. The Indian influence is naturally strongest in countries like Mexico where most of the population has Indian blood.
Mexico has a very distinctive cuisine due to the constraints of the land and the availability of foods grown. Since corn was abundant, it was used widely in foods in Mexico; one in particular is tortillas (thin unleavened cakes). Even though there is no gluten in corn to help produce leavened bread, this form of bread suited Mexican cuisine and has been carried on right through to today.
Another important way that Mexicans use corn is in tamales. They are a corn dough with minced meat filling, wrapped in a pre-soaked corn ear (husk), and then steamed
Most Mexicans are crazy about chilli and almost every part of Mexico has its own special chillis, which they’re proud of. Country people grow chillis in their back gardens and munch on the hottest of them raw as if they were strawberries! Much of the Mexican stews and sauces are highly spiced with chillis, so much so that visitors to the country cannot handle these mixtures on the tip of their tongue.
What are chimichangas?
A chimichanga is simply a burrito made with a flour tortilla which is folded then chilled to allow the edges to seal. The burrito is then fried until crisp. It can contain any number of fillings including shredded chicken, beef or pork, grated cheese, refried beans and rice. To prevent the filling from spilling out during frying, the flour tortilla must be rolled around it with the ends tucked in. Chimichangas are often garnished with salsa, guacamole, sour cream and shredded cheese (Cooks.com 2004).
Beans are rich in protein and when they were planted in the same field as corn many years ago, the bacteria on their roots collected nitrogen and helped preserve the fertility of the soil, which is quickly depleted by corn alone. The corn-bean combination, supplemented with other vitamin-rich vegetables, was the staple food of the Indian civilization, and continues to feed millions of South American’s today.
What about the history of Mexican foods?
South American cooking is strongly influenced by two European countries due to early colonial settlement. They are Spain and Portugal. The Indian influence is naturally strongest in countries like Mexico where most of the population has Indian blood.
Mexico has a very distinctive cuisine due to the constraints of the land and the availability of foods grown. Since corn was abundant, it was used widely in foods in Mexico; one in particular is tortillas (thin unleavened cakes). Even though there is no gluten in corn to help produce leavened bread, this form of bread suited Mexican cuisine and has been carried on right through to today.
Another important way that Mexicans use corn is in tamales. They are a corn dough with minced meat filling, wrapped in a pre-soaked corn ear (husk), and then steamed
Most Mexicans are crazy about chilli and almost every part of Mexico has its own special chillis, which they’re proud of. Country people grow chillis in their back gardens and munch on the hottest of them raw as if they were strawberries! Much of the Mexican stews and sauces are highly spiced with chillis, so much so that visitors to the country cannot handle these mixtures on the tip of their tongue.
What are chimichangas?
A chimichanga is simply a burrito made with a flour tortilla which is folded then chilled to allow the edges to seal. The burrito is then fried until crisp. It can contain any number of fillings including shredded chicken, beef or pork, grated cheese, refried beans and rice. To prevent the filling from spilling out during frying, the flour tortilla must be rolled around it with the ends tucked in. Chimichangas are often garnished with salsa, guacamole, sour cream and shredded cheese (Cooks.com 2004).
The Good and the Bad of Mexico
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