mercredi 12 novembre 2014

Discover New Tastes With Latin American Cooking Recipes

By Christa Jarvis


If you can't stomach the idea of cooking the same old boring meal yet again, it's time to get creative. Cooking should be fun, after all, and not a chore. A good way to inject something different into mealtimes is to try a couple of Latin American cooking recipes. They don't always require ingredients that you can only find in specialty stores and the dishes are simple to make. Moreover, they're not so exotic that the kids will insist on ordering pizza instead.

Many people think of burritos and tacos when they think of the cuisine of Latin America. However, the region is huge, with many different cultures. The landscape varies too, with tropical jungles, high mountain regions, wide plains, deserts and a coastline that stretches from the tropics to sub-polar regions. This means that there is a wide variety of ingredients to use and inevitable there are huge regional variations in what people eat.

The Americas gave the world many foods that today are considered indispensable, such as tomatoes, avocados and chocolate. The one that really became a staple in many parts of the world though is corn. This is still the starch eaten most often in Mexico and Central America, where no meal is complete without tortillas. It's used to make Salvadoran pupusas too. Tamales are another delicious corn-based treat and they're made differently in the various countries of the region.

Corn is not the only starch used in Latin America. In the Caribbean and more tropical regions, you'll find manioc and versatile plantains everywhere. Potatoes are popular too, since they originated in the Andean region. Rice dishes are found throughout and rice is often mixed with beans. In fact, rice and beans is a filling breakfast staple in many countries. Vegetables include carrots, green beans, tomatoes and onions, as well as a variety of squashes.

For protein, people tend to opt for meat or fish, depending on where they live. Beef is ubiquitous in Argentina and Paraguay while in many other countries, pork is more popular. Chicken is cheap and used in dishes from Mexico to Patagonia. The Peruvian national dish of ceviche, which is made with raw fish and lime juice, has become so popular that you'll now find it in most coastal towns as well as at lakeside locations.

Most Latin Americans have a sweet tooth and desserts are plentiful. Among the most popular are the different variations of flan, dulce de leche and tres leches cake. You'll find special sweets for certain festivals too.

One of the greatest things about the region is the variety of delicious fruits to be found here. These make for a healthy, nutritious snack. They're also very tasty when blended into drinks similar to smoothies. In some areas, people make tasty, creamy drinks by using corn or rice as well. Rum is a popular alcoholic drink.

To find Latin American recipes, you can simply search online on food sites. You'll also find cookery books that include dishes from the region. To learn how to make authentic dishes, however, it's best to visit a country such as Mexico, Brazil or Argentina and take some classes. It's a great excuse for a vacation too.




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