Buen Provecho!

As we celebrate the official founding of the city of Santa Fe in 1609, those of us who spend our days cooking, tasting, smelling and thinking about food cannot help but consider this milestone and our unique and famous food history. There are some major historical moments that shaped what we eat in Santa Fe. When we enjoy a local meal, we are tasting Ancient Mexico, Pueblo Indian and European flavors—sometimes all in a single bite! Spaniards arrived in Mexico in the early 1520’s, but what was the cuisine like in Mexico and New Mexico before the conquest? What shaped Spanish cuisine before this cultural collision—and what do we enjoy now that has survived as a product of this culinary marriage? The next time you eat some traditional New Mexican foods, perhaps strolling the plaza during a fiesta, stop, smell the fry bread and remember this interesting culinary journey.

Aztec, Mexican and Pueblo Cuisine before 1520

Meals in the pre-Columbian Americas consisted mostly of corn, beans, tomatoes, chiles, squashes and herbs. The Aztecs had a taste for more exotic foods like chocolate, vanilla, avocado, early forms of mole with peanuts, a variety of game birds, small dogs and lots of seafood. Pueblo people to the north, however, with more limited resources, were perfecting the three-sister agricultural system of growing corn, beans and squash together for sustenance. The three sisters were also revered as important to the environment and were a part of the religious culture. How interesting that today, corn and beans are still essential staples.

Spanish Cuisine before 1520

The colorful history of the Iberian peninsula tells the tale of some of the great cultures of the world adding to the pot of Spanish flavors. Moors, Romans, Phoenicians, Greeks, Celts, Basques, French and Portuguese all contributed to the mosaic of Spanish food and culture. Spanish exploration and spice trading brought in exotic foods from the Middle East and India such as honey, citrus fruits, cilantro, coriander. Even within this rich food history and cultural trading, Spain and its Old World neighbors were cooking without tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, corn or squash. That was about to change.

The Spanish Influence in the Americas

By the time this historical, far-reaching fusion blend reached the Americas, the cooks from Spain brought a whole world of influences, not just Spanish food. The flood gates opened, Mexico received food ideas, techniques and ingredients from many continents and an imported diet of rice, beef, pork, chicken, wine, garlic, onions and cheese. Combined with the native foods of pre-Columbian Mexico, what we now think of as Mexican and New Mexican food was born.

Local cuisine changed dramatically with the arrival of the Spanish giving rise to the foods that we now love—quesadillas, flour tortillas, chicharrones, carne adovada, carnitas. Cheese making and wine making techniques were introduced. Quite possibly, the tradition of a friendly cook with a carnitas cart may have begun in 1609 to feed weary explorers.

Our gifts to the world

Cultural exchange is never one-way. This culinary revolution affected Europe and the New World, permanently. We (Americans, Mexicans, Europeans, Spaniards) all still see and eat the effects of this today. Explorers with recipe books already bulging from the world of influence on Spanish cuisine were about to infuse this part of the world with their tastes and aromas. Little did they know, they would also return to Europe with an impressive grocery haul of new ingredients that would change European and homeland Spanish food forever.

A footnote to food history 1492—Pigs arrive in the Americas (with that Italian guy)

The Spanish tradition of pork consumption is legendary and well-documented. It continues to this day with great gusto. Expert charcuterie skills have a long history here (jamón serrano, chorizo, lomo embuchado). The pig was already a celebrated cultural icon in Spanish culture by 1492 and had great status in Spanish folklore. 1492 was a very interesting year for the pig. Back home in Spain, the two non-pork-eating cultures, the Jews and the Moors, were overthrown and expelled. The pork eaters went on to conquer a major portion of the globe. Columbus brought the first eight Iberian pigs to the New World where they thrived. Horses and more domesticated livestock would follow; cows, chickens, sheep and goats arrived as well. We can easily see how these animals helped shape Mexican and New Mexican cuisine—livestock really changed everything.

It can be argued that the arrival of livestock had the most impact on native peoples and was the single most important aspect of the Spanish conquest. Tragically, the new animals in the Americas also brought devastating diseases native peoples had never before experienced. The new strains of illnesses were responsible for countless deaths over the course of the years of Spanish exploration.

Keeping livestock also had great impact on how and where people lived and how much space they now needed. Ways of trading animals for services were developed. More community activity was needed to raise animals. When it was slaughtering time, whole villages would get together to celebrate and share the food. Whole roasted lechon (suckling pig) and whole roasted cabrito (baby goat) are still great celebratory feasts in Mexico and Northern New Mexico.

So, let the celebration begin. Happy Birthday Santa Fe! Buen Provecho!

James Campbell Caruso is the chef/owner of La Boca and Delicasa restaurants in Santa Fe.