Fun Facts About Mexican Food You Probably Don't Know
The best Mexican food at the Lake of the Ozarks comes out of the kitchen at Mexicali Blues in Osage Beach. The most important part is the fresh, quality ingredients that give it an amazing flavor. Less important but still very interesting, are the little known yet intriguing facts about some of these foods.
Today we've gathered a few fun facts about some popular Mexican foods & drinks. They will make for wonderful conversation starters the next time you are dining with friends at our Lake of the Ozarks Mexican restaurant!
A Healthy Choice
The majority of Mexican food is quite healthy because many dishes include all of the important food groups in one recipe. Many of the ingredients such as fresh vegetables and spices contain a lot of healthy antioxidants.
Burrito means donkey?
The word "burrito" derives from the Spanish word "burro" which means donkey. Burrito actually translates to little donkey. No, that does not mean donkey was ever an ingredient! Actually, the food burritos were originally sold from a cart pulled by a donkey.
Tacos are ancient.
Rumor has it that tacos were invented some time between 1,000-500 BC. The word "taco" originated from the Mexican-Spanish word meaning a "plug" or "wad" but it is also a word used for "light lunch." (That last one makes the most sense in this context.)
Tamales are older!
Evidence has been found that tamales have been around longer than tacos and were being eaten as early as 8000-5000 BC! Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs prepared them for traveling because the leaves they were wrapped in made them easily portable.
Food of the Gods
Aztec, Maya, Olmeca, and Tolteca were all considered people of corn, so tamales played a large part in their rituals and festivals. They considered tamales to be the food of the gods.
Tomatoes are from Mexico.
Today tomatoes, a main ingredient in salsa, are common all over the world but the wild ancestor of the tomato originally grew in Peru and Ecuador. It was cultivated by Aztecs and the seeds were later brought over to Spain.
More foods from Mexico
Mexico can also be credited with giving the world corn, avocados, cacao, chili peppers, and vanilla.
Don't forget dessert.
Mexico also gets the credit for creating a famous frozen drink, and we aren't talking about margaritas in this case, but rather milkshakes! The Aztec emperor Montezuma had a favorite drink which was made from vanilla and chocolate sweetened with honey and is considered the precursor to the modern milkshake.
Mexico gives us tequila too.
Just like Champagne must be made in Champagne, France in order to be officially called champagne (otherwise it's sparkling wine) true tequila must be produced in specific areas of Mexico to earn the name. Any type of tequila made outside of these regions is technically considered an agave spirit.
Inspired by Slurpees
The first frozen margarita machine, which was made in 1971, was inspired by a Slurpee machine. After seeing one in a 7-Eleven, Mariano Martinez creatively took a soft-serve ice cream machine and transformed it so that it would serve margaritas frozen. This turned out to be much faster than using a blender and kept the cocktail frozen longer.
Speaking of margaritas...
The Spanish word "margarita" actually means "daisy" in English. Oddly enough, there is an old prohibition drink called the Daisy with a very similar recipe using a base spirit, sugar, and a sour.
Don't skip the salt.
The salt on the rim of your margarita glass isn't just for show. It actually helps to bring out and enhance the sweet and sour flavors of the cocktail.
Now that you know a little more about some of your favorite things from Mexicali Blues, it's time to head on over here and enjoy a few of them! We're open at 11:30 am every Tuesday-Saturday. You can impress everyone at the table with this new knowledge and we will impress all of you with a delicious meal!
Today we've gathered a few fun facts about some popular Mexican foods & drinks. They will make for wonderful conversation starters the next time you are dining with friends at our Lake of the Ozarks Mexican restaurant!
A Healthy Choice
The majority of Mexican food is quite healthy because many dishes include all of the important food groups in one recipe. Many of the ingredients such as fresh vegetables and spices contain a lot of healthy antioxidants.
Burrito means donkey?
The word "burrito" derives from the Spanish word "burro" which means donkey. Burrito actually translates to little donkey. No, that does not mean donkey was ever an ingredient! Actually, the food burritos were originally sold from a cart pulled by a donkey.
Tacos are ancient.
Rumor has it that tacos were invented some time between 1,000-500 BC. The word "taco" originated from the Mexican-Spanish word meaning a "plug" or "wad" but it is also a word used for "light lunch." (That last one makes the most sense in this context.)
Tamales are older!
Evidence has been found that tamales have been around longer than tacos and were being eaten as early as 8000-5000 BC! Mayans, Incas, and Aztecs prepared them for traveling because the leaves they were wrapped in made them easily portable.
Food of the Gods
Aztec, Maya, Olmeca, and Tolteca were all considered people of corn, so tamales played a large part in their rituals and festivals. They considered tamales to be the food of the gods.
Tomatoes are from Mexico.
Today tomatoes, a main ingredient in salsa, are common all over the world but the wild ancestor of the tomato originally grew in Peru and Ecuador. It was cultivated by Aztecs and the seeds were later brought over to Spain.
More foods from Mexico
Mexico can also be credited with giving the world corn, avocados, cacao, chili peppers, and vanilla.
Don't forget dessert.
Mexico also gets the credit for creating a famous frozen drink, and we aren't talking about margaritas in this case, but rather milkshakes! The Aztec emperor Montezuma had a favorite drink which was made from vanilla and chocolate sweetened with honey and is considered the precursor to the modern milkshake.
Mexico gives us tequila too.
Just like Champagne must be made in Champagne, France in order to be officially called champagne (otherwise it's sparkling wine) true tequila must be produced in specific areas of Mexico to earn the name. Any type of tequila made outside of these regions is technically considered an agave spirit.
Inspired by Slurpees
The first frozen margarita machine, which was made in 1971, was inspired by a Slurpee machine. After seeing one in a 7-Eleven, Mariano Martinez creatively took a soft-serve ice cream machine and transformed it so that it would serve margaritas frozen. This turned out to be much faster than using a blender and kept the cocktail frozen longer.
Speaking of margaritas...
The Spanish word "margarita" actually means "daisy" in English. Oddly enough, there is an old prohibition drink called the Daisy with a very similar recipe using a base spirit, sugar, and a sour.
Don't skip the salt.
The salt on the rim of your margarita glass isn't just for show. It actually helps to bring out and enhance the sweet and sour flavors of the cocktail.
Now that you know a little more about some of your favorite things from Mexicali Blues, it's time to head on over here and enjoy a few of them! We're open at 11:30 am every Tuesday-Saturday. You can impress everyone at the table with this new knowledge and we will impress all of you with a delicious meal!
6605 HWY 54
Osage Beach, MO 65065
573-302-0419
573-302-0419
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