Cuisine:

Nicaraguan Cuisine

The majority of Nicaraguan culinary dishes date back to pre-Colombian times and as a result are a mixture of interesting dishes and unusual ingredients. When colonists arrived in Nicaragua, they found that the Creole people living here had made ample use of the foods available in the area. The varied menu that was present then and is still used today is a delicious mixture of soups, meats and sweets which reflects the mixed ancestry of the Creole people.

One of the most fundamental components of Nicaraguan food is corn. It has long been used by the indigenous tribes who lived in the area and is still every bit as popular today. It permeates all aspects of cuisine in Nicaragua and you will find it in the most unexpected places. Corn is used to make drinks such as Chicha and Pinol. It is also used in the Nacatamal, Indio Viejo and Sopa de Albondiga dishes which are commonly served as a main meal. Popular sweets featuring this dynamic vegetable include Atolillo and Perrereque.

However there is much more to be found in Nicaraguan cuisine than just corn. A largely tropical country, there is a wealth of fruits to be found which are used widely in the kitchen. Traditional foods generally feature jacote, mango, papaya, tamarind, pipian, banans, avocados, yucca roots, quequisque roots as well as cilantro, oregano and achiote herbs. However Nicaraguan's do not limit their dishes to that found only in their own country. Ingredients such as tomatoes, onions, garlic, flour, rice, oranges, mustard, mayonnaise, milk, cheese, vanilla and cinnamon have found their way into Nicaraguan dishes in the most wonderful way.

Below you will find an overview of the most famous Nicaraguan dishes.
Gallo Pinto: most people in Nicaragua eat this almost daily and it is considered a national symbol. It is composed of a mixture of fried rise with onion and sweet pepper, red beans boiled with garlic. They are mixed and fried all together.
Nacatamal: a dough which is prepared with grinded corn and butter. This is then filled up with small pieces of pork or chicken, rice, potatoes, tomatoes, onion, sweet pepper (all in slices). This mixture is packed in leaves of plantain trees (not edible), tightened with a small thread, that makes it look like a tiny pillow. It is then cooked inside the leaves and boiled during five hours.

Vigorón: originally from Granada, where it is deliciously prepared. A plate is covered with a part of a plantain tree leaf, on top of which yucca, chicharrón and a salad made out of cabbage and tomato is placed.
Indio Viejo: meat is prepared with onions, garlic, sweet pepper and tomato. In addition, some tortillas are put into water and this has to be grinded until they form dough. The meat is shredded and then fried with vegetables, the dough, and orange juice. Finally, you add broth.
Sopa de Mondongo: this soup is the specialty of Masatepe, in the department of Masaya. The mondongo is washed with a lot of bicarbonate, orange, and lemon. Next step is to cut it in small pieces and cook it with onion, sweet pepper, and garlic. When the mondongo is soft enough, grind rice is added, as well as vegetables in pieces, such as quequisque, chayote, sweet pepper, onion, corn. This should be kept cooking until the soup is ready.
Tres Leches: this is a dessert prepared with milk, condensed milk and cream. This is where the name comes from (three milks). You prepare a cake with flour and eggs, and then you add the mixture of these three milks. Finally, place a crown of meringue.

Fusion Cooking:
Popularized in the 1980's by Australian and American chefs, the fusion style of cooking, which is simply the blending of culinary traditions from different cultures, has actually existed in a more sedate form for centuries. In fact, food techniques, spices and recipes have been crossing cultural boundaries since before Marco Polo went to China. This global recipe exchange brought the Chinese noodle to Italy, the potato to Ireland and glorious chocolate to the world.
Today's fusion cooking is much more than just introducing a new noodle or vegetable to your dinner plate. It's about a renewed sense of excitement for food in all its wondrous variety made possible by the ready availability of fresh ingredients and new flavors from virtually every cultural corner of the globe. The exotic flavors of the East combined with staple foodstuffs from the West - along with a desire to break free from the fusty rules of European-style cuisine - jumpstarted this new direction in cooking, but the key to its success is using compatible ingredients prepared in ways that fuse them together, creating new, delicious flavors.
Diversity and intensity of flavor is one the hallmarks of fusion dishes. Another is the reliance on the best and freshest seafood, meats and vegetables available. Non-European cuisines, particularly those from Asia, use the entire taste and tactile palate to make dining a memorable experience. The goal is harmony; use more than three different cuisines or techniques in one plate and you may have a food fight rather than a fusion. And if you're serving wine with a fusion meal, think simplicity. A smooth, well-balanced wine has the best chance of equalizing the multiple, often intense, flavors of fusion foods.
The best thing about fusion cooking is that it's fun. Whether you're a novice in the kitchen or a seasoned pro, the only limit is your imagination. The possibilities are nearly endless: Brazilian with Japanese, Malaysian with Tex-Mex, Caribbean with Thai. While an open mind and a bit of whimsy are definite pluses, the only requirements are common sense and a measure of respect for the various culinary traditions involved.

El Salvador:
Pupusas were first cooked and eaten by the Pipil tribes which dwelled in the territory which is now known as El Salvador almost three millennia ago. Cooking implements for their preparation have been found in Joya de Cerén, El Salvador's Pompey, site of a native village which was buried by ashes from a volcano explosion, and where foodstuffs were preserved as they were being cooked almost two thousand years ago. The instruments for their preparation have also been found in other archeological sites in El Salvador.
In the the late 1950's, pupusas were still not widespread across El Salvador, and were mostly localized in the central towns and cities of the country. As the population started to migrate to other areas, pupusas stands started to proliferate in the 1960's across the country and in the neighboring areas of Honduras and Guatemala, sometimes with variations in shape, size or filling. In Guatemala during the 1970's, pupusas had a half-moon shape, in the Chalatenango area, it was not uncommon to find fish pupusas, and their diameter was considerably bigger East of the Lempa river.

In the 1980's, a civil war forced a Salvadoran migration to the United States, Canada, Sweden, Australia and other countries. Therefore, pupusas became available outside the country wherever a community of Salvadoran was found. In the United States, immigrants have brought the dish to California, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Detroit, Baltimore, the Chicago area, the Houston area, East Boston, Mass., New Jersey, Lexington, Nebraska, Lancaster, PA, Atlanta and other locations, where there are now many pupuserías (a place where pupusas are sold.
Both at home and abroad, pupusas are now traditionally served with curtido (a pickled cabbage relish, possibly containing hot peppers) and tomato sauce, and are traditionally eaten by hand; but forks are also handy. However, it is very unlikely that a national would be caught eating pupusas with a fork in El Salvador.

Pupusas made in the United States are typically made with Maseca (brand name of a popular commercial corn flour-masa mix) instead of fresh masa harina. Some high-end pupuserías in the United States use rice flour and make low-carbohydrate versions with wheat flour.

Mexico:
Mexican food is a style of food that originated in Mexico. Mexican cuisine is known for its intense and varied flavors, colorful decoration, and variety of spices.
When Spanish conquistadores arrived in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (the ancient city on which Mexico City was built), they found that the people's diet consisted largely of corn-based dishes with chiles and herbs, usually complemented with beans and squash. The conquistadores eventually combined their imported diet of rice, beef, pork, chicken, wine, garlic and onions with the indigenous foods of pre-Columbian Mexico, including chocolate, maize, tomato, vanilla, avocado, papaya, pineapple, chile pepper, beans, squash, sweet potato, peanut and turkey. The totopo (a salted corn tortilla cooked in a fire oven) may have been created as part of this cuisine.

Most of today's Mexican food is based on pre-hispanic traditions, including the Aztecs and Maya, combined with culinary trends introduced by Spanish colonists. Quesadillas, for example, are a flour or corn tortilla with cheese (often a Mexican-style soft farmer's cheese such as Queso Fresco), beef, chicken, pork, and so on. The indigenous part of this and many other traditional foods is the chile pepper. Foods like these tend to be very colorful because of the rich variety of vegetables (among them are the chili peppers, green peppers, chilies, broccoli, cauliflower, and radishes) and meats in Mexican food. There is also a sprinkling of Caribbean influence in Mexican cuisine, particularly in some regional dishes from the states of Veracruz and Yucatán. The French occupation of Mexico also yielded some influences as well: the bolillo (pronounced bo-lee-yo, with the "o" as in "bore"), a Mexican take on the French roll, certainly seems to reflect this.

Mexican food varies by region, because of local climate and geography and ethnic differences among the indigenous inhabitants and because these different populations were influenced by the Spaniards in varying degrees. The north of Mexico is known for its beef production and meat dishes. Southeastern Mexico, on the other hand, is known for its spicy vegetable and chicken-based dishes. Seafood is commonly prepared in the state of Veracruz.
There are also more exotic dishes, cooked in the Aztec or Mayan style, with ingredients ranging from iguana to rattlesnake, deer, spider monkey, and even some kinds of insects. This is usually known as comida prehispánica (or prehispanic food), and although not very common, is relatively well known.

A distinction must be made between truly authentic Mexican food, and "Tex Mex" (Texan-Mexican) cuisines. Mexican cuisine combines with the cuisine of the southwest United States (which itself has a number of Mexican influences) to form Cal-Mex and Tex-Mex cuisine. Another style of cuisine that is commonly mistaken for Mexican food is New Mexican cuisine, which is, of course, found in New Mexico, USA.

Huevos rancheros (Ranch Eggs) is a classic Mexican breakfast dish which has become popular throughout much of the Americas. Huevos rancheros means "eggs ranch-style" or "eggs country-style" in Spanish. The dish traditionally was served at the large mid-morning breakfast, or almuerzo, on rural farms where workers had a much smaller meal at dawn.

Chiles Renellos
Large Poblano chilies stuffed with cheese or spicy meat (picadillo). The chilies are mild, though the sauce may not be.

Enchiladas
Tortillas coated in a tomato and chili sauce, stuffed with vegetables, chicken or pork then folded and baked. Despite the chili content, enchiladas are often fairly mild. Enchiladas suizas are topped with sour cream.

Quesadillas
Tortillas stuffed with cheese, folded and grilled. A simple dish often served with beans or a little salad and suitable for those avoiding anything spicy.