Whois & Analysis for gourmetsleuth.com

Mexican cuisine is primarily a fusion of indigenous Mesoamerican cooking with European, especially Spanish, elements added after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in the 16th century.

The staples are native foods, such as corn, beans, avocados, tomatoes, and chili peppers, along with rice, which was brought by the Spanish.

Europeans introduced a large number of other foods, the most important of which were meats from domesticated animals (beef, pork, chicken, goat, and sheep), dairy products (especially cheese), and various herbs and spices.

Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body.

It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals.

The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism's cells to provide energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth.

Cooking or cookery is the art, technology and craft of preparing food for consumption with the use of heat.

Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric stoves, to baking in various types of ovens, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions and trends.

The ways or types of cooking also depend on the skill and type of training an individual cook has.

Cooking is done both by people in their own dwellings and by professional cooks and chefs in restaurants and other food establishments.

Cooking can also occur through chemical reactions without the presence of heat, such as in ceviche, a traditional South American dish where fish is cooked with the acids in lemon or lime juice.

A cuisine (from French, in turn from Latin coquere "to cook") is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region.

A cuisine is primarily influenced by the ingredients that are available locally or through trade.

Religious food laws, such as Hindu, Islamic and Jewish dietary laws, can also exercise a strong influence on cuisine.

Regional food preparation traditions, customs and ingredients often combine to create dishes unique to a particular region.

Food history is an interdisciplinary field that examines the history of food, and the cultural, economic, environmental, and sociological impacts of food.

Food history is considered distinct from the more traditional field of culinary history, which focuses on the origin and recreation of specific recipes.

Food historians look at food as one of the most important elements of cultures, reflecting the social and economic structure of society.