Despite these diverse influences, New Mexican cuisine developed largely in isolation, preserving its indigenous, Spanish, Mexican, and Latin roots. This has resulted in a cuisine that is distinct from otherLatin American cuisines found in thecontiguous United States.[15]: 109 [16][17] It stands out for its emphasis on local spices, herbs, flavors, and vegetables, particularly the iconic red and greenNew Mexico chile peppers,[18][19][20]anise (used inbiscochitos),[21] andpiñon (used as a snack or in desserts).[22]
The Spaniards brought their cuisine which mingled with the indigenous. They introduced wheat, rice, beef, mutton/lamb, among other foods and flavors, to the native corn, chile, beans, squash, and other indigenous ingredients.[15]: 110–116
During this early development period thehorno, an outdoor beehive-shapedearth oven, became ubiquitous inPueblo andHispano communities.[26] This distinct history, combined with the local terrain and climate, has resulted in significant differences between the cuisine of New Mexico and somewhat similar styles inNorthern Mexico, and otherSouthwestern US states such asCalifornia,Arizona, andTexas.[15][17]
New Mexico's population includes Native Americans who have worked the land for thousands of years, including the farms of theAncestral Pueblo peoples as well as the modern extantPueblo,Navajo andApache. TheHispano explorers included farmers and ranchers as they arrived during the Spanish era in the 16th century, well into the Mexican era which ended in the 19th century.
Americans traded and settled after the Civil War, today groups from Asia and other communities have come to New Mexico.[27][28]
When New Mexicans refer tochile they are talking about pungent pods, or sauce made from those pods, not the concoction of spices, meat or beans known as Texaschili con carne.[citation needed] While the chile pod is sometimes spelled chili outside of New Mexico, US SenatorPete Domenici of New Mexico made this state's spelling official aschile, by entering it into theCongressional Record.[29]: 61
One of the first authors to publish a cookbook describing traditional New Mexican cuisine was educator and writerFabiola Cabeza de Baca Gilbert, who publishedHistoric Cookery in 1931.[30] Her work helped introduce cooking withchiles to the United States more broadly.[31]
The New Mexico official State Question is "Red or green?"[34] This refers to the choice of red or green chile with anentrée. "Christmas," a relatively new tradition originating in the 1980s,[35] is a request for both (one side covered with green, the other with red).[36] New Mexico red and green chile have such a rich and distinctive flavor that traditional preparations require few additional flavoring ingredients. The essence of New Mexico chile preparation is its simplicity.[37]
The New Mexico green chile is a variety of the chile pepper,Capsicum annuum, and was developed as a recognizable strain in New Mexico by the late nineteenth century. It is available today in several distinct and selectively-cultivated strains calledcultivars.
The chile pepper is grown in the state's very high altitude (4,000–8,000 ft) and dry, hot climate. Much like grapes for wine, these growing conditions contribute, along with genetics, to giving New Mexico green chile its distinctive deep green color, texture, and flavor.
The climate of New Mexico tends to increase thecapsaicin levels in the chile pod compared to pods grown in other regions. This results in the possibility of hotter varieties. New Mexico green chiles can range from mild to extremely hot.[38]
At harvest time (August through the middle of October) green chile is typically roasted, peeled and frozen for the year ahead. Chile is such a staple in New Mexico that many national restaurant chains offer New Mexico chile at their New Mexico locations.[33]
New Mexico red chile is simply the fully ripened green chile pepper. As it ripens, it first turns orange and then quickly turns red. As it does so, the skin thickens and fuses to the inner fruit or "meat" of the pepper. This means that, for the red pepper to be enjoyable, it must first be dried and then blended into a puree. The puree can be made using full red chile pods or red chile powder (which is made by finely grinding the dried pod).
The purée is not edible until cooked as red chile sauce. This is made by cooking the puree with garlic, salt – and occasionally oregano – and has the consistency of tomato soup. Discerning native New Mexicans prefer sun-dried over oven-dried red chile, as the oven-drying process gives it a non-traditional smoky flavor and a dark maroon color.
Red chile peppers are traditionally sun-dried in bundles calledristras, which are a common decorative sight on porches and in homes and businesses throughout the Southwest.[39] The process of creating theristra is highly labor-intensive, so in recent decades it has become a predominantly decorative item.
The bulk of New Mexico chile is grown in theHatch Valley in the south of the state, in and around the village ofHatch. It is also grown along the entireRio Grande Valley, andChimayo in the north is also well known for its chile.[40]: 15–46
Typical New Mexico street scene with a truck (in this case a van) sellingpiñon nuts
Piñones, orpiñon nuts, are a traditional food of Native Americans and Hispanos in New Mexico that is harvested from the ubiquitouspiñon pine shrub.[41] The state ofNew Mexico protects the use of the wordpiñon for use with pine nuts from certain species of indigenous New Mexican pines.[22] The harvest doesn't generally arrive in full force until after New Mexico's first freeze of the winter.[42]
Wheat flourtortillas are more prevalent in New Mexico cuisine as a table bread thancorn tortillas.[43]: 131–133 However, corn tortillas, corn tortilla chips, andmasa are the foundations of many traditional New Mexico dishes, and are sometimes made ofblue corn.[44] Common traditional dishes includeenchiladas,tacos,posole,tamales, andsopaipillas and honey served with the meal.
Corn (maize) remains a staple grain, the yellowsweet corn variety is most common in New Mexico, though white is sometimes used, and blue and redflint corn varieties are used for specialties likeatole and blue-corn tortilla chips. Kernel corn and corn on the cob are frequent side dishes, as in the American South.
Corn is not a frequent component of New Mexicosalsa orpico de gallo, and is usually a separate side dish in and of itself.
Anise is common in some desserts, especially the state cookie, thebiscochito.
Cilantro, a pungent green herb (also called Mexican or Chinese parsley, the seeds of which are known ascoriander) used fresh in salsas, and as a topping for virtually any dish; not common in traditional New Mexican cuisine, but one of the defining tastes of Santa Fe style.
Cumin, the quintessential "Mexican food" spice, is used very differently in New Mexican food, usually reserved for spicing ground beef and sometimes other meats for burritos, tacos, and nachos. It is not used to flavor red and green chile sauces.Oregano is a sparingly used but common herb in traditional New Mexican dishes.
The early Spanish Colonies along theRio Grande River inNew Mexico usedsafflower as a substitute forsaffron in traditional recipes. An heirloom variety originating fromCorrales, New Mexico, called "Corrales Azafran" is still cultivated and used as a saffron substitute in New Mexican cuisine.[45][46]
Albóndigas (meatball soup) – traditionally made with beef broth, ground pork or beef, vegetables and rice. Also known assopa de albóndigas.Albóndigas is the term for the dish as well as the meatball itself.[47]: 184–186
Arroz dulce – sweet rice pudding, a traditional Northern New Mexican dessert, primarily popular in traditional homes, and rarely found in restaurants. Rice is generally cooked in milk and water. Then, simmered with sugar and raisins, garnished with cinnamon, and served hot.
Biscochito –anise-flavored cookie sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, traditionally made withlard.[16] It was developed by residents of New Mexico over the centuries from the firstSpanish colonists of what was then known asSanta Fe de Nuevo México. Althoughbiscochitos may sometimes be found at any time of year, they are a traditional Christmas cookie.[15]: 111–112
Burrito – the New Mexicoburrito is a white-flourtortilla with fillings of meat, such as porkcarnitas, chicken, ground or shredded beef, orcarne adovada, refried pinto beans, or both meat and beans, along with red or green chile.[48]
Breakfast burrito – a breakfast version of the above, typically includingscrambled eggs, potatoes, red or green chile, cheese (usuallyCheddar), and sometimes bacon or sausage; originated in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
A smothered, Christmas-style breakfast burrito from Tia Sophia's diner inSanta Fe, New Mexico
Caldillo – a thin, green or red chile stew or soup of meat (usually beef, often pork or a mixture), potatoes, and chiles. Sometimes calledcaldito, especially as a side dish. Both terms are diminutive forms of the Spanish word,caldo, for soup.[49]
Capirotada – a bread-pudding dessert, traditionally made duringLent festivities.Capirotada is made of toasted bread crumbs or fried slices ofbirote orbolillo bread, then soaked in a syrup made of melted sugar, orpiloncillo, and cinnamon. It usually contains raisins, and possibly other fruits and nut bits. Finely grated cheese may be added when it's still hot from the oven, so that it melts. Served warm or cold.[47]: 354–355
Carne seca – literally translated to "dried meat", in New Mexican cuisine refers to a unique style of thinly slicedjerky which has acracker orpotato chip-like texture.[25]
Carnitas – grilled or broiled cubes of pork, traditionally smothered with red or green chile sauce and served as and entree.
Chalupa – originating in California-style Mexican cuisine, a corn tortilla fried into a bowl shape and filled with shredded chicken or other meat or beans, and usually topped withguacamole andsalsa.[47]: 125–126 (another vegetable-laden version calledtaco salads; compare withtostadas.)
Chicharrones – deep-fried pieces of pork trimmings usually including a layer of meat.
Chiles rellenos – whole green chiles stuffed with cheese, dipped in egg batter, and fried.[51] This dish varies from other Mexican-style cuisines in that it uses the New Mexican chile, rather than apoblano pepper.
Chile sauce – sauce made from red or green chiles usually served hot. Green chile is made with chopped, roasted fresh or frozen green chiles, while red chile is made from dried, roasted and pulverized ripe (red) chiles.[48]
Chile is one of the most definitive differences between New Mexican and other Mexican and Mexican-American cuisines (which often make a different green chile sauce from tomatillos).
New Mexican cuisine uses chile sauce as taco sauce, enchilada sauce, burrito sauce, etc. (though any given meal may use both red and green varieties for different dishes). A thicker version of green chile with onions and other additions is called green chile stew and is popular in Albuquerque-style New Mexican food.[16]
The green chile sauce can sometimes be hotter than its red counterpart, though this depends entirely on the chile varieties used.
Chimichanga – a small, deep-fried meat and (usually) bean wheat-tortilla burrito, also containing (or smothered with) chile sauce and cheese; popularized by theAllsup's convenience store chain with a series of humorous commercials in the 1980s with candid footage of people attempting and failing to pronounce the name correctly.
Chimichangas, likeflautas andtaquitos, are a fast-food adaptation of traditional dishes in a form that can be stored frozen and then quickly fried as needed; they are also rigid and easily hand-held, and thus easy to eat by people while walking or driving.
Chorizo – a spicy pork sausage, seasoned with garlic and red chile, usually used in ground or finely chopped form as a breakfast side dish or quite often as an alternative to ground beef or shredded chicken in other dishes.[16]
Empanadita (smallempanada) – a pasty or turnover filled with sweet pumpkin, fruit, or minced meat, spices and nuts.[16]
Stacked-style blue-corn chicken enchiladas smothered in red chile sauce withposole and pinto beans
Enchiladas – corn tortillas filled with chicken, meat or cheese. They are either rolled, or stacked, and covered with chile sauce and cheese.[47]: 216–220 [15]: 109
Enchiladas montandas, or stackedenchilada – usually covered with either red or green chile sauce, and optionally topped with a fried egg.[25] These stacked enchiladas are also common with blue-corn tortillas.
Fish – being landlocked, New Mexico has no nativeseafood tradition, butfreshwater fish are not uncommon entrees, especiallytrout.Crayfish are found in New Mexico.[52] In the southeast of the state, crayfish tails are also consumed, as in Texas and Louisiana. While the native population made use of freshwater shellfish since prehistoric times,[dubious –discuss] they are not common in modern New Mexico cuisine, though it has adapted various seafood items (e.g.,shrimp tacos are common in restaurants).
Flauta – a small, tightly rolled, fried corn tortilla filled with ground beef, chicken, pork or turkey and served topped with guacamole and sour cream. Comparechimichanga andtaquito.[48]
Frijoles (wholepinto beans) – along withSpanish rice,frijoles are the standard side served with any entrée. Traditional New Mexico beans are cooked very simply withsalt pork and garlic.[53]Frijoles are often served whole in New Mexico, rather than asrefried beans (Frijoles refritos).[54]
Frijoles refritos (refried beans) – whole cooked beans are fried in bacon fat and mashed until they turn into a thick paste. Also known as simplyrefritos and often served with a topping of cheese.[53]
Frito pie at Five & Dime General Store on theSanta Fe Plaza
Although a Texas invention, it has become popular in New Mexico, and typically uses New Mexican red chile in the state.[44][55]
Green chile cheeseburger – widely considered the New-Mexican variety ofcheeseburger, it is a regular hamburger topped with melted cheese and either whole or chopped green chile. The flavor is very distinctively New Mexican when compared to other types of hamburgers, and is even offered in the region by major fast food chains.[56][57]
Green chile cheese fries – a New Mexican variant to traditionalcheese fries, fries served smothered with green chile sauce and topped with cheese.
Green chile stew – similar tocaldillo with the use of green chile. Standard ingredients are coarsely-chopped green chile, ground or cubed beef, ground or cubed pork, potato, diced tomato, onion, garlic, and chicken or beef stock.[16] The stew often contains coarsely-chopped carrots or other vegetables.[58]
Frybread – a traditional thick flatbread of deep-fried dough, developed by theNavajo people after the "Long Walk", when they were forcibly relocated toBosque Redondo, New Mexico. Served as a snack with honey or for makingNavajo tacos. The New Mexicosopaipilla is a variant of this.
Guacamole – the traditional New Mexico version is avocados smashed or blended with a very small amount of the following: finely chopped onion, tomato, garlic, salt and lemon juice.[48]
Huevos rancheros –fried eggs any style on corn tortillas, smothered with red or green chile sauce, topped with shredded cheddar cheese, often served with potatoes orpinto beans. Flour tortillas on the side come standard.[16]
Jalapeño – a small, thickchile pepper, ranging from mild to painfully hot. In New Mexican food they are used chopped (fresh) in salsa and guacamole or as a topping (either pickled or fresh) for nachos.
Natillas – soft custard-like dessert made from egg whites, milk, white sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon, cooked while whisking on a stove top and served either warm or cold.[29]: 115
Nachos – Fried tortilla chips with yellow cheese and jalapeño peppers.
Navajo taco – A taco made with frybread, rather than a tortilla.
Panocha – a pudding made from sprouted wheat flour andpiloncillo. The sprouted-wheat flour was historically calledpanocha flour, or simplypanocha,[47]: 26 but this has become a slang term for 'vagina'.
Pastelitos ('little pies') – a thin pie baked on flat cookie sheet with dried fruit and spices, usually cut into small squares.
Pico de gallo (rooster's beak) – a cold salsa with thick-chopped fresh chiles, tomatoes, onions and cilantro, without a tomato-paste base as in commercial packaged salsas, never contains vinegar.[47]: 176
Posole – a thick stew made withhominy and pork. Chicken in lieu of pork is a popular variation. It is simmered for hours with pork or chicken and then combined with red or green chile[16] and other ingredients such as onion, garlic, and oregano. Native New Mexicans include off-cuts of pork (especially pork rinds and pigs feet) in the pork version. They also prefer to use the un-popped hominy kernel, either blue or white, which goes by the same name as the dish, "posole". The un-popped kernels are boiled separately from the other ingredients until the kernels pop revealing the hominy-like form. To New Mexicans,posole is one of the most important of Christmas traditions.[47]: 266–269 The Mexican spellingpozole is uncommon in New Mexico.
Quelites – a traditional New Mexico side dish made with spinach sauteed in bacon fat with onion, garlic, pinto beans, and crushed, red, New Mexico chile flakes.[59]Wild lamb's quarters were the original leafy green for this dish, but now it is extremely rare to findquelites made with them.
Quesadilla – a grilled cheese sandwich of sorts in which two flour tortillas, or one folded, are used instead of bread. It is often lightly oiled and toasted on a griddle to melt the cheese, then served with eithersalsa,pico de gallo, chile,guacamole, and sour cream, as an appetizer or entrée.Sopaipillas
Sopaipilla (orsopapilla) – a puffed fried quick bread with a flavor similar to Indian fry bread. The New Mexico version is very large. It is served as a standard table bread at New Mexican restaurants with a squeeze bottle of honey or honey butter. Prior to theGreat Depression in the 1930s, they were served with jelly or jam, and honey was used as a substitute and from then on became the traditional accompaniment. They can also become an entrée by stuffing them with savory ingredients such ground beef, shredded chicken, and refried beans.[47]: 127–131 [16]
Stuffedsopapilla – a standard New Mexico entrée, stuffed with various fillings, covered with melted cheddar cheese, usually smothered with red or green chile sauce and topped with shredded iceberg lettuce and diced tomatoes. Fillings include pinto beans, ground beef, shredded beef, shredded chicken, potatoes, Spanish rice, andcarne adovada.
Spanish rice:rice (arroz) with a tomato base and other ingredients, usually a mild dish, but may also be made spicy. Traditional New Mexico versions are made with long-grain rice, onion, and garlic. Rice may also be served in other fashions, and recipes vary.
Salsa – an uncooked mixture of chiles/peppers, tomatoes, onions, frequently blended or mixed with tomato paste to produce a more sauce-like texture thanpico de gallo; usually contains lemon juice or vinegar in noticeable quantities.
The green-chile variant usually is mostly green chile and without tomatoes, though some varieties may use some cookedtomatillos; the style does not use avocado (which is very common in California green salsa).
The New Mexico and California styles share a typically large amount of cilantro added to the mix. The word simply means 'sauce' in Spanish.
Salsa picante, or picante sauce – a thin, vinegary, piquant (thus its name) sauce of pureéd red peppers and tomatoes with spices, reminiscent of a combination of New Mexico-style chile sauce and Louisiana-styletabasco pepper sauce. (Note: American commercial food producers have appropriated the term to refer simply to spicy packaged salsa.)
Its place in Mexican, Tex-Mex and Californian food, where it is extremely common, especially as a final condiment to add more heat, has largely been supplanted by chile, especially red chile, in New Mexican cuisine.
Taco – a corn tortilla fried into a trough shape, it is filled with meats or beans, and fresh chopped lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and cheese.
The term can also refer to the soft, rolled flour-tortilla variety popularized by fast-food chains (asoft taco), and the flat, unfried corn style favored in Mexico (a "street taco"), but most corn tortillas for tacos are fried in New Mexican cuisine.
The entire taco is not fried (a Mexican style known astaco dorado), just the shell. Comparetaquito,tostada.
Tamal (pluraltamales, often anglicized astamale singular) – meat rolled in cornmeal dough (masa), wrapped traditionally incorn husks (waxed paper is sometimes used for commercial versions), and steamed.
Although there are many variations, the standard New Mexicotamal filling is shredded pork cooked in red chile sauce. New-Mexicantamales typically vary from othertamal styles in that red chile powder is typically blended into themasa.
Taquito – a tightly rolled, deep-fried variant of the corn-tortilla taco, usually filled with beef or chicken; essentially the same as a Mexicantaco dorado, but rolled into a tube shape rather than fried in wedge shape. Sometimes misspelledtaquita. Comparechimichanga andflauta.
Torta de huevo – a whipped-egg and wheat-flour pancake, typically topped with red chile, and often and it is then served withfideo (avermicelli-style noodle),quelites (wild spinach), and beans. It is a traditional dish for Fridays duringLent; some New Mexican restaurants offer it as their Lenten special.
Tortilla – a flatbread made predominantly either of unbleached whitewheatflour or ofcornmeal, with wheat flour tortillas the most common in ordinary use.[44] New Mexico-style flour tortillas are typically thicker and less chewy than those found inSonora, Mexico.[43]: 133 Nevertheless, blue-corn tortillas are a quintessential New Mexico-style tortilla.[47]: 118–119
Tostada – a corn tortilla is deep fried flat until hard and crispy and covered with refried beans, cheese, lettuce, and tomato, with additional toppings such assour cream andguacamole also added.[1]
Soda fountains were impactful on Route 66 culture, many restaurants including Duran's Central Pharmacy andFrontier Restaurant have roots as soda shops.[60] Local soft drink companies produce unique flavors inspired by native ingredients like piñon, yucca root, prickly pear, red chile, watermelon (referencing Spanish translation for theSandia Mountains, Sandía means watermelon in Spanish), crafting varieties such as piñon-flavoredcola, sandía soda with watermelon and mint, yucca-flavoredroot beer, and red chile-flavoredginger ale.[61][62]
Chocolate Elixirs are unique drink to New Mexico, served as eitherchocolate milk andhot cocoa. With flavorings such as fruit, nuts, tea, coffee, etc. The drinks are inspired by the blend of honey sweetened beverages the Ancient Puebloans would make, from the xocoatl they would trade from the Aztecs.[63] The Spanish opening up numerous trade routes expanded the flavorings incorporated into such drinks, for example the Southwest's unique New Mexico chile, Navajo cota tea, or Mormon herbal teas.[64] Today the chocolate elixirs are made in local cafes.[65][66]
Coffee in New Mexico is often brewed strong in the style of traditional cowboy coffee. Local roasters frequently add regional touches, such as piñon flavoring or spices used in biscochitos, like cinnamon and anise.[67][68] Companies such as New Mexico Piñon Coffee and Rio Grande Roasters distribute these flavors nationally, and the local New Mexico PiñonCoffee House chain is having a growing presence in the region.[69][70]
Merienda is a part of local hospitality scene, and gave rise to a regional British-styletea time with curated tea paired with traditional tea snacks and local additions like biscochitos and pastelitos.[71][72][73]
There islist of breweries in New Mexico producing craft beers and local pub fair.[74] The state's craft beer has received national and international awards.[75] One of North America's only native hops is the neomexicanus hop, a variety increasingly used in local brews.[76]
The margarita is a popular cocktail in New Mexico. Santa Fe's Margarita Trail features over 50 unique takes on the drink across local bars and restaurants.[77][78] Local pub fair include blue corn fried pickles, red chile chicken wings, and fried green chile strips.[10][79]
New Mexico wine is home to the oldest wine grape tradition within American wine. Producers like Gruet Winery use the traditional méthode champenoise to craft sparkling wines, which have gained national acclaim.[80][81]
Outside the Southwestern United States, New Mexican cuisine can be found in restaurants, and several brands produce New Mexican products for grocery stores on a national scale.
Restaurants like Sadie's, El Pinto, and Garcia's distribute salsas nationally, while brands such as Bueno Foods, Cibolo Junction, Los Chileros, and 505 Southwestern offer ready-packed chile and other products.[86][87][88][89][90][91] New Mexican-style tortillas are distributed nationally by Bueno Foods brand Grandma's andGruma's Albuquerque Tortilla Company.[92][93] Other brands, like Creamland, produce green chile dip locally and distribute it to neighboring states.[94]
^"Locate New Mexico Chile".NMChileAssociation.com. New Mexico Chile Association. 2018. RetrievedJanuary 26, 2018. An index of vendors of certified New Mexico chile within and outside the state.
^"Chile Ristras". National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. August 31, 2017. Archived fromthe original on September 3, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 25, 2018.
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