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When people think of traditional Mexican food, they think of spice; hot peppers and cumin are usually the first flavors, which come to mind in connection with the cuisine of Mexico. Some of the spices which are now an important part of Mexican cooking are in fact relatively recent arrivals, having come to the new world with the Spanish conquistadores and other colonists. Others have been a part of Mexico’s culinary tradition for millennia, long before any Europeans set foot in the Americas.

Chilies of all sorts have been in use as spices for thousands of years in Mexico; peppers of all varieties (as are tomatoes and potatoes, which are related members of the nightshade family) are native to the Americas and these vegetables were one of the dietary staples in Mexico before the arrival of Europeans, as they are to this day.

A familiar type of pepper to Americans is the jalapeno; these small to medium sized hot peppers are a common ingredient in salsas, where they lend their characteristic kick to these sauces. They are also commonly pickled on their own or as part of an escabeche (which is somewhat similar to a Mexican take on Italian giardinera). The Serrano pepper, a smaller and usually slightly hotter pepper is also seen fairly often in US markets. It is hard to imagine Mexican cuisine or Mexican food without the presence of these peppers, as well as others, which are often dried, and ground, as are anchos and pasilla peppers. You will also find peppers smoked to provide a milder, smoky heat as with the smoked jalapenos known as chipotle peppers.

Some of the Mexican culinary herbs, which are native to the country, include epazote, culantro, and Mexican oregano, all of which are very important to various Mexican recipes. Used very often in Mexican and Caribbean cooking, culantro is largely unknown in the US and hard to find other than in Mexican groceries. Its flavor, however, is similar enough to cilantro that this herb may be substituted if you cannot find the real thing in your area.

Despite its name, Mexican oregano is not even a relative of the old world herb of the same name. While their flavors are similar enough that Greek oregano can be substituted if needed, this herb is actually related to lemon verbena, not oregano. Its flavor is slightly stronger than that of the oregano used in Greek and Italian cooking and can be found dried in Mexican groceries and specialty spice markets.

Epazote, however, has no real substitute. It tastes a little like tarragon, but its flavor is uniquely its own. This herb is commonly used when cooking Mexican bean recipes, especially black beans. However, you can safely omit this herb in your Mexican recipes if it is not available. Look for epazote in the produce aisle of Mexican groceries; if you cannot find fresh epazote, you may be able to find it dried in the spice section.

While we often think of cumin when we think of Mexican food, this spice is one, which came across the Atlantic with the conquistadors, being a common herb in Spanish cooking and other Mediterranean cuisines. However, cumin works so well with many of the ingredients native to the new world that this spice quickly became an integral part of many Mexican recipes.

Mexican food is really one of the first examples of successful fusion cuisine in the world. The culinary tradition of Mexico is a blend of flavors, ingredients, and cooking methods from the new and old worlds, with foods and spices native to both the Americas and Europe. It has been a very successful pairing and Mexican spices new and old have made this country’s cuisine a favorite all over the world.

Mexican food might conjure up images of hot crunchy tacos, richly flavorful enchiladas, crunchy nachos with melted cheese and jalapeo slices on top or even cleverly spiced Mexican casseroles. Traditional Mexican food is both healthy and easy to make, even for beginner cooks, so why not try out a Mexican dish?