Latin food offers a variety of flavors

When it comes to food, Latino culture offers more than tacos and tamales.

Like the culture, the food is intense, colorful, spicy and full of variety. Each country and region within those countries has its own cooking techniques and key ingredients that add certain characteristics and authenticity to their dishes.

"It all starts with the ingredients," said Jesus Medina, chef at the recently opened Aztek Grill in downtown Richmond, which serves dishes from all over Latin America. "The number one ingredient in Mexican food, for example, is the hot pepper."

Preparation techniques, too, are different all across the region, said Medina, a native of Mexico.

Corn tortillas, for example, a staple in Mexico and Central America --and now increasingly popular in the U.S. market -- are made and used differently and vary in size and thickness depending on the region. Flour tortillas -- even more popular in the U.S. -- also have their own purposes and often accompany meals as flatbread.

Mexican cuisine, the most popular Latin food in the U.S., has very strong flavors. Key ingredients include cumin and cilantro. The commonly used hot peppers include jalapeño, poblano, serrano, guajillo, chipotle and habanero. One of Mexico's most popular dishes, chiles rellenos, uses poblano peppers.

Peruvian cuisine, not as well-known as Mexican food, also offers mouth-watering and distinctive dishes including various recipes of the country's staple dish, ceviche (raw fish marinated in lemon juice). Aside from fresh fish, a key ingredient in Peru's gastronomy is the aji (pronounced ah-hee) pepper, which is found all across the country.

The cuisine of El Salvador, similar to that of its neighbors and Mexico, relies too on indigenous foods like corn, beans and tomatoes. The influence of Mayan culture is strong, and it is mixed with the contributions of Spanish food. The most popular dish, pupusas are similar to corn tortillas, only thicker and stuffed with cheese, beans and/or meat.

Using fresh produce and ingredients native to each region is important to making authentic food, said Mercedes Giron, a native of El Salvador and owner and cook of Pupuseria Mercedes on Meadowdale Boulevard in Chesterfield County.

For instance, she said, Salvadoreans use loroco, a perennial plant native of El Salvador, in the cuisine, including as stuffing in pupusas.

U.S. consumers these days find products such as loroco at ethnic grocery stores or sometimes even in mainstream supermarkets. Avocados, mangos and cilantro are easily found in produce departments, and many supermarkets have aisles assigned to Hispanic food, a sign of the increasing demand for the cuisine.

"The Hispanic culture is becoming more and more influential here, and the food is such a big component," said Medina. Proof of this, he said, is that Richmond residents have several options in town where they can try authentic Latin American food and at the same time learn about Latin culture.

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