The Basics: Colors

I know you may be thinking, what do colors have to do with Mexican food, and the truth is, quite a bit. If you've seen the Mexican flag you will note that it has three vertical bands of colors (green, white, and red) and in the center the Mexican "coat of arms" (i.e., eagle standing on cactus with a serpent in its mouth). It is these three bands of colors that are ever-present in Mexican food.

From carne picada con papas (picadillo to some) and frijoles a la charra (borrachos to some) to arroz and huevos mexicanos, the colors are always there. In my family's cooking these colors--green, white, and red--are represented in the bell pepper, onion, and tomato:

The colors: bell pepper, onion, and tomato

Recipes I share will have these three colors. Yes, green--not red, orange, or yellow bell pepper. White or yellow onion is fine; I usually use Texas sweet yellow onion. Red, not green, tomatoes; although occasionally tomatillos (but those are recipe specific).

Additionally, my recipes, more often than not, will have another ingredient, which is also green, cilantro:

cilantro

You can find these colors at any grocery story or in your own garden, should you choose to grow them yourself. I have already given my list of preferred items for this year's garden and as you can imagine these four were on the list. 

We're getting closer to being prepared for a recipe; I'm excited. I hope you are, too!

Let me know if you have any questions about the colors or anything else.

¡Hasta la proxíma vez!