The Flavors of Phoenix
By Christina Timberlake Return to Articles >
The Phoenix area offers a wide array of restaurants offering a variety of cuisines to tempt even the most finicky of pallets. Like many other cities in the southwest, Phoenix is known mostly for its Mexican and Southwestern cuisines. Chiles, cumin, and cilantro combine with a variety of vegetables, seafood, and meats to create traditional Mexican dishes like tamales, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and quesadillas. Despite its reputation, not all Mexican and Southwestern foods are spicy hot. Mexican cuisine encompasses a wide variety of dishes that range from very hot to very mild and everywhere in between. Southwestern dishes are distinguished by their combination of traditional American and Mexican ingredients. Mexican and Southwestern cuisines usually consist of some basic elements that you can expect to find in any dish.
Tortillas are the staple element to all Mexican dishes. Traditionally made from either flour (most commonly used in northern Mexican tortillas) and maize or corn (traditionally used in southern Mexican tortillas). Tortillas created from either corn or flour, though similar in appearance, are quite different in taste. Flour tortillas are used most often to wrap burritos, but are also used fried as taco shells. They are lighter than corn tortillas and act as culinary equivalent of bread. Warm flour tortillas are served along side meals like green or red chile stew and pasole in most local Mexican restaurants. Unlike flour tortillas, corn tortillas, made from a lime-processed corn meal or maza, are used less as a side dish, and more as an integral part of dishes like enchiladas and tacos. In enchiladas, corn tortillas are served either layered with cheese, onion, and/or meat or rolled individually with the ingredients. They are also fried crisp to make taco shells, which are then filled with meat, cheese, and vegetables. The same dough base used to make corn tortillas is also used to make tamales and empanadas.
Refried Beans or Frijoles are a common accompaniment to nearly every Mexican meal. Made traditionally of pinto beans, the beans are first boiled until soft and then smashed and fried with lard or vegetable oil. Some recipes add onion and/or garlic to the cooking process in order to enhance the flavor of the beans. Refried beans are often found wrapped in tortillas or added as a pleasant side dish to the meal. Refried Beans are not spicy, in fact they are very mild, but a little hot salsa can add a little heat to them if you find them a bit too bland. Black beans are also a common accompaniment to Mexican and Southwestern dishes and have a significantly different flavor than refried pinto beans. Black beans are not usually served smashed but rather they are boiled with onion and/or garlic and other traditional seasonings. Black beans, common in southern Mexican cooking, are most often found in Southwestern restaurant menus, whereas refried beans are most common in Mexican restaurants. Whichever you prefer, both black beans and refried beans are a wonderful dish and an excellent source of protein.
Chiles/Peppers are the common spice and flavor of Mexican and Southwestern foods. Chiles can vary greatly in flavor and heat depending on their preparation – fresh, dried, or smoked. Although there are hundreds of varieties of Mexican Chiles, some of the most common chiles found in Mexican and Southwestern foods are jalapeño, habanero, ancho, poblano, chipotle and pasilla. Most of the larger varieties of chiles are milder but can have considerably different flavors. Poblano chiles are used green and commonly stuffed with cheese to make Chile Rellenos. The rich red ancho chile and the smoky pasilla and chipotle chiles lend their flavors to create wonderful sauces including the unique mole sauce. The New Mexico or Anaheim chiles are grown both hot and mild. Commonly called Green Chiles, the spiciness of these chiles can vary depending on their preparation. Smaller variety chiles like the jalapeño, habanero, and cayenne are hotter chiles. Jalapeño peppers can vary from slightly warm to very hot and are served fresh or pickled, as an ingredient or a garnish. Cayenne peppers are grown to red, dried, and ground into a fine powder. Cayenne peppers are a hot variety and are commonly used as an ingredient in different dishes. Acknowledged by many as the hottest Mexican chile and used most often in hot sauces, the habanero chile is designed only for the truly daring. Combinations of these different chiles are key ingredients in salsa (a Mexican catsup of sorts) and guacamole (a delicious side dish and topping made of smashed avocado).
Wherever you are in Phoenix, you can find a wide range of restaurants that offer Mexican and Southwestern foods from the very traditional to the more contemporary. For more traditional dishes it is always a good ides to stop into some of the smaller, family owned restaurants speckled throughout the Phoenix area. Larger Mexican and Southwestern restaurant chains offer traditional dishes but with a more contemporary twist. Although Mexican and Southwestern foods carry a reputation for being spicy hot, remember that there is a wide variety of dishes to choose from and when dining out, it is always best to check with your server about the spiciness of any dish.
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