Checking Out the Culinary Scene in Northern New Mexico

The landscape isn’t the only unique thing about New Mexico.  Northern New Mexican cuisine is a  blend of Hispanic & Pueblo recipes that feature three basic ingredients: chile, beans & corn.

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New Mexico, The Chile Capital of the World

Red or green?

The answer to the popular question here is either red, green or Christmas. This refers to the chili sauce you prefer on your dinner. Red is associated with northern New Mexico & green is associated with southern New Mexico. Many prefer both red & green, which is referred to as Christmas.

Get to Know Our Chile

Chiles have been growing in New Mexico for at least 400 years. They were first introduced in 1598 when the conquistador Don Juan Onate brought crops from Mexico, including chiles, that had never been grown in the region before. Over the course of the century, ancestral Puebloans adopted these new crops and made them an essential part of their diets.

Today, chile continues to be a popular and essential crop across New Mexico—and we grow a lot of it. In 2018, NMDA estimated New Mexico’s chile production at $53.8 million with a reported 8,400 acres of chile planted and 7,900 harvested.

While New Mexico’s high altitude, desert climate, and rocky soil make it a unique growing region, our chiles rely on this rugged environment for their distinct, beloved flavors. Chile growers and connoisseurs credit soil for the crop’s range of unique flavors and are even able to taste a difference in the chiles depending on where in the state they’re grown. In fact, chile researchers say the phenomenon of “terroir,” the characteristic taste and flavor of a crop imparted by the environment in which it’s produced, may apply to chlie just as it does to grapes. So if you think all New Mexico green chile tastes the same, you might just want to think again.

https://www.newmexico.org/chile/

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Beans

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Spotted or painted pinto beans are simmered with garlic, onion, cumin, and red chile powder and served as a side dish. When mashed and refried in oil, they become frijoles refritos.

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Corn & Posole

Corn is a common ingredient in New Mexican cuisine:  tortillas, tamales, corn pudding, stewed corn, cornbread, cornmeal & more. A popular version of corn here is posole, or hominy.

Posole is both an ingredient and a New Mexico stew. Posole, the ingredient, is corn boiled and soaked in slaked lime water. This process, called nixtamalization, improves the nutritional value of the corn as well as its flavor & size. This version of posole is also known as hominy.

Posole stew is New Mexico comfort food and, along with green chile stew, a traditional holiday dish. It generally consists of posole, pork, and red or green chile.

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NEW MEXICO CUISINE QUICK FACTS:

• New Mexico state fruit: Chile (red and green)
• New Mexico state question: “Red or Green?” This refers to the kind of chile you would like with your meal. To get both, simply answer “Christmas.”
• New Mexico state cookie: Biscochito, a crispy butter cookie flavored with anise and cinnamon.
• New Mexico produces more than 66,000 tons of chile annually. 

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Dinner at Orlando’s New Mexican Cafe in Taos

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Sopaipilla Factory Restaurant in Santa Fe

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Sopaipillas are a type of quick bread that is deep-fried in oil and puffs up, forming a hollow pocket in the middle. They have been eaten for thousands of years & are popular in the Southwest.

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Food is one of the best ways to learn about the places I visit. I’m looking forward to sharing more with you in the coming posts.