National Day of Mexican Gastronomy

Ancestral legacy

The cultures scattered throughout the country are heirs to a complex tradition developed over three or four millennia, in worldviews where the nourishment of body and soul have always been intertwined. Here's a taste to celebrate their expressions on Mexican Gastronomy Day.

Food for the body and soul: the gods of corn

For the Mesoamerican nations, food was imbued with a ritualistic character, as it nourished both body and soul. Despite the diversity in their worldviews and dietary habits, the gods of corn stand out as a common divine element.

Abundance of supplies at the navel of the moon

Bernal Díaz del Castillo, the most important chronicler of New Spain, described in great detail the vast biological and cultural offering of the markets of Tenochtitlán; due to its wealth and magnitude, one of the most impressive for the chronicler was that of Tlatelolco.

Since we had never seen anything like it, we were amazed by the multitude of people and merchandise. Let's go to those selling beans, chia seeds, and other legumes and herbs. Let's go to those selling chickens, turkeys, rabbits, hares, deer, ducks, small dogs, and other things, and also those selling honey, taffy, and other sweets made like fritters. There were also fishmongers and others selling small loaves of something like mud (ahuautle) that they collect from that lagoon, which curdles and has a flavor similar to cheese.

Traditional Mexican cuisine: a communal, ancestral and living culture and the paradigm of Michoacán

Taking into account the paradigm of Michoacán cuisine, UNESCO added for the first time the food tradition of a country to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity within the framework of the Fifth session of the Intergovernmental Committee in Nairobi, Kenya.

The criteria

To consider Mexican cuisine as a World Heritage Site, these were the considerations highlighted by UNESCO:

Traditional Mexican cuisine is central to the cultural identity of the communities that practice it and pass it on from generation to generation.

Its inclusion on the Representative List could increase the visibility of intangible cultural heritage and promote respect for cultural diversity and human creativity.

Current and planned protection measures include consultations and research projects, as well as practical training, with the support of the State and the communities concerned.

Traditional Mexican cuisine is included in the Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mexico, which is managed by the National Council for Culture and the Arts.

How to prepare the best traditional guacamole: step by step.

In the state of Michoacán and throughout Mexico, one can find groups of cooks and other practitioners of culinary traditions dedicated to improving crops and traditional cuisine. Their knowledge and techniques are an expression of community identity and help strengthen social bonds and consolidate a sense of identity at the national, regional, and local levels. The efforts made in Michoacán to preserve traditional cuisine also highlight its importance as a means of sustainable development.

Build your library

Here are some essential titles for your library to savor the cuisines of Mexico:

“Encyclopedic Dictionary of Mexican Gastronomy”, Ricardo Muñoz Zurita

“Stuffed Chiles in Mexico. Anthology of Recipes”, Ricardo Muñoz Zurita.

“Mexico: A Culinary Odyssey”, Diana Kennedy

“The taste of Mexico”, Patricia Quintana

“Oaxaca and its Traditional Cooks, a Gastronomic Treasure of Mexico”, Mexican Cuisine