Mexico is proud of its many different flavors of food By Agence France-Presse, adapted by Newsela staff on 05.15.18 Word Count 471 Level 580L A dish of little tacos of Piper auritum stuffed with Oaxaca cheese, chapulines (grasshooper), beans, Morita chili sauce and radish at Mexican chef Alejandro Ruiz's Guzina Oaxaca restaurant in Mexico City, Mexico, in 2016. Photo: Omar Torres/AFP/Getty Images Mexican food is very popular around the world. Many people love its tacos. But Mexico is a huge country. It has many states. Each area has different foods. They often go ignored from the rest of the world until now. Many top chefs love these less-popular foods, too. One of the chefs exploring different Mexican foods is Alejandro Ruiz. He runs the Mexico City restaurant called Guzina Oaxaca. It is becoming very popular. Young Cook Grew Up Ruiz comes from the southern state of Oaxaca. He grew up grinding corn. Tortillas are made from corn. He cooked for his family. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
His restaurant is a celebration of his home state. "Where I come from, the kitchen is the most important part of the home," Ruiz says. A Nation Of Many People And Many Flavors In northern Mexico, there are deserts. In the south are rain forests. In between, there are long coastlines along the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. There are many different areas. Each has its own plants and animals. That means each area's foods are different, too. In Oaxaca, empanadas de mole are popular. They are pastries made with a rich chocolate sauce. In central Mexico, many people love escamoles. They are ant eggs. Many different people have lived in Mexico. There are native groups who have long lived in the country. There are also Spanish flavors. These came in from Spanish conquerors who invaded Mexico, and from slaves who came from Africa. Some flavors even come from the United States, Mexico's neighbor to the north. New Foods In Every Direction Laura Siciliano-Rosen writes for the food website Eat Your World. In Mexico, you can eat delicious tacos on the street. To try something different, just travel a few hours away by bus. Then, "suddenly you're eating turkey and hardboiled eggs and these really rich pastes called 'recados,'" she says. These are from the Yucatan region. Restaurants Make The Top 50 List William Drew helps write the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. It is very important to chefs. He agrees with Siciliano-Rosen. The mixture of foods is what has made so many people love Mexican restaurants. Mexico has two restaurants in the current top 50. They are Enrique Olvera's Pujol and Jorge Vallejo's Quintonil, both in Mexico City. The top Mexican restaurant, Pujol, comes in at number 20. Proud Of Their Foods Mauricio Avila works for the Mexican government. He works to preserve Mexico's cooking history. Mexicans are proud of their food. But, they do not usually boast about it, he says. Now, the government is celebrating Mexico's traditional regional foods. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
The Mexican government has released a huge history book. It is called "Indigenous and Popular Cuisine." It has 78 parts. Each is about a different place, ingredient or group of people. There are many delicious new foods to taste. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
Quiz 1 Why do the flavors of Mexican foods change based on the region they come from? because each has its own chefs who tell people what to eat because each has its own kinds of plants and animals to eat because each one has different websites about food and travel because each one has people who are learning new recipes 2 Why do Laura Siciliano-Rosen and William Drew think that Mexican food has become more popular? It has been made the same way for a long time. It has many people who like to boast about it. It has a mixture of different kinds of foods. It has been preserved by the government. 3 Read the selection from the introduction [paragraphs 1-3]. They often go ignored from the rest of the world until now. Many top chefs love these less-popular foods, too. Which word could replace "ignored" WITHOUT changing the meaning of the sentence? unnoticed approved watched developed This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
4 Read the sentence from the section "Proud Of Their Foods." Now, the government is celebrating Mexico's traditional regional foods. What is the BEST definition of "celebrating" as it is used in the sentence above? thinking and remembering singing and dancing laughing and performing honoring and sharing This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5