Authentic Flavors: It’s All About the Spices

Sep 15 2022

If you love Mexican food in NH—and who doesn’t, really—you know that it has a distinctive flavor profile unlike any other cuisine. You can’t possibly mistake the tastes and smells of Mexican food for anything else. But have you ever wondered exactly what gives your favorite Mexican dishes their distinctive delicious flavors? We have the answers at Don Ramon because we know authentic cooking is all about getting the flavors right.

And how do we get the flavors right in our NH Mexican food? It’s all about the spices.

Garlic

Usually paired with onions or onion powder, you’ll find garlic in several Mexican dishes and foods. The most common places you’ll find garlic are in taco seasoning and salsa. But makes an appearance in other foods, too, like Spanish rice.

Chili Powder

Mexican food is more flavorful than spicy, but when it has a kick, that’s from the chili powder. Chili powder isn’t just dried chilies, though. The chilies are added to a mixture of other common Mexican spices, including cumin, coriander, oregano, and garlic. There is no one set recipe for chili powder, however, and each type of chili also has its own distinct flavor.

Cilantro

Cilantro is everywhere in Mexican cuisine. You’ll find it in salsa, mixed in with rice, on beans, and with countless other foods. To most people, it has a citrus flavor with slightly earthy undertones. However, some people have a genetic trait that makes cilantro smell like soap to them. Despite that odd taste, many of those people still enjoy cilantro in Mexican food.

Cumin

Although it originates somewhere in the Mediterranean, cumin is very easy to grow, so its popularity quickly spread around the globe. Cumin has a unique, toasted flavor that is difficult to replicate using other spices. The flavor can easily overwhelm a dish, so it is most often found in things like taco seasoning, where other spices can balance it out.

Oregano

Mexican oregano is different from Mediterranean oregano, which is what you would find in Italian food, for example. The Mexican variety is earthier and is one of the primary spices that gives Mexican cuisine its distinctive flavor that sets it apart from other food.

Come to Don Ramon for Mexican Food in NH!

With its unique and rich flavors, it’s no wonder that Mexican food is so popular. If you’re craving those flavors and spices after reading this, we can’t blame you! Come to Don Ramon for some authentic Mexican food in NH!