hispanic culture and food in-service training april 8, 2003 barbara brown, ph.d., r.d./l.d. and...

Hispanic Culture and FoodIn-service Training

April 8, 2003

Barbara Brown, Ph.D., R.D./L.D.

and Stephany Parker, Ph.D.

April 8, 2003 Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

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Overview• Major stereotypes about

Hispanics• Regional variety• Common ingredients &

considerations• Fitting Mexican food to the

Pyramid• Learning to make good choices

away from home


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Major stereotypes about Hispanics

•Presumption that Hispanics are "foreign" Source: Office of Minority Health, U.S.

•Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services


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Major stereotypes: Race

• Hispanics are not a racial category–May be of many race

backgrounds–Many cultures combined

• Does not fit the “neat & tidy” system of US


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Major stereotypes about Hispanics: Language

• People assume Hispanics don’t speak English or learned recently

• Significant % of Hispanics speak no or minimal Spanish–Fluency less widespread in:•Urban Southwest & Midwest•Those in US longer•Younger people


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Major stereotypes:live in rural areas

• 90% live in urban areas

• Disproportionately high in rural workforce–Especially

migrant workers


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Major stereotypes:Not National presence

• Assumed concentrated only in certain regions–Southwest,

Pacific Coast, New York area, S. Florida


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Authentic Mexican• Rich in color and

flavor• Much variety in

ingredients– 60+ types of

chiles •Staples of many regional dishes


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Regional diversity


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Regional diversity

• Along coast: many seafood dishes• Inland & high-land mountain:

stews, intricate sauces & corn-based foods

• Desert areas: dishes containing cactus plants

• Often of blending of different cultures


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Regional variety

• Basic recipes vary widely in different regions–Most meals served as authentic

outside Mexico based on recipes from North or Central Mexico


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Tex-Mex

• Blended flavors of Northern Mexico & Southern US peoples–Native Americans–Cowboys–Mexicans


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Tex-Mex

• Traditional dishes altered by need & taste

• Most recognized in US as “Mexican food”

• Includes ingredients used in casseroles instead of served with tortillas

• Examples: chili, cornbread, tamale pie, fajitas


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Traditional eating pattern

• 3 meals/day• Each meal has 1

or more of:– Tortilla– Beans– Peppers

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Traditions

• Meals are social times with family & friends–Families eat

together at least once/day

– Lunch often eaten at home


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Traditions

• Leaving empty plate is impolite by well-to-do


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Common ingredients

• Carnes (meat)• Pescado (fish)• Mariscos

(shellfish)• Legumbres

(vegetables)• Frutas (fruits)• Nueces (nuts)

• Bebidas (drinks)• Especias

(spices)• Condimentos

(condiments)• Postres

(desserts)• Dulces

(sweets)


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Carnes (meat)

• Cabra: goat• Carne de Res:

beef• Carnero: lamb• Chorizo: spicey

sausage

• Hígado: liver• Jamón: ham• Lengua:

tongue• Pavo: turkey


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Carnes

• Pato: Duck• Pollo: Chicken• Puerco: Pork• Salchicha: Sausage• Ternera: Veal• Tocino: Bacon (salt

pork)


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Pescado (fish)

• Abulón: abalone

• Atún: tuna• Cabrilla: sea

bass• Jurel: yellowtail• Pargo: snapper• Tiburón: shark

• Huachinango: red snapper

• Pes Espada: swordfish

• Lenguado: flounder or sole


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Mariscos (shellfish)

• Calamar: squid• Almejas: clams• Callos:

scallops• Ostinones:

oysters

• Camarones: shrimp

• Cangreio or Jaiba: crab

• Langosta: lobster


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Legumbres (vegetables)

• Aceitunas: olives

• Apio: celery• Arroz: rice• Betabeles:

beets• Calabazas:

pumpkins or squash

• Camotes: sweet potatoes

• Cebolla: onion• Cebollita:

green onion


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Legumbres

• Chícharos: peas

• Champioñes: mushrooms

• Ejotes: green beans

• Elote: corn on the cob

• Ensalada: salad

• Lechuga: lettuce

• Maiz: corn off the cob


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Legumbres

• Nopales: "young" leaves of prickly pear cactus

• Pepino: cucumber

• Papas: potatoes

• Rábano: radish

• Repollo: cabbage

• Tomate: tomato

• Zanahoria: carrot


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Frijoles: dried beans

• Staple of Mexican food• Pinto most common–Also black, kidney, chickpeas


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Cooking methods

• Frijoles de la Olla –Beans cooked in pot

• Refried beans–Cooked beans mashed & fried

with lard or butter–Available canned•Full fat or 99% fat free


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Chilies: peppers

• Poblano• Ancho:

dried poblano

• Pasilla• Chiltepin• Green, red,

etc. bells

• Green chilies

• Serrano• Jalapeno• Cherry


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New Mexican (long green)


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Pepper varieties

• Ancho (before drying)

• Jalapeno


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Pepper varieties

• Habanero • Serrano


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Pepper varieties

• Cherry• Chiltepin


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Pepper heat

• Determined by:–Variety & variety within variety–Environment

• Capsaicin is cause–Concentrated in veins (not

seeds)


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Capsaicin


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How capsaicin works

• Stimulates nerve endings in mouth• Fools brain into thinking there is

pain• Brain releases endorphins– similar to morphine

• Mild euphoria results– can be mildly addictive because

of hot pepper "high"


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Determining pungency

• “Bite the chile”–Most

common method

–Quick, cheap–Painful


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Scoville organoleptic test

• How it works:–Taste chile sample & record

heat–Samples diluted in lab until

heat no longer detectable • Still subjective test• Limit on number of samples

tested in specific time period


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Scoville Heat Units ScalePepper Scoville

Units

Orange Habanero

210,000

Tabasco 120,000

Tepin 75,000

Chiltepin 70,000

Jalapeno 25,000

Cayenne 8,000

Serrano 4,000

Bell 0


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High performance liquid chromatography

• Most accurate method• Expensive test• How it works–Peppers dried & ground–Heat causing chemicals

extracted–Extract measured via

chromatography


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Other pepper products

• Chili powder• Cayenne pepper

or red pepper• Red pepper flakes• Hot pepper sauce


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Cutting the pain

• To relieve burning mouth choose milk, yogurt, sour cream

• Casein (protein) breaks bond with pain receptors


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Hominy

• Dried white or yellow corn with hull & germ removed–Mechanically or –Chemically by soaking corn in

slaked lime or lye• Sold canned, ready-to-eat or

dried• Served in posole or pozole


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Benefits of lye-treated corn

• Treating with lye increases–Usable protein–Niacin•Reduced incidence of pellegra–Dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia, death

• No benefit from mechanical method


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Tomatillos

• Not green tomatoes –Related to Cape

gooseberry• Green outer husk resembles

lantern• Light green & tart• Size varies from equal to a small

shallot to a lemon


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Tomatillos

• Easy to grow• Available canned• In home canned

salsa recipes use in place of red tomatoes


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Jicama

• AKA Mexican turnip• Large tuberous root• Eat raw or cooked–Peel & remove fibrous flesh

under skin–Stays crisp when cooked


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Frutas (fruits)

• Aguacate: Avocado

• Duraznos: Peaches

• Fresas: Strawberries

• Guayaba: Guava

• Higo: Fig

• Limón: Lime or Lemon

• Manzana: Apple


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Frutas (fruits)

• Melón: Melon• Naranja: Orange

Piña: Pineapple• Plátano: Banana• Sandía:

Watermelon• Toronja: Grapefruit• Uvas: Grapes


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Nueces (nuts)

• Cacahuates: peanuts

• Coco: coconut• Nuez de Castilla:

walnuts


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Bebidas (beverages)

• Aqua: water• Café: coffee• Crema: cream• Jugo de Naranja: orange juice• Leche: milk• Refrescos: soft drinks• Té Caliente: hot tea• Té Helado: iced tea


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Bebidas (alcoholic)

• Aguardiente: brandy

• Cerveza: beer• Ginebra: gin• Ron: rum• Vino Blanco:

white wine

• Vino de Champaña: champagne

• Vino Rosado: rose wine

• Vino Tinto: red wine


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Alcohol and cooking

• Can tenderize (acid)

• Adds flavor• Some evaporates– Leaves flavor, few

calories


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Cooking method using alcohol

% Retained

Added to boiling liquid & taken from heat

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Flamed 75

Baked 25 min, not stirred into mixture

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Baked/simmered, stirred into mixture

–30 min 35–1 hour 25–2 hours 10


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Alcohol substitutions

• Savory dishes: for 1 cup wine use–7/8 cup fat-free low-sodium

broth, white grape juice, apple juice or tomato juice

–+ 2 T fresh lemon juice or vinegar


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Alcohol substitutions & desserts

• Wine: fruit juice + dash balsamic vinegar

• Orange liqueur: frozen orange juice concentrate + grated orange zest

• Coffee liqueur: double-strength espresso or instant coffee made with 4-6 times amount normally used

• Brandy or rum: extracts


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Especias y Condimentos(spices & condiments)

• Ajo: garlic• Azucar: sugar• Canela:

cinnamon• Mantequilla:

butter• Mayonesa:

mayonaise• Miél: honey

• Mostaza: Mustard

• Parejíl: parsley• Pimienta:

pepper• Sal: salt• Vainilla:

vanilla


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Cilantro• Fresh green coriander

leaves & stems–Chinese parsley

• No substitute for flavor

• Wash just before using

• Use leaves & tender stems


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Store cilantro up to 1 week

• Refrigerated in plastic bagOR• Bunch placed, stems down, in

glass of water & covered with plastic bag–Bag secured to glass with rubber

band–Refrigerated & water changed

every 2—3 days


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Postres y Dulces(desserts & sweets)

• Bolillos: French-style Rolls• Flan: Custard• Galletas: Cookies• Helado: Ice Cream• Paleta: Flavored Ice on a Stick• Pan Dulce: Sweet Bread• Pastel: Cake• Pay: Pie


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Other foods

• Caldo: broth• Fideos:

noodles• Huevos: eggs• Pan: bread• Sopa: soup

• Tortilla• Masa Harina• Mole


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Queso: cheese

• Queso blanco—white, fresh, salty• Queso añejo—aged, salty,

crumbly cheese• Queso de Chihuahua–Eaten all over Mexico –Similar to a mild cheddar


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Cheese caution

• Avoid raw milk cheeses–Potential for contamination &

foodborne illness–Associated with Listeria

outbreak


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Tortillas

• Eaten at almost every meal• Everyday bread• Unleavened, round & flat• Made with corn flour (masa) or

wheat–Corn most common, flour in

north• Baked on griddle


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Tortilla uses

• Burritos: stuffed tortilla parcels• Enchiladas: tortillas dipped in

chili sauce, filled and baked• Flautas: fried rolled filled

tortillas• Quesadillas: folded with cheese

and fried


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Tortilla uses

• Tacos: warmed or fried tortillas folded & filled

• Tostadas: crisp fried tortillas topped with chilli or beans

• Tortilla Chips: cut into wedges & deep fried


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Mole sauce

• Rich, dark reddish-brown sauce• Usually a blend of onion, garlic,

varieties of peppers, ground seeds, & Mexican chocolate–Chocolate gives richness, not

sweetness


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Fitting in Mexican food

• Can be good fit with food guide pyramid


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Not so well fitted taco

• Crunchy taco shell• Extra meat (ground beef)• Extra cheese–Melted bits scratched from

paper


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Not so well fitted taco

• Sour cream• Lettuce,

tomato, olive slice–Most falls off

& is not eaten


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Better built taco

• Soft tortilla• Grilled meat, not ground• Less cheese or reduced fat• Reduced fat sour cream or omit• Salsa• Extra lettuce, tomato, olives


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Restaurant meals

• Can be high fat, sodium–Beef & Cheese Nachos had fat

= ten glazed doughnuts–Chicken Burrito dinner had a

day's worth sodium–Chile Relleno dinner had

saturated fat = 27 bacon slicesSource: Center for Science in the Public Interest


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Eating Mexican out: Limit side orders

• Rice: over 800mg sodium per 3/4 cup


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Beans

• Almost as much sodium as rice

• Much fat included if refried– Lard, bacon,

cheese


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Other sides with fat

• Sour cream• Guacamole• Salad

dressing• Butter


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Poor choices when eating Mexican out: Main dishes

• Tortillas softened in oil or deep-fried

• Filling ingredients fried• Smothered in melted cheese• High fat sides used as toppings–Sour cream–Guacamole


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Healthy eating out: choose

• Low-fat appetizers–Gazpacho (cold tomato soup),

black bean or tortilla soup, jicama with salsa

• Salsa on meal & chips–No butter, sour cream,

guacamole• Beans: cooked in pot, not

refried


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Limit fried chips


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Healthy entrée choices

• Baked, grilled, stir-fried: enchiladas, fajitas


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Healthy entrée choices

• Order regular plate– Combo plates often

larger – Don’t “super size”


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Taco salad

• Eat less tortilla shell or chips

• Grilled or baked meat

• Salsa instead of dressing or sour cream

• Limit cheese


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Good choices

• Fajitas, burritos, quesadillas, soft tacos– Limit high fat ingredient

toppings


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Large portion solutions

Share with friend


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Large portion solutions• To-go box at start–Food safety

considerations•2 hours at room temperature•Transfer to appropriate container at home


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Review

• Examined common stereotypes about Hispanics

• There is much regional variety• Looked at common ingredients &

considerations for healthier choices


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Review

• How to fit Mexican food to the Pyramid

• How to make good choices away from home


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hispanic culture and food in-service training april 8, 2003 barbara brown, ph.d., r.d./l.d. and...

Documents

home slide

florida slide

welltodo slide

central mexico slide

neat tidy system of

race hispanics

regional dishes

hispanics presumption