Hispanic food is a successful blending of ancient haute cuisine and the upscale fast-food fare of the 1980s. Skillfully prepared and seasoned, the inexpensive staples of rice, beans, and corn are receiving their deserved esteem.
Although the term Hispanic food conjures up visions of tacos, enchiladas, chili, tortillas, refried beans, and guacamole, such standbys are just a small sampling of Latin American cuisine. The range of tastes is extensive, with food from twenty-two countries representing every kind of terrain and climate.
Authentic Spanish restaurants, complete with an aesthetic, intimate ambience enhanced by flamenco guitar and traditional dancers with castanets and staccato heels have prospered in America. In Washington, D.C., El Bodegon is a twenty-six-year-old establishment in a city where restaurants open and close with the blink of an eye. Jose A. Lopez-Guerra, owner for the past eight years, makes sure that the food and entertainment are top quality. The extensive menu includes a wide variety of tapas (appetizers), literally meals in themselves, adhering to the custom of old Madrid.
Despite the elegance of today's Spanish cookery, many of the dishes originated as peasant food. Flan--an egg custard-- and sponge cake, pot-au-feu, and paella began in farmhouses and were prepared differently in each region. There are about thirty different varieties of gazpacho (a cold soup) in La Mancha and Andalusia. Gazpacho was originally prepared in the fields in a large wooden bowl and eaten directly from the bowl with a wooden spoon. Americans north and south of the border have a dozen or more versions, which, unlike those made in oldtime farmhouse kitchens, call for electric blenders.
Mexico
Hispanic foods reflect the impact of invasions and racial mixture. In Mexico, the cuisine is basically a blend of Indian and Spanish. Some call it Aztec plus pig, referring to the hogs brought by Spaniards and the lard used for frying. Before the European conquest, the Indians used no cooking fats or oils, preferring to cook tortillas on pottery griddles. Probably half of all Mexican food nowadays is fried before or after boiling.
Tortillas are the bread of Mexico, eaten plain or with a little chili. They are made of corn meal, patted into thin unleavened cakes, and toasted or fried. Tortillas can serve as plates, forks, and scoopers for soft foods and soup. With food rolled up inside, the combination becomes a taco, a kind of sandwich. Similarly, a stuffed and rolled flour tortilla is a burro--or, as it is commonly known in the United States--a burrito. A fancier version is the enchilada, which is dipped in a sauce of green or red tomato and fired in deep fat. It is then rolled up like a taco with such fillings as shredded lettuce, onion, cheese, chopped tomato, chopped chicken breast, or coriander. The remaining sauce is poured over the top and can be sprinkled with chopped onion and shredded cheese. There are endless uses for leftover tortillas, particularly in casseroles.
Then there are tostadas, tiny canapé-sized tortillas filled with meat, cheese, sauce, beans, or vegetables and folded like a turnover, with edges crimped and then fried in deep fat. Again, there are endless variations--dough seasoned with dried chili or cheese,
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