| One of the most widely grown crops in the world, | | | | European variety, which was unavailable in the |
| rice is the most important dietary staple in much of | | | | country. |
| the world. It is actually the most commonly eaten | | | | Spanish Cuisine Adapted to Mexican Cuisine |
| grain on earth and is the basis of the traditional diet in | | | | After the Spanish began to grow rice in Mexico, it |
| eastern and southeastern Asia, much of Africa, the | | | | quickly became a hit, working its way into dishes, |
| Caribbean and the region known as Latin America, | | | | which combined old and new ingredients, with some |
| spanning South, Central, and parts of North America. | | | | of the results now known as authentic Mexican rice |
| While rice is grown in the US and is indeed a common | | | | recipes. One dish, which we think of as Spanish as |
| food here, it is in Mexico that North America can be | | | | can be is paella, but a look at the ingredients |
| said to truly have a culinary tradition including rice in | | | | commonly, used in this dish reveal something very |
| an important role. It is second only to corn in its | | | | interesting. For example, tomato is a common |
| importance to Mexican cooking and there are far too | | | | ingredient; a new world ingredient, which must |
| many Mexican rice recipes to list here. | | | | inevitably have found its way into a pot of rice and |
| As central as rice is to Mexican cooking, it is a | | | | seafood long before a cook in Valencia, thought to |
| relatively recent arrival in the grand scheme of things, | | | | do the same. |
| having arrived in what is now Mexico with colonists | | | | Of course, even Spanish paella happens to have a |
| and explorers from Spain and Portugal. The peoples | | | | slight Mexican accent due to the inclusion of |
| of the new world took to the new grain with | | | | tomatoes and quite often, bell peppers - both of |
| enthusiasm and rice was soon one of the most | | | | which are native to the Americas and were brought |
| important staples in the Mexican kitchen. Some of | | | | back to Europe from the new world! Needless to |
| the dishes, which are now considered to be traditional | | | | say, this is also a very popular Mexican rice dish with |
| Mexican rice recipes date from the early days after | | | | many regional variations being found throughout |
| rice, began to be cultivated in the Americas. | | | | Mexico, especially in coastal regions of the country. |
| Traditional Mexican Rice Recipes | | | | Another well-known traditional Mexican rice recipe is |
| Arroz con pollo is both a classic Mexican rice dish and | | | | the seasoned rice, which is often served along with |
| a classic Mexican chicken dish. From the Spanish for | | | | bean dishes and almost everything else. This recipe is |
| "rice with chicken," this is the Mexican take on this | | | | very similar to what is also called "Spanish rice" but |
| timeless comfort food and it is an incredibly satisfying | | | | just like paella, Mexico has its own version of this |
| one. This is one Mexican rice recipe you may want to | | | | ubiquitous side dish and happens to be the original |
| try making at home - it is a great change of pace | | | | home of some of its ingredients! |
| from the familiar American version with canned soup. | | | | Rice has become almost as important of a dietary |
| Arroz con pollo is an excellent example of how | | | | staple in Mexico as it is in much of the world. It may |
| recipes, which originated in Spain, became Mexican | | | | not have been in the Mexican culinary repertoire as |
| recipes through adaptation to use locally available | | | | long as corn or chilies, but it has found a happy place |
| ingredients as well as to work in flavors and | | | | in this one of a kind cuisine and if you enjoy any of |
| ingredients, which became popular with the European | | | | these wonderful Mexican rice recipes, you are |
| settlers. In the case of this recipe, tomatoes found | | | | certainly glad that it made its way over to the |
| their way in to the cooking pot, as did the more | | | | Americas. |
| assertive Mexican oregano as a substitute for the | | | | |