Mexican Food and Gazpacho

I think a lot about food origins.  As I make guacamole, I think, āhuacamolli from the Aztec language of Nahuatl.  I think avocado - from Mexico, onions - from all over, chilies - from Mexico, cilantro - from south Asia, but equivalents exist in Mexico, lime juice - from east Asia, and salt.  Seems like we have something that is pretty traditional that we could have eaten centuries ago, assuming the lime juice is substituted for some other acid, such as vinegar, which was available to all cultures.

So I've been cooking Mexican this week and I realized that Mexican and Middle Eastern cooking are very similar.  First, the ingredient lists line up very well.  Cumin, citrus juices, peppers, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, cilantro, etc.  Second is the focus on freshness.  Raw tomatoes, herbs, vegetables, and fresh crumbly cheeses (feta and queso fresco) are staples of the the cuisines.  Modern Mexican is even beginning to use a lot of olive oil, which is produced out in Baja California.  It is funny that the Mexicans have adopted Middle Eastern ingredients and the Middle Easterners have adopted Mexican ingredients until they both kind of met in the middle.  It is very odd to think of Sichuan, Indian, and Thai cuisines without chili peppers, but until the Europeans hauled them out of Mexico a few centuries back, none of these cuisines were spicy, unless you count black pepper as "spicy", which I wouldn't.  You can only incorporate so much black pepper until the meal become unpalatable (and ridiculously expensive in the days before industrial agriculture).

It is unfortunate that Mexican food has been dominated by "package" presentation.  Everything is wrapped in some fashion, whether it be burritos, tacos, tamales, enchiladas, empanadas, etc.  I for one don't generally make "package" food, as it doesn't really keep that well, getting quickly soggy.  Fortunately, it doesn't have to be this way.

It being summer, I was dying for some gazpacho and what better source for a gazpacho recipe than the homeland of tomatoes - Mexico.  I optimized this recipe from Marge Poore's 1,000 Mexican recipes.  Use "good" tomatoes and not the ones strip mined from Texas that you buy during off-seasons.  These are flavorless.  I used Romas, but farmer's market ones would be even better.


Mexican Gazpacho

2 lbs fresh tomatoes
1/2 cucumber, seeded and peeled
1 celery rib, chopped
2 tbsp chopped onion
1-2 minced garlic cloves
1 diced jalapeno
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
12oz tomato juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt or to taste

1) Put everything in food processor and puree to a liquid
2) Refrigerate until cold.