Receta Mexican Stroganoff
Columbus embarked on
the first of what would be four voyages, reaching the Bahamian Islands on
10/12/1492.
He
discovered a thriving indigenous people, the Taino
(a tribe of the native Arawaks), who drew sustenance from native crops, fish,
and game. Maize, beans, squash, and seafood were central components of the
native diet. In one of his logs, Columbus described a native meal, which was
comprised of fish and “bread which tasted exactly as if it were made of
chestnuts.”
Wild
fowl (turkey) and fish were the main sources of meat. Other regional crops
included cacao (chocolate), maize, tomato, potato, capsicum, peppers, cassava,
pumpkins, and groundnuts (peanuts). Fruits enhanced the native diet, such as
pineapple, guava, avocado and papaya. Most of these foods were new and
unfamiliar to Columbus and his crew. In Hispaniola, the first settlement in the
New World, the native foods of the Taino tribe became an important source of
sustenance to the European colonizers.
In
the early days of Hispaniola, many European colonizers died due to disease. At
that time, their demise was largely attributed to malnutrition. While European
settlers enjoyed native foods made with maize and cassava, they believed that
somehow their bodies were not equipped to handle these foods. On voyages to the
New World, Columbus brought with him European foodstuffs that would drastically
change the cultural and ecological landscape of the Americas.
Certain
native foods were considered “barbaric” by European settlers, because they were
unfamiliar. Ironically, other foods were adopted readily, including chile
peppers, cacao, and pineapple. Settlers enjoyed native foods like atole (a
sweet, hot drink made from masa), pinole (toasted maize meal), scalded
plantains, butter of the cacao, and puddings made with fowl.
European
colonizers had difficulty adjusting to the new food culture of the Americas,
they took a toll on the native landscape as well. Before Columbus came to the
New World, it is estimated that some 250,000 natives Arawaks lived on the
Bahamian islands. By the early 1500’s, less than 15,000 remained, most having
perished after exposure to European diseases (for which they had no immunity).
The Spanish hoped to
Europeanize the native populations of the islands of the Caribbean and convert
them to Catholicism. By attributing the deaths of European settlers to native
foods, they were buoying their argument for the superiority of European food and,
simultaneously, European values. This strange intersection of native American
foods and European crops gave rise to a brand new food culture, which we still
enjoy the fruits of today.
Research Source: The History kitchen
Mexican
Stroganoff a great meal with no fuss. Perfect weeknight meal.
Mexican
Stroganoff
Copyrighted
2013, Christine’s Pantry. All rights reserved.
Ingredients:
8
- ounces egg noodles
- 1
- pound ground beef
- 1
- teaspoon garlic powder
- salt
- and pepper to taste
- 1
- onion, chopped
- 1
- (26 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce with mushrooms
- 1
- (4 oz.) can diced green chilies
- 1
- tablespoon chili powder
- 1
- teaspoon cumin
- 1/2
- teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/2
- cup Mexican cheese blend
Directions:
Cook
pasta according to package directions. Drain. Set aside in colander.
In
large pot over medium heat, add ground beef, garlic powder, salt and pepper,
cook until no longer pink, 5 to 8 minutes. Add onions just before ground beef is cooked,
cook about 2 minutes.
Stir
in spaghetti sauce, diced green chilies, chili powder, cumin and crush red
pepper.
Return
noodles to pot, reduce heat to medium low, cook about 4 to 5 minutes, until
combined and heated through. Stir often.
Just
before serving, top with Mexican cheese blend. Enjoy!