Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month
Mexican dishes and drinks that originated in the northern border
By Sofía Danis - 2021-10-01T08:41:24Z
The Mexican cuisine, globally recognized for its ancestral preparations, hundreds of memorable recipes, and countless traditional dishes, is a source of pride for all Mexicans. Today, there are more than a dozen Mexican dishes and beverages that are firmly rooted in international culinary arts and proudly created in our country, but today we will focus on exploring the history of those that specifically emerged in the northern border.
Undoubtedly, the Caesar salad is one of the most popular dishes in restaurants and homes around the world, but not everyone knows that this famous salad was invented in Tijuana, Baja California, at the Caesar’s Hotel in 1924.
On July 4th, crowds of Americans crossed the border to celebrate their country’s independence day and packed the restaurants and bars in downtown Tijuana. The lodging run by the Italian brothers Caesar and Alessandro Cardini was no exception, and as the hours passed, the pantry of the Caesar’s Hotel was left with only a few eggs, anchovies, stale bread, romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, lemon, and pepper. In desperation to serve the hungry diners, Alessandro Cardini improvised a salad with those few ingredients and an unparalleled dressing to accompany it. Alessandro, who had been a pilot in the Italian army, named it aviator salad, but years later it would be known as Caesar salad in honor of the hotel of the Cardini brothers.
Today, the legendary Caesar’s Hotel continues to serve the Caesar salad the same way it was served that day, on long and firm leaves of romaine lettuce dressed with the iconic dressing, transporting crunchy croutons with every bite.
There are at least seven versions regarding the origin of this refreshing cocktail made from tequila, but the most convincing dates back to the 1940s at the Cantina Hussong located in Ensenada, Baja California. One night, a bartender named Carlos Orozco was captivated by the beauty of a woman at the cantina, so he offered to serve her a cocktail of his own creation. The woman agreed, and the creative bartender prepared a simple cocktail with tequila, ice, lime, and salt. Fascinated by the flavor of the drink, the woman asked the bartender the name of the novel cocktail. He, in turn, asked the beautiful woman her name, and she introduced herself as Margarita Henkel, daughter of the German ambassador. At that moment, Carlos Orozco announced that the unique drink would be named margarita. Today, there are countless variations of the unique Mexican cocktail made with tequila.
Ah, the nachos, crunchy tortilla chips drenched in melted cheese and topped with jalapeño slices. The story of this delicious dish takes us to the famous Club Victoria in Piedras Negras, Coahuila. In 1943, a group of American women, wives of commissioned soldiers from the army base Eagle Pass, decided to eat at the famous club. Not finding the chef, the Maître d' Ignacio García decided to improvise a dish composed of tortilla chips topped with melted Wisconsin cheese and some jalapeño slices for the delight of the foreign women. In just a couple of days, word spread about this delicious dish named Special Nachos—Nacho, in honor of the popular nickname given to people named Ignacio—which eventually became part of the Club Victoria menu. Today, there are countless varieties of nachos with different cheeses and various toppings for the enjoyment of both Mexicans and foreigners.
The story takes us to the Bar Acueducto of the Hotel Lucerna Mexicali located in Baja California, in 1966, when a regular customer requested a tomato juice to try to alleviate his hangover. On that occasion, the tomato juice was not enough, so the customer asked to have something added to enhance the already known remedy. The bartenders mixed the tomato juice with abalone juice, lime, salt, and different sauces resulting in a spicy, salty, and very refreshing drink that would cure the unbearable hangover in minutes.
Over time, the abalone juice began to be replaced by the brine from a can of clams, making the drink much more accessible to patrons and popularizing it as clamato—an anglicism derived from clam for clam and tomato for tomato. Today, clamato is prepared with tomato juice, clam brine, lime, salt, a mix of sauces, and garnished with celery sticks.
Who would have thought that a pizza with bean sauce, bacon, chorizo, jalapeño peppers, and red bell pepper would be a resounding success in Mexico and the United States? The story of the peculiar Mexican pizza takes us to a small business called Pizzas Giuseppis located in Agua Caliente, Tijuana, Baja California. In 1970, just a year after its opening, Juan José Plascencia created a pizza with very Mexican flavors that would become popular throughout the country and even become an iconic pizza flavor on the other side of the border. Today, the Mexican pizza is so popular that large food chains include this peculiar pizza on their menus.
The popular fusion of clamato with beer could not have originated anywhere other than Mexicali, Baja California. This story takes us to La Conga Bar in 1972, when José Angulo, the owner of the well-known bar, thought of combining the popular clamato with a cold beer, lime, and salt with powdered dry chili, eventually beginning to serve the new drink in a heavy glass colloquially known as copa Chabela. Over time, clamato with beer became popular as another effective remedy for hangovers and is now consumed throughout the country under various names such as chabela in Baja California; ojo rojo in Yucatán; clamacheve in Coahuila; cielo rojo in Guanajuato; gringa in Aguascalientes and michelada with clamato in Colima and Jalisco.
There is no doubt that both the ingredients and Mexican dishes and beverages have enriched the gastronomy of various cultures worldwide, to the extent that today it is possible to find Mexican flavors and culinary references no matter where you are.
The Caesar salad and its iconic dressing
Undoubtedly, the Caesar salad is one of the most popular dishes in restaurants and homes around the world, but not everyone knows that this famous salad was invented in Tijuana, Baja California, at the Caesar’s Hotel in 1924.
On July 4th, crowds of Americans crossed the border to celebrate their country’s independence day and packed the restaurants and bars in downtown Tijuana. The lodging run by the Italian brothers Caesar and Alessandro Cardini was no exception, and as the hours passed, the pantry of the Caesar’s Hotel was left with only a few eggs, anchovies, stale bread, romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, lemon, and pepper. In desperation to serve the hungry diners, Alessandro Cardini improvised a salad with those few ingredients and an unparalleled dressing to accompany it. Alessandro, who had been a pilot in the Italian army, named it aviator salad, but years later it would be known as Caesar salad in honor of the hotel of the Cardini brothers.
Today, the legendary Caesar’s Hotel continues to serve the Caesar salad the same way it was served that day, on long and firm leaves of romaine lettuce dressed with the iconic dressing, transporting crunchy croutons with every bite.
The margarita, a Mexican cocktail made with tequila
There are at least seven versions regarding the origin of this refreshing cocktail made from tequila, but the most convincing dates back to the 1940s at the Cantina Hussong located in Ensenada, Baja California. One night, a bartender named Carlos Orozco was captivated by the beauty of a woman at the cantina, so he offered to serve her a cocktail of his own creation. The woman agreed, and the creative bartender prepared a simple cocktail with tequila, ice, lime, and salt. Fascinated by the flavor of the drink, the woman asked the bartender the name of the novel cocktail. He, in turn, asked the beautiful woman her name, and she introduced herself as Margarita Henkel, daughter of the German ambassador. At that moment, Carlos Orozco announced that the unique drink would be named margarita. Today, there are countless variations of the unique Mexican cocktail made with tequila.
The nachos, crunchy tortilla chips, melted cheese, and jalapeño
Ah, the nachos, crunchy tortilla chips drenched in melted cheese and topped with jalapeño slices. The story of this delicious dish takes us to the famous Club Victoria in Piedras Negras, Coahuila. In 1943, a group of American women, wives of commissioned soldiers from the army base Eagle Pass, decided to eat at the famous club. Not finding the chef, the Maître d' Ignacio García decided to improvise a dish composed of tortilla chips topped with melted Wisconsin cheese and some jalapeño slices for the delight of the foreign women. In just a couple of days, word spread about this delicious dish named Special Nachos—Nacho, in honor of the popular nickname given to people named Ignacio—which eventually became part of the Club Victoria menu. Today, there are countless varieties of nachos with different cheeses and various toppings for the enjoyment of both Mexicans and foreigners.
The clamato, the famous Mexican “curacrudas”
The story takes us to the Bar Acueducto of the Hotel Lucerna Mexicali located in Baja California, in 1966, when a regular customer requested a tomato juice to try to alleviate his hangover. On that occasion, the tomato juice was not enough, so the customer asked to have something added to enhance the already known remedy. The bartenders mixed the tomato juice with abalone juice, lime, salt, and different sauces resulting in a spicy, salty, and very refreshing drink that would cure the unbearable hangover in minutes.
Over time, the abalone juice began to be replaced by the brine from a can of clams, making the drink much more accessible to patrons and popularizing it as clamato—an anglicism derived from clam for clam and tomato for tomato. Today, clamato is prepared with tomato juice, clam brine, lime, salt, a mix of sauces, and garnished with celery sticks.
The peculiar Mexican pizza
Who would have thought that a pizza with bean sauce, bacon, chorizo, jalapeño peppers, and red bell pepper would be a resounding success in Mexico and the United States? The story of the peculiar Mexican pizza takes us to a small business called Pizzas Giuseppis located in Agua Caliente, Tijuana, Baja California. In 1970, just a year after its opening, Juan José Plascencia created a pizza with very Mexican flavors that would become popular throughout the country and even become an iconic pizza flavor on the other side of the border. Today, the Mexican pizza is so popular that large food chains include this peculiar pizza on their menus.
The popular chabela, clamato with beer
The popular fusion of clamato with beer could not have originated anywhere other than Mexicali, Baja California. This story takes us to La Conga Bar in 1972, when José Angulo, the owner of the well-known bar, thought of combining the popular clamato with a cold beer, lime, and salt with powdered dry chili, eventually beginning to serve the new drink in a heavy glass colloquially known as copa Chabela. Over time, clamato with beer became popular as another effective remedy for hangovers and is now consumed throughout the country under various names such as chabela in Baja California; ojo rojo in Yucatán; clamacheve in Coahuila; cielo rojo in Guanajuato; gringa in Aguascalientes and michelada with clamato in Colima and Jalisco.
There is no doubt that both the ingredients and Mexican dishes and beverages have enriched the gastronomy of various cultures worldwide, to the extent that today it is possible to find Mexican flavors and culinary references no matter where you are.
