A Spanish influence can be found in the sweet, anise-flavored cookies sold in New Mexico bakeries. They are prepared much as they were made in the kitchens of seventeenth-century Spain for the Christmas feast.
Some traditional foods of New Mexico that show both a native American and a Spanish heritage include enchiladas (corn tortillas stuffed with cheese, onions, tomatoes, chilies, and sometimes chicken or beef), pinto beans, black beans, and hot and spicy salsa, an uncooked vegetable sauce.