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, beans, and hot and spicy salsa, an uncooked vegetable sauce.
Take a trip to Massachusetts,however, and not a chili pepper nor a tortilla will you find in traditional meal. Influenced by the cold climate and the English-speaking people who settled there, the New England kitchen gives off the aromas of soups and stews and of meat that is roasted for hours in the oven. Potatoes, carrots, and turnips were popular, because these root vegetables grew well in the region and could be stored all winter long in the days before supermarkets and refrigerators.