To understand and appreciate the food in any one region, it often helps to know the area's history.
For example, New Mexico was once the home of the Pueblo Indians, who lived in villages and grew
native crops, such as corn, beans, pumpkins, and squash. Later, Spanish settlers arrived in this
area. These two groups exchanged ideas and customs and passed these customs on to their
descendants. This intermingling; i.e., combination, of cultures is obvious in the food of New
Mexico.
3 New Mexican meals make much use of corn, blended –mixed– into soups or sauces. Native blue
corn is quite delicious when it is served as blue corn bread, chips, or tortillas. In the markets of New
Mexico, you can still find chicos, or sun-dried corn. Chicos last a long time, but when soaked and
boiled, they taste almost like fresh corn. Many recipes also contain pinon or pine nuts, the small
sweet seeds of the southwestern pine tree.