Assignment

Advanced Diploma in Hospitality Management

Module: HM 2008-Wine services & Knowledge By Student Id: Ft 110070 Ravie Kumar Mudaliar Lecturer name: Christina Lim Due date-18/04/2012

Contents

1. Introduction to wine cuisine.

2..

3. Mexican cuisine.

4. Mexican food pairing with wines.

5. Conclusion.

6. References.

Introduction

Mexican cuisine, a style of food that originates in Mexico, is known for its varied flavors, colourful decoration and variety of spices and ingredients, most of which are native to the country. The cuisine of Mexico has evolved through thousands of years of blending indigenous cultures, with later European elements added after the 16th century. In November 2010, Mexican cuisine was added by UNESCO to its lists of the world's "intangible cultural heritage" The staples of Mexican foods are typically corn and beans. Corn is used to make masa, a dough for tamales, tortillas, gorditas, and many other cornbased foods. Corn is also eaten fresh, as corn on the cob and as a component of a number of dishes. Squash and chili peppers are also prominent in Mexican cuisine. Mexican cuisine is considered one of the most varied in the world, after Chinese and Indian. The most frequently used herbs and spices in Mexican cuisine are chiles, oregano, cilantro, epazote, cinnamon, and cocoa. Chipotle, a smoke-

dried jalapeo chilli, is also common in Mexican cuisine. Many Mexican dishes also contain garlic and onions. Honey is an important ingredient in many Mexican dishes, such as the rosca de miel, a bundt-like cake, and in beverages such as balch. Next to corn, rice is the most common grain in Mexican cuisine.

Mexican dishes Traditional Mexican Dishes: Chiles en nogada Chiles en nogada is a dish from Mexican cuisine. The name comes from the Spanish word for the walnut tree, nogal.It consists of poblano chiles filled with picadillo (a mixture usually containing shredded meat, aromatics, fruits and spices) topped with a walnut-based cream sauce, called nogada. Milanesa The milanesa is a common meat dish. A milanesa consists of a thin slice of beef, or sometimes chicken or veal. Each slice is dipped into beaten eggs, seasoned with salt, and other condiments according to the cook's taste (like parsley and garlic). Each slice is then dipped in bread crumbs (or occasionally flour) and shallow-fried in oil, one at a time. Mole It is the generic name for a number of sauces used in Mexican cuisine, as well as for dishes based on these sauces.

Pozole It is a ritually significant, traditional pre-Columbian soup or stew from Mexico. It is made from nixtamalized cacahuazintle corn, with meat, usually pork, chicken, turkey, pork rinds, chili peppers, and other seasonings and garnish. Cecina In Mexico, most cecina is of two kinds: sheets of beef that are marinated and a pork kind that is pounded thin and coated with chili pepper (this type is called cecina enchilada, Mixiotes A mixiote is a traditional pit-barbecued meat dish in central Mexico; especially in the Basin of Mexico. It can also be prepared in an oven. It is usually made with mutton or rabbit, but chicken is also used. The meat is cubed with the bone and seasoned with pasilla and guajillo chili peppers, cumin, thyme, marjoram, bay leaves, cloves and garlic. It is then wrapped in small packages made of the tough semitransparent outer skin of the leaves of the maguey or century plant, which gives it a unique flavor.Diced

nopales are often included with the meat before wrapping. Chile relleno is a dish of Mexican cuisine that originated in the city of Puebla. It consists of a roasted fresh poblano pepper (a mild chili pepper named after the city of Puebla), sometimes substituted with non-traditional Hatch chile, Anaheim, pasilla or even jalapeo chili pepper. In its earliest incarnations, it was described as a "green chile pepper stuffed with minced meat and coated with eggs".[1] In current cuisine, it is typically stuffed with melted cheese, such as queso Chihuahua or queso Oaxaca or picadillo meat made of diced pork, raisins and nuts, seasoned with canella; covered in an egg batter or simply corn masa flour and fried.[2] Although it is often served in a tomato sauce, the sauces can vary. There are versions in Mexico using rehydrated dry chiles such as anchos or pasillas. Barbacoa is a dish of Mexican cuisine that originated in the city of Puebla. It consists of a roasted fresh poblano pepper (a mild chili pepper named after the city of

Puebla), sometimes substituted with non-traditional Hatch chile, Anaheim, pasilla or even jalapeo chili pepper. In its earliest incarnations, it was described as a "green chile pepper stuffed with minced meat and coated with eggs".[1] In current cuisine, it is typically stuffed with melted cheese, such as queso Chihuahua or queso Oaxaca or picadillo meat made of diced pork, raisins and nuts, seasoned with canella; covered in an egg batter or simply corn masa flour and fried.[2] Although it is often served in a tomato sauce, the sauces can vary. There are versions in Mexico using rehydrated dry chiles such as anchos or pasillas. Romeritos Romeritos is a Mexican dish from Mexico City, consisting of sprigs of a wild plant known as Romerito (Suaeda spp.) that looks like rosemary, therefore its name. Usually they are served with patties of dried shrimp, and potatoes in a mole sauce. They are traditionally enjoyed at Christmas and Lent. Cochinita pibil

is a traditional Mexican slow-roasted pork dish from the Yucatn Pennsula. Preparation of traditional cochinita or puerco pibil involves marinating the meat in strongly acidic citrus juice, coloring it with annatto seed, and roasting the meat while it is wrapped in banana leaf.

Mexican wine

Mexico is the oldest wine-making region in the Americas. In 1549, Spanish explorers and settlers came across a fertile valley in the presentday state of Coahuila where they encountered native vines and founded the Mission of Santa Mara de las Parras or "Holy Mary of the Vines". In 1597, the Hacienda de San Lorenzo was established by the Spanish settler Don Lorenzo Garca, where he founded, along with other Spanish missionaries, Casa Madero - the oldest winery house in the Americas. Many of the vines from Parras de la Fuente, Coahuila and other places in Mexico were the first to be exported and cultivated in what is now California, as well as other

provinces in Northern New Spain and other Spanish colonies in South America. In 1699, the King of Spain- alarmed by competition from the New World- prohibited wine production in New Spain, with the exception of wines for the church. The prohibition lasted until the Mexico's independence from Spain in 1810. Several Mexican wines which have achieved important international recognitions and received medals for their outstanding quality, such as Santo Toms, Monte Xanic, L.A. Cetto, Chateau Camou and Vinos Casa de Piedra. In 2008, Mexican Wines won top places in the "Decanter World Wine Awards", the "San Francisco International", "Mundus Vini Deutschland Neustadt", and the "International Wine and Spirit Competition".

Major wine producing regions & vintages in MexicoNearly 6,200 acres (2,500 ha) are

planted to grapes in Mexico. Principal white wine grapes include chenin blanc, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and viognier, and reds include all five Bordeaux varietals plus Grenache, tempranillo, dolcetto, syrah and petite sirah.[9] There are three areas in Mexico where wine grapes are grown. The North area includes Baja California and Sonora; the La Laguna area is in Coahuila and Durango and the Center area consists of Zacatecas, Aguascalientes and Quertaro. Most of these areas have a fairly warm climate, which tend to make Mexican wines spicy, full-bodied and ripe; however, Northern Bajas humid winters, dry warm summers and sea breezes allow for most of the same varietals produced in California.[1] The La Laguna region is the oldest wine-making area of Mexico, and straddles the states of

Coahuila and Durango, with grapes thriving in the Parras Valley. This valley is a microclimate in the desert area of these states at an altitude of 1,500 meters.[10] The valley has warm days, cool nights and low humidity which inhibits insect and fungus damage to the vines. Mountain springs provide sufficient water in this arid part of Mexico.[1] The temperature difference of 12 C (21.6 F) between day and night is also beneficial to the grapes.[10] The valley primarily produces reds based on Bordeaux such as cabernet sauvignon, Shiraz, merlot and Tempranillo. Some whites are produced as well.[1] More than 400 families come to the Parras Valley in August and September for the annual grape harvest called la vendimia.[15] The most important winery here is Casa Madero, the oldest winery in the New

World, founded in 1597 as Hacienda San Lorenzo. This label includes a range of varietals, with its chardonnay, chenin blanc and Syrah winning awards. Its brandies are considered among the best in Mexico. Another important winery here is Bodegas Ferrino, founded by a 19th century Italian immigrant near the town of Cuatro Cinegas.[1] Another interesting winery is located in Tarahumara country at the edge of the Copper Canyon in Chihuahua, in a small valley named Cerocahui. The Center region consists of areas in Quertaro, Zacatecas and Aguascalientes. Most vineyards in Zacatecas are in the municipalities of Ojocaliente and Valle de la Macarena. The North zone produces ninety percent of Mexicos wines today, with almost all of that coming from three regions not far from the

port city of Ensenada: the San Antonio de las Minas zone, which includes the Valley of Guadalupe, the San Vicente Valley and the Santo Toms Valley. Grapes for Baja California wines are also grown in areas in neighboring Sonora state.[2] The varieties of red wine produced in the Baja California region are Cabernet Sauvignon, Ruby Cabernet, Zinfandel Grenache and Mission. The white wines are Chenin Blanc, Palomino, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Smillon, Saint Emilion and Malaga. There are three major wine producers in this area, Vinos L.A. Cetto in the Calafia Valley, Vinos Pedro Domecq and Bodegas de Santo Toms in the Santo Toms Valley. All have had wines that won international competitions including the Double Gold won by L.A. Cetto at the San Francisco International Wine Competition in

May 2009. Many of these wines are now exported to Europe, the U.S. and Canada, and most wineries offer tours and wine tasting.

Mexican food & Wine pairing The food and wine pairing is very important. It is the is the process of pairing food with wine to enhance the dining experience. The main thing behind this that retain elements present in the food react with certain elements in wine providing very harmful effects which may be very harmful for human health. wine experts believe that the

most basic element of food and wine pairing is understanding the balance between the weight of the food and the weight of the wine. Beyond weight, flavors and textures can either be contrasted or complemented. In food and wine pairings, the most basic element considered is "weight"-the balance between the weight of the food and the weight or "body" of the wine.

Melon and prosciutto and dry Muscat. The perfumy, grapey character of the Muscat Terre di Orazios bottling is particularly goodcomplements the melon, while the saltiness of the prosciutto makes a nice counterpoint to the wines ebullient fruitiness.

Black truffles and old Burgundy or white truffles and old Barolo. Truffles have a wild, musky, earthy depth that goes very well with the aromas and flavorsgaminess, spice notes, earth, dried fruits and, well, trufflesthat these wines acquire over time.

Raw Belon oysters and steely, crisp Muscadet. Belons are difficult to pair with wine because of the intensely briny, almost metallic edge to their flavor, but Muscadets vibrantly tart citrus notes are like a squirt of lemon juice (but the taste is even better).

Plain roasted chicken and really good cru Beaujolais, like the Cte de Brouilly from Chteau Thivin. Cru Beaujolais is one of

the worlds most underrated wines, and its fruit character (shading from cherry to blueberry or blackberry, depending on the village) and graceful structure really shine with a simple dish like this; it doesnt overwhelm the food. Plus, chicken and Beaujolais are both really good the next day, lightly chilled.

Dark chocolate desserts and Bual or Malmsey Madeira. Chocolate is very hard to pair with wines, but Madeiras combination of acidity and sweetness works extremely well with it.

Conclusion

Mexican cuisine has a long and varied history and it represents a variety of foods that are varied and rich. Presented with a slim variety of foods that are deemed Mexican, North Americans certainly come to the conclusion that Mexican food is uniform and boring, which is far from the truth of its diversity of appealing tastes and textures, as well as its imaginative use of ingredients. Furthermore, there is the interesting fact that the basic diet stables of PreColumbian Mexico, corn and beans, are incredibly practical from a survival standpoint. In addition to marrying foods with complementary wines, many people like to create a contrast between various components in the dish and the wine in much the same way that you would balance

sweet dessert recipe with a tangy sauce. This is as simple as enjoying a crisp acidic wine like a Sauvignon Blanc to cut through a very buttery sauce, or possibly a more oaky Chardonnay with a very tart or sweet dish. The result is different, but the approach remains the same consider the flavor of both the wine and food to create a specific taste experience.

References
www.gourmetsleuth.com Articles Wine and Alcohol www.rickbayless.com/recipes/wine_pairings.html www.cookinglight.com Entertaining Wine wine services & knowledge-2008