how did cumin and coriander become popular in mexico?

Question

since it is used in arasian(southern and western asian) food usually. And most of Mexicos culture is spanish, and I havent heard of cumin much in european food. plus i dont know of any mideastern influences.

Answer 1

Coriander is native to southwestern Asia west to north Africa. Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) (sometimes written cummin) is a flowering plant native from the east Mediterranean to East India. Cumin is not that much used in authentic Mexican food. Very few Mexican dishes called for this ingredient. It´s more like a tex-mex or southwestern tendency to add cumin to every salsa, enchilada, burrito (which, by the way, is not Mexican food)... Cilantro is much commonly used in Mexico.

Answer 2

They are both native to Mexico, coriander is cilantro and cumin is cumin also note there is a Mexican oregano, sold in stores. A lot of spices come from Mexico, the climate is perfect and the food is fantastic. However, other cusinise are better know for the spice... The is even a Mexican curry..

Answer 3

"Coriander" in Mexican cooking is actually Cilantro, used as a fresh garden green and not the seeds. This spice will grow most anywhere and has travelled around the globe, probably brought by the Spanish to Mexico. After 500 years, it just becomes part of the native culture.

Answer 4

Both cilantro & cumin are indigenous to India: so a 10 sec food history lesson is in order

India -> Middle East -> N. Africa-> Spain-> the Spanish conquistadors brought it to Mexico!

When Spanish conquistadores arrived in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (the ancient city on which Mexico City was built), they found that the people's diet consisted largely of corn-based dishes with chilis and herbs, usually complemented with beans and squash. The conquistadores eventually combined their imported diet of rice, beef, pork, chicken, wine, garlic, onions, cumin and other spices with the indigenous foods of pre-Columbian Mexico, including chocolate, maize, tomato, vanilla, avocado, papaya, pineapple, chile pepper, beans, squash, sweet potato, peanut and turkey. The totopo (a salted corn tortilla cooked in a fire oven) may have been created as part of this cuisine.
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History and Lore
Coriander grows wild in South East Europe and had been cultivated in Egypt, India and China for thousands of years. It is mentioned in Sanskrit text and the Bible Spanish conquistadors introduced it to Mexico and Peru where it now commonly paired with chilies in the local cuisine. It has since become very popular in the Southwest and Western part of the United States as well as in most metropolitan areas. An interesting note is that people of European descent frequently are reviled by the smell of cilantro. It has not gained in popularity in Europe as it has in many other parts of the world.

Answer 5

Cumin and coriander is used heavily in African, especially Moroccan, foods.

Coriander is a seed which produces cilantro, so it's natural that coriander would be used in Mexican food.

I don't know about cumin.

Answer 6

Maybe they've got lotsa Pharisees.