DaveTwo wrote:
> Maybe there was no cumin in recipes before the Spanish conquest, but that
> would make them native foods, not Mexican. Consider that Pasta was not a
> part of italian cooking until fairly recent, as well as tomatos. That does
> not mean Pasta and Tomatos are not in Italian food.

I would beg to differ with the statement that food of the native (Maya,
Toltec, Aztec) is not Mexican food. If anything, that food left behind
by conquering visitors is Spanish, or French. The food that was cooked
and eaten by the Indian natives of Mexico is true Mexican food.

As far as cumin is concerned, the equivalent of it in native Mexican
cooking would probably be achiote. In Mayan villages I've been in,
every home has an achiote bush in the yard and it is used in a lot of
dishes.

Jack