Editing Mexican cuisine (section)

===Food and festivals===
[[File:Miquiztlaxcalli.JPG|thumb|right|[[Pan de muerto]] is traditionally baked in Mexico during the weeks leading up to the [[Day of the Dead]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Castella |first1=Krystina |title=Pan de Muerto Recipe |url=http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/pan-de-muerto-361449 |access-date=7 July 2015 |publisher=[[Epicurious]] |date=October 2010}}</ref>]]
[[Image:Chile en nogada.jpg|thumb|left|''[[Chiles en nogada]]'', due to the dish's incorporation of red, white and green, is popularly consumed during the celebrations of the ''[[Grito de Dolores]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Los chiles en nogada en la cena del 15 de septiembre |url=https://www.gob.mx/profeco/articulos/los-chiles-en-nogada-en-la-cena-del-15-de-septiembre |publisher=Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor |access-date=27 September 2016}}</ref> Tied to the independence of the country since it is said they were prepared for the first time to entertain the future emperor [[Agustín de Iturbide]] when he came to signing of the [[Treaty of Córdoba]].<ref name=Moon>{{cite web |last=Moon |first=Freda |title=Delicious patriotism |url=http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/09/17/091711-arts-food-chiles-en-nogada-1-6/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130205191247/http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/09/17/091711-arts-food-chiles-en-nogada-1-6/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 February 2013 |publisher=The Daily Holdings, Inc. |access-date=18 September 2011 |date=17 September 2011}}</ref>]]

Mexican cuisine is elaborate and often tied to symbolism and festivals, which is one reason it was named as an example of the [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists|Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO]].<ref name="UNESCO"/> Many of the foods of Mexico are complicated because of their relation to the social structure of the country. Food preparation, especially for family and social events, is considered to be an investment in order to maintain social relationships.<ref name="adapon20">Adapon, p. 20.</ref> Even the idea of flavor is considered to be social, with meals prepared for certain dinners and certain occasions when they are considered the most tasty.<ref name="adapon117">Adapon, p. 117.</ref>

The ability to cook well, called "sazón" (lit. seasoning) is considered to be a gift generally gained from experience and a sense of commitment to the diners.<ref name="abarca62">Abarca, p. 62.</ref>  For the [[Day of the Dead]] festival, foods such as tamales and mole are set out on altars and it is believed that the visiting dead relatives eat the essence of the food. If eaten afterwards by the living it is considered to be tasteless.<ref name="adapon117"/> In central Mexico, the main festival foods are mole, [[barbacoa]], [[carnitas]] and [[mixiote]]s. They are often prepared to feed hundreds of guests, requiring groups of cooks. The cooking is part of the social custom meant to bind families and communities.<ref name="adapon89">Adapon, p. 89.</ref>

[[File:Barbacoa (en Hidalgo).JPG|thumb|left|Barbacoa in [[Actopan (Hidalgo)|Actopan]], [[Estado de Hidalgo|Hidalgo]]. The barbecue in a ground oven is a typical dish from the Mezquital Valley.]]
[[File:Café_de_olla_.jpg|thumb|right|[[Fruit punch]] is popular around Christmas time during [[Las Posadas]].]]

Mexican regional home cooking is completely different from the food served in most Mexican restaurants outside Mexico, which is usually some variety of [[Tex-Mex]].<ref name="adapon11"/> The original versions of Mexican dishes are vastly different from their Tex-Mex variation.

Some of Mexico's traditional foods involved complex or long cooking processes, including cooking underground (such as [[cochinita pibil]]). Before industrialization, traditional women spent several hours a day boiling dried corn then grinding it on a [[metate]] to make the dough for tortillas, cooking them one-by-one on a [[Comal (cookware)|comal]] griddle. In some areas, tortillas are still made this way. Sauces and salsas were also ground in a mortar called a [[molcajete]]. Today, blenders are more often used, though the texture is a bit different. Most people in Mexico would say that those made with a molcajete taste better, but few do this now.<ref name="adapon15">Adapon, p. 15.</ref>

The most important food for festivals and other special occasions is [[Mole sauce|mole]], especially mole poblano in the center of the country.<ref name="adapon89" /><ref name="adapon97">Adapon, p. 97.</ref> Mole is served at Christmas, Easter, Day of the Dead and at birthdays, baptisms, weddings and funerals, and tends to be eaten only for special occasions because it is such a complex and time-consuming dish.<ref name="adapon89" /><ref name="adapon99">Adapon, p. 99.</ref> While still dominant in this way, other foods have become acceptable for these occasions, such as barbacoa, carnitas and mixiotes, especially since the 1980s. This may have been because of economic crises at that time, allowing for the substitution of these cheaper foods, or the fact that they can be bought ready-made or may already be made as part of the family business.<ref name="adapon101" /><ref name="adapon107">Adapon, p. 107.</ref>

Another important festive food is the [[tamale]], also known as ''tamal'' in Spanish. This is a filled cornmeal dumpling, steamed in a wrapping (usually a corn [[husk]] or banana leaf) and one of the basic staples in most regions of Mexico. It has its origins in the [[Pre-Columbian era|pre-Hispanic era]] and today is found in many varieties in all of Mexico. Like a mole, it is complicated to prepare and best done in large amounts.<ref name="knepp">{{Cite thesis |type=PhD |title=Tamaladas and the role of food in Mexican-immigrant and Mexican-American cultures in Texas |last=Knepp |first=Mark Dustin |year=2010 |publisher=State University of New York at Albany |docket=3412031}}</ref> Tamales are associated with certain celebrations such as [[Candlemas]].<ref name="adapon101">Adapon, p. 101.</ref> They are wrapped in corn husks in the highlands and desert areas of Mexico and in banana leaves in the tropics.<ref name="iturr8489">Iturriaga, p. 84-89.</ref>