Arizona food is strongly influenced by Indian and Spanish style cooking, thereby displaying a dominant touch of spicy flavors, slow cooking techniques and predominant use of herbs in many of its recipes. Arizona dishes are mainly a combination of slow cooked, nutritionally enriched dishes cooked using some of the traditional methods of cooking.
Historical and Cultural Influences on Arizona Cuisine
Food in Arizona is strongly influenced by the Southwestern states specially Indians, Spanish and Mexican settlers. Spanish and Indian dishes still form a major part of this cuisine with a strong cooking influence from Sonora, the popular Mexican region which lies to the south of Arizona. Another striking resemblance is the inclusion of less spicy dishes in the cuisine which is characteristic of Indian and also Southwestern cookery.
Ingredients Commonly Used in Arizona Foods
Corn from locally produced farms and regional varieties, locally produced whole and ground spices, gravies with onions, wheat, tortillas, and homemade syrups prepared with herbs and beans are some of the common ingredients used in everyday cooking and used in preparation of lunch, dinner and breakfast dishes.
Cuisine of Arizona: Cooking Methods
The most common cooking methods are slow oven cooking over medium heat and grilling with low fat oil.
Arizona Recipes Popular in Foreign Culture
Tortilla casserole is one of the most popular Arizona dishes, served at restaurants worldwide. It is prepared with corn tortillas, chopped green onions, black olives drained, Monterey Jack shredded cheese, salsa and cheddar cheese.
Traditional Arizona Recipes
- Mexican Corn– This traditional Arizona food is prepared with soft corn preferably tender corn, tomato puree, minced onions, melted butter, chili powder, chopped celery, grated cheese, salt and pepper. The ingredients are well mixed and baked in a dish for as long as an hour over moderate heat.
- Corn Tortillas - Cornmeal is mostly used in the making of corn tortillas with cornmeal and water, flatten balls, water which is mixed together and cooked over medium heat for around 4 minutes. It is cooked till it turns light brown in color.
Modern Arizona Cuisine
Modern Arizona food includes an assortment of vegetables and other dishes such as stuffing in the form of ground beef filling mainly served as a main course dish with rice or bread, orange filling sweet potatoes served as a side dish, sweetened dates, milk and dairy products in the form of cheese. Other modern foods which are quite popular southwestern salad bowl quite popular among the health conscious younger generation, delicious country flavored chicken halves well cooked and served with herbs mainly as a main course lunch or dinner item, enchiladas con chile verde, tamale perfection and burritos.
Cuisine of Arizona: Trivia
In the later years, due to the influence and increase of retired people in the country, Arizona food has slightly changed in its heritage and become all- American with the dominant influence of Midwestern dishes.
