Mexico City, from November 26 to 29, 2015
Dr. Luis Ignacio Gómez Arriola, General Rapporteur
In Mexico City, having as headquarters the National Center for Arts and Studies Churubusco, the Third World Forum of Mexican Gastronomy was held from November 26 to 29, 2015, which had a large participation of traditional cooks, exhibitors, cultural promoters, specialists, students and academics.
With a general theme that seeks to deepen about the “Chili peppers, peppers, peppers and spices”, there were more than 40 academic activities such as lectures, round tables, panels, dialogues and demonstrations given by experts, specialists, chefs and cooks traditional from several countries including: United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil and most of the states of the Mexican Republic.
In these activities, it was deepened about the enormous vitality and the multiple influences that Mexican cuisine has had both in the course of time and in the course of time and in which it has as one of its fundamental and distinctive elements the use of various varieties of chili peppers and spices.
In the present, the traditional kitchens of Mexico show a continuous flow of products, knowledge, ingredients, manufacturing techniques and recipes that constitute true cultural itineraries that, in an ancient migration process, have been dispersed in a fruitful come and go for almost all the regions of the world, giving the gastronomy of this country a unique mestizo character that makes it unique and exceptional. The rich and fertile cultural melting pot in which the pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican root that gives origin and meaning, the European Mediterranean, the African and the Asian root that has allowed – in a pioneering way in the world context of the ancestral kitchens – stands out. be inscribed by UNESCO in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
During the intense work sessions, the spice exchange routes were intensified, from the east to the different regions of Mexico and the way they were adapted to the conditions of each geographical environment and to the taste of its inhabitants, promoting diversified flavors and seasonings in each of them.
In this fruitful cultural crossroads and adaptation of ingredients from different origins in traditional cuisines, you can also recognize the valuable contributions of Mexican cuisine to other regions of the world. The commercial routes such as “La Flota de Indias”, which communicated with Spain and Europe across the Atlantic, the “Manila Galleon” route, that crossed the Pacific shaped the Intercontinental Way that linked Europe with Asia through the New Spain; the cabotage route that communicated with South America or the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, which linked to the northern regions of America, allowed the transportation and adaptation of the various products originating in Mesoamerica to other latitudes. The Forum analyzed, in particular, the presence of chili peppers in the traditional kitchens of the world, which, when adapted to the different latitudes, were transformed into chili peppers.
As it was possible to verify, in some of the subjects that were treated in the four rooms of presentations, the conception to the traditional gastronomy like cultural patrimony allows to recognize that it is a space of singular convergence in which multiple scientific disciplines and areas of knowledge participate. It is particularly important in this important exchange process, the participation of traditional cooks and chefs who showed in a generous way their preparations and the masterful use of ingredients originating in Mesoamerica, as well as the producers of these essential raw materials for the elaboration of Mexican gastronomy, in many cases, outside the commercial distribution chains.
Finally, it is important to note that in the case of traditional gastronomy, cultural heritage is also eaten and is beneficial for the body and the spirit!
