Why Do Mexicans Love Chile

When many people think of Mexican food, they think of spicy, chile-laden food that burns the tongue. Tulum hotel restaurants which specialize in Mexican food will likely offer a variety of spicy dishes for guests to try. While it’s a misconception that all Mexicans love spicy food or that all Mexican dishes are spicy, it’s very true that a great variety of chiles figure prominently in Mexican cuisine. Why is this? Let’s examine some theories.

* Cultivation of chiles in Mexico date all the way back to pre-Hispanic times, forming an important part of the indigenous Mexican diet along with corn, chocolate, avocado, many varieties of bean, squash, and cactus, among other things. All of these native foods are still central in Mexican cooking today.

* Theories suggest that eating chiles in a hot climate help preserve food, enhance sluggish appetites, and cause one to sweat, which helps one to feel cooler. Also, spicy food makes you want to drink water, which the body needs after sweating a lot in a hot climate!

* Some studies suggest that some chiles have medicinal properties that help rid the digestive system of parasites or bacteria.

* Chiles add flavor to an otherwise bland diet of corn and beans.

* Finally, many Mexicans explain their love of chile as a point of pride: machismo! The hotter the pepper, the stronger the man who can eat it!
In the Yucatan, the most commonly-found chile on everyone’s plate is the habanero, which figures at the top of the Scoville Scale, which was developed to rank the hotness of chile peppers. Though very spicy, the habanero adds a delicious flavor to dishes, but a little goes a long way! If you can’t take a bite of a whole pepper, don’t despair; a few drops will give you all of the rewards of chile flavor with very little of the pain.