Jewish Food in Mexico: Reflections of a Community's History, Culture, and Values

Abstract

Food is more than just sustenance. Culinary habits are an expression of a community’s history and culture, an accumulation and expression of its environmental influences, experiences, conventions, beliefs, aspirations and behavior. Food is an enduring element of individual and collective memory. Food also defines a country and helps construct memories of home, real and imagined, longing and belonging, and survival. Ask almost anyone what they think of home and they will invariably answer something related to food. In this sense, food is a multi-faceted element that sways and adapts to the palate. Jewish food in Mexico reflects the places of origin, the recipes and memories that were transported with the immigrants, which were later infused, ladled and adapted with the local delicacies. The end result is nothing more than wonderful concoctions that continue to this day, transmitted lovingly to the newer generations. This article explores what constitutes Jewish food in general and how that has evolved in Mexico.