Mexican Food’s American Debut

“For here in the Second City, more than a century ago, legend has it that Mexican food made its national debut at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, better remembered as the Chicago World’s Fair” (Arellano 31).

Arellano here is referring to a fair held in Chicago commemorating Christopher Columbus’ expedition to America in 1492. The part that sticks out to me about this is that Arellano cites an American event as the first true showcase of Mexican food. The fact that it was overlooked until this point is a glaring discovery to me. It was at this fair that something as prominent in American cuisine today as the hamburger was also unofficially introduced.

Appropriation sticks itself into the scene again, however, and the food here has that asterisk attached to it. Like most of the Mexican food in America, the food served at this event was not the same stuff you’d find in its original home. Although, Arellano does admit that “this Chicago tamale possesses an earthiness, a sweetness its Mexican cousin can’t reach” (30). From here, it gained its popularity in America and become just as frequent in this culture as hamburgers or pizza.

Arellano, Gustavo. Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America (p. 30-31). Scribner. Kindle Edition.