US-based Wixon Inc. is spotlighting the growing demand for comfort food with a Mexican twist. According to the company, Mexican flavors and dishes are “incredibly popular with US consumers,” and this geographical reach is expanding. 

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Ryan Kukuruzovic, corporate chef at the Wisconsin-headquartered company, shares his insights on the growing appeal for ingredients and dishes originating from Mexico. 

“One of the many beautiful aspects of Mexican culture is the ‘comida comfortable’ or ‘comfort food.’ This traditional, regional cuisine is much like comfort food in the US and around the globe that locals typically reserve for the Sunday family meal or a special occasion.”

The latest flavor development from the Wixon Innovates program focuses on Mexican comfort food. According to Becca Henrickson, marketing manager at the company, “there’s still room for innovation with exploration into regional flavors and preparations.”

“Our culinary and applications innovation team spent the past three months studying the culinary influences at play in different regional Mexican specialties. This led to the development of a range of what we’re calling, collectively, Mexican Comfort Food Flavors.”

Spotlight on Birria
The ingredients that make up native comfort classics are a part of the daily diet, including one such concept called Birria. 

The savory stewed meat Birria is traditionally served as a guisada or casserole. In the Mexican state of Jalisco, wher Birria originates, the slow-cooked, warm-spicy meat stew, usually goat but sometimes beef or mutton, is served at celebrations or during special occasions like Christmas and Easter. 

Birria migrated around Mexico from Jalisco to other areas, and now the comforting casserole can be found in many iterations. One of the favorites is serving Birria as a taco filling in the country’s ubiquitous street food scene.

Preparations of the dish vary as either a stew or as a filling for tacos, but it is often served with corn tortillas, onion, cilantro and lime. The meat is marinated in an adobo made of vinegar, dried chilis, herbs and spices before being cooked in a broth.

“The Birria trend we are seeing sweep the US is a take on Tijuana-style Birria de res, made from beef,” notes Henrickson. “It’s an adobo-marinated beef blend, stewed and chopped into pieces and placed in a tortilla that was dipped in beef fat and warmed on a griddle. Then the Birria de res tacos are served with beef consommé for the diner to dip or sip.”

“Tijuana-style Birria de res is a fairly recent culinary evolution,” adds Kukuruzovic. “Although it’s been around since the 1950s, it didn’t become popular in Tijuana until the early 2000s. And its introduction into the Los Angeles market came in 2013.” 

Fast forward as interest in Birria simmered across the US – culminating earlier this year with Yelp identifying it as their top food trend to try in 2021, with site review mentions of Birria up 235 percent.

“In our Mexican Comfort Foods flavor exploration, we captured the warm-spicy, exquisitely savory and meaty flavors in this dish in a Birria-type seasoning,” Kukuruzovic explains. “The Birria flavor that has caught so much attention in tacos right now lends itself to other applications.”

Starting from a culinary perspective, Wixon then reimagined the essence of Birria as a flavoring and used it in an array of snacks, sauce and marinades. Kukuruzovic says there are so many opportunities to broaden its application.

“Mexico has an extensive history and tradition of delectable street foods, and Birria certainly encompasses Mexico’s many comfort foods,” he adds.

An age-old tradition During the Spanish Conquest in 1519, a significant cultural transaction transpired with the Spaniards introducing new animal species and spices to the native Mexican people, which birthed new foods and traditions, changing the course of the cuisine.

Among the newly introduced animals, goats caused major devastation to natives’ crops and land, as they ate everything from field crops to the seedbeds of the indigenous peoples. At that time, fencing did not exist, and the increased goat population was an indirect cause of the famine, which many native Mexicans.

During this time of famine, the locals began using goats for meat. It was then that the first “birriero,” also known as a Birria maker, was born.

Goat meat is exceptionally “gamey,” which is especially true of older goats, notes Kukuruzovic. 

“To counteract the distinctly strong taste and smell of the meat, the native Mexicans began adding different herbs and fragrant spices, creating the indicative aroma and flavoring of Birria as we know and enjoy it today. Also, cooking the seasoned goat meat in in-ground ovens or kilns helped to tenderize and soften the meat, lending to enhanced palatability.’

The tradition of the “birriero” families continues today, each with its unique recipe and style, which gives Birria its distinct flavor.

Food for the soul
Meanwhile, comfort foods have moved further into the spotlight amid the COVID-19 pandemic. By definition, a comfort food or meal provides consolation or a feeling of well-being. 

“Typically, [comfort food is] any food with a high sugar or other carbohydrate content that’s associated with childhood or home cooking,” continues Kukuruzovic. “In other words, it is a food or dish that nurtures the soul – providing a sense of calm and security associated with yesteryear when life seemed ‘lighter and brighter’ – simple, safe and easy.”

And, with our past year of uncertainty navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, it is no wonder people are taking a deep dive into a variety of ethnic comfort staples, he argues. 

“During times of stress, fear and angst, as in many times throughout history, comforts associated with our youth become an anchor of security. Thus, comfort foods allow us the collective opportunity to travel back to those meals mom prepared, or days when we’d come together as a family for a weekend BBQ at a campground or in a loved one’s backyard.”

Kukuruzovic believes the appetite for foods of comfort and consolation is certainly not limited to the pandemic but is “understandably observable.”

“Our appetite for comfort food and the ‘haven’ foods of our childhood can be simply evoked by a stressful day in the workplace, an argument with a friend or as of recently, a pandemic,” he outlines. 

“It’s important to honor our feelings and revisit those early developmental periods of the past as a most immediate form of self-care and nurturing for our preservation, wellness and life balance.”

Upgrading tradition
Many ingredients are essential to the plethora of dishes that create the signature flavor dynamic we know as Mexican cuisine. 

“As an example, Wixon’s recent innovation surrounding Mexican cuisine identifies building blocks – key ingredients that in their absence we would not identify the cuisine as we know it today,” explains Kukuruzovic. 

According to Wixon, traditional Mexican dishes have been given a makeover in recent times.

“Often, we see the various ways chefs refine staple dishes, but in recent years we see more and more cuisine fusion. Ultimately, it is a means of creating comfort to otherwise unfamiliar cuisine through the fusion of the familiar, such as American cuisine classics,” Kukuruzovic comments.

Birria tacos exploded onto the social media scene in the past year because of numerous Tiktok users sharing their experiences worldwide.

“It’s these types of social movements that create a space for and allow unfamiliar cuisines to assimilate and manifest within American cuisine in unique and in most cases, extraordinarily delicious ways,” Kukuruzovic concludes.