Be A Sommelier For Your Mexican Restaurant

When you start a Mexican restaurant, some of the important areas you need to stress on are kitchen equipment and your menu, which could include a couple of fine wines. Serving a few of Mexico's popular and traditional dishes is essential if you want to have customers coming back for more. When it comes to Mexican cuisine, a few traditional tools will add to the authenticity of the dishes.

Cazuelas are Mexican clay pots that are useful for making sauces. According to Mexican traditions, these dishes are brightly colored, round and shallow dishes with a depth of 5 to 7 inches. The clay adds flavor to the sauce, while the clay helps the heat spread evenly so that it does burn the sauce. Your menu will definitely include tortillas, and you will need a tortilla press to churn them out in quick succession. It would be prudent to purchase a wood or wrought iron tortilla press, which are more durable.

Another important piece of equipment are Barros, which are clay pots used to make traditional Mexican stews and soups. They are large and deep pots that can be used over a direct flame. Most importantly, cooking in a clay pot adds a delicious, unique flavor to the dish. The ideal way to warm tortillas and to roast vegetables and chilies are with the help of a Comal, which is a griddle made from clay or cast iron. There are plenty of other traditional and useful pieces of equipment that you could opt for once you have your menu set.

Speaking of menus, Mexicans are expert at matching specific dishes with different alcohol and wine. Burritos go well with beer, tacos with tequila, and enchiladas with margaritas. Now, you and have a fine choice of domestic and international wines too, which go well with spicy, ethnic Mexican dishes. From Chenin Blanc and Cabernet, to Chardonnay and Merlot, the choice is endless.

There aren't any hard and fast rules when it comes to pairing food and wine. Who knows, with a bit of trial and error you may bring out the best combination that your customers will love. However, you may want to pair spicy seafood dishes with plenty of garlic and onions with Chardonnay or German Riesling. There are choices of Spanish and Italian wines that go well with spicy dishes. The wine tends to bring out the sweet taste of the seafood.

Chili, will be a popular dish on your menu, which goes well with Zinfandel or Italian Sangiovese wine. According to sommeliers, both these types of wine retain the pungent flavor of the chili and remove the acidity of the tomatoes in the dish. Along with burritos and enchiladas, you can pair a bottle of classic Italian Chianti. These dishes have plenty of cheese sauce, which goes well with these heavier wines. Undoubtedly, another popular dish will be the classic Mexican meal prepared with seafood and rice, Paella. Duoro red wines add to the unique taste of the rice and seafood. On a last note, you ought to remember, the spicier the food, the sweeter the wine.