>cheese dishes in
>Mexican cooking generally have some Spanish rather than native origin.

Except no one can come up with any that have survived in Spain since this
separation.

Ferdinand Braudel has pointed out that records of Spanish cuisine from 500
years ago often bear an odd resemblance to Mexican cuisine of today; for
instance, the preference of lard to olive oil as a frying medium--although it
seems odd the use of lard in Spain should taper off just at the time the Jews
were expelled and the Moors subjugated.

In any case, Spanish and Mexican cuisine parted ways 500 years ago and have
only grown further apart in the interim: different oils, different herbs,
different starches, and different applications of those ingredients both use.
Totally different understandings of coffee and chocolate; Spain loves seafood,
and Mexico makes only marginal use of it. The list of common traditions grows
narrow; the main correspondence is a common appreciation for garlic.

Neil