This is to counter the view rooted in tacky 90s and 00s restaurants that Mexican food is “naff, cheap, unhealthy”. “When I talk about Mexican food, I talk about a country that’s mega-biodiverse, which is a technical term for a country that has so much diversity of flora and fauna,” she said. Thomasina Miers, the owner of the Wahaca chain and author of several Mexican cookbooks, said Mexico’s food is “one of the most misunderstood cuisines out there”, due to Tex Mex’s global success and Mexico’s reticence to invest in promoting its ingredients. The world has evolved so much that I cannot believe people think about other countries like they were 100 years ago.” “It makes me feel that we are undervalued. There is also an entrenched perception of the country that dates to the distant past – Cavita has been asked whether Mexicans still travel by donkey. It can also be a struggle to get authentic spices, herbs and vegetables, which are often expensive, and to hire chefs from Mexico, Cavita said. However, she said there remain many aspects of Mexico that are poorly understood in the UK, especially its diversity: it is almost the size of Europe, featuring landscapes from the desert to the jungle, with 68 different indigenous languages spoken across a range of cultures. “Six years ago, I made black mole and people were afraid to taste it,” she said, adding that increased travel to Mexico and an explosion in the popularity of the country’s traditional mezcal spirit had sparked a taste revolution.

She says that when she arrived in the UK, people thought Mexican food was restricted to “greasy and heavy” tacos and burritos. That’s something I’m trying to do with my restaurant,” said Adriana Cavita, a chef from near Mexico City who runs Cavita in central London. But I think slowly people are starting to learn more and I hope people will get more interested in proper Mexican culture and food.

“For me, it’s a bit sad to see this kind of thing because knowing my culture and my country, I feel it’s more than just a cactus and a sombrero.

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