The flavors, aromas and colors of Asia arrived in Mexico on the Manila Galleons centuries ago, where they were incorporated into our culture and enriched our cuisine.
The Galleons, also called the Nao of China, brought the riches of the Orient and the New World to Spain. These ships crossed the Pacific Ocean once or twice a year between Manila and the ports of New Spain, such as Acapulco, Banderas Bay, San Blas and Cabo San Lucas.
Thanks to its privileged geographical position, New Spain was one of the most important centers of world trade in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the culinary and cultural exchanges between the Pacific and Atlantic flourished in Mexican territory.
Proof of this are the introduction of flavors such as cilantro, parsley, watermelons, melons, papayas, manila mangoes, bananas, tamarind, nutmeg, cloves, and cumin into our cuisine.
In addition to spices, the galleons carried porcelain, ivory, lacquerware and processed cloths such as taffeta, silk, velvet and satin. They also carried Chinese goods, Japanese screens, fans, Japanese swords, Persian rugs, vases from the Ming Dynasty and a host of other products.
