Cooking Methods

Traditional Mexican cooking includes a lot of frying, grilling and steaming and hence all they knew about were the stoves or the open fire. The use an oven started later, only after the arrival of the American people.
However they do use "molcajetes" and streaming buckets that are not used in other countries. A streaming bucket is usually used to make tamales, a very common and important cultural food of Mexico and the "molcajete" is used to make salsa or to crush things with a rock. The following picture is an example of a "molcajete."

Mexican dishes are easier prepare with modern conveniences. Back in the days if you wanted tamales you would start by grinding dried corn with your "molcajete." Now you can buy the cooked ground corn by the bag and add your other ingrediants.