List of things Indians think of as desi but are actually Mexican in origin:
Chilli peppers. Yes even naga chillies. Yes even the red kashmiri chillies. If it isn't from the Piper nigrum or Piper longum plants, its not from the subcontinent, sorry folks.
Marigolds. Everyone is aghast when I tell them this but marigolds are very very Mexican and came over in the Colombian exchange . Yes I know they're in every event and they're used religiously. No I have no clue how a religion as ancient-scripture-focused as hinduism adopted a foreign flower so quickly. Don't as me. All i know is that when Mexicans find out we've been decorating wedding altars with this flower they have some VERY mixed feelings.
Tomatoes. My father refuses to believe me on this one but it is also a columbian exchange plant
Corn of all varieties. This one specifically for my Punjabis. I know we love our makki di roti but yall. Yall we don't even nixtamalize it. We are doing corn wrong. There is however debate on whether this came over in the columbian exchange because there is certain evidence suggesting the presence of corn in the Indian subcontinent before that....nothing proven tho.
List of things that Mexicans think of as Mexican but are actually Indian:
Agua de Horchata (75%). Cinnamon is from the Indian subcontinent. The dairy cattle most popular in Mexico descend from the variety domesticated in India (we domesticated cattle twice, once in the subcontinent and once in Europe, which is why you have the cows with the humps and the cows with the classic patches. They're different but very similar). Sugar was first crystalized in India (sugarcane itself was domesticated all over the place). Water doesn't count as an ingredient so that's 3 out of 5 ingredients that are desi.
Tamarind. May be native to Africa but it was domesticated in India, so I'm calling dibs. While we're here I'm also gonna call dibs on Agua de Tamarindo. Its literally just Imli Sharbat. All the ingredients are Indian anyways.
Mangoes. Don't think this one is a surprise to anyone but yes those are ours :) you're welcome world
Limes. Native to the Indian subcontinent! Mexico and India are the largest global producers of limes actually, isn't that so fascinating?
Hibiscus! We love your flower and you love ours. Funny how that works.
I just think its really cool that so much of what both cultures consider intrinsic to their food systems today is borrowed from a similar but different culture from the opposite side of the globe. Also, while we're here
List of things that both cultures evolved without any apparent communication:
Oxidized silver jewellery. Tribal jewellery in both parts of the world seems to love the beaten silver look. Bonus points if it has turquoise
Cowrie shells. To be fair this one seems to be pretty damn global. Idk why everyone universally decided this snail looked like money but apparently it just do. But not all cultures retain the obsession/reverence for the shell. We do.
Feasts for the dead. You have a festival where you make a bunch of food for your ancestors? We have a festival where we make a bunch of food for our ancestors! Fun stuff
Handlebar mustaches. 100% believe that if you leave a group of bearded men from each of these cultures alone in a room with no common language they would come out best friends. Power of the 'stache.
Masks. Big colorful painted masks, often made of wood, often kinda scary looking (but not always). Used in dances but ALSO used to watch/guard homes and doorways and the like. We default to this big toothed angry looking guy. I believe Mexico prefers a jaguar looking thing? I'm a bit fuzzy on the details
Fried Dough Container With Pre-Cooked Filling. Samosa? Empanada? They're cousins. Yes they fall into the larger dumpling family but Pre Cooked Filling is an important differentiator here.
Flatbread With Veggies And Meat And Sauces. Look the only difference between the taco and any roti dish is how you're getting the ingredients into your mouth. I said what I said.
Big Bowl Of Fruit With Seasoning and Sauces. Fruit salad? Fruit chaat? chaat masala gets replaced with tajin, chamoy becomes tamarind chutney, same same but different.
Artworks Of Native Big Cats Eating Colonizers. Ok so this one isn't Mexican its Colombian but it deserves an honorary mention, so. Fans of Misionero Comido Por Tigre by Noé León, I would like to introduce you to the automaton of a tiger mauling a British soldier, complete with screaming noises, commissioned by Tipu Sultan. You can see it in action here
