Latin Cuisine Spices It Up
Some diners think of Hispanic cookery only in terms of chain-restaurant fajitas, or worse, fast-food tacos. But Latin America’s many vibrant cultures have produced dishes that are subtle and fiery, refined and down home—and can be healthier than many people realize.

By Kelly Maguire

    It is a balmy summer night in Spanish Harlem. A fiesta of color emanates from lights strung between apartment buildings, and the air is spicy and thick. As the pulsating rhythms of salsa and merengue float through outdoor speakers, dancers crowd the hot New York City streets, warm skin glistening. Tequila and mojitos are poured into tall glasses amid the clatter of animated Spanish voices.
    Angel Gonzalez eats from a plate piled with steaming taquitos, arepas, fried plantains, fajitas and homemade tamales. He has worked up a fierce appetite from hours of dancing. Having lived on this block his whole life, Angel knows all too well the dangers associated with the high-fat, high-sodium Hispanic-American diet; in fact, as is the case with many Hispanic Americans, both heart disease and type 2 diabetes run in Angel’s family. Though he expresses concern about prevention, Angel admits it’s difficult to eat healthy at gatherings such as tonight’s block party. “For Hispanics,” he says, “food is a celebration of life.”...

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