The menu: Food Fiesta

Not since the heady days of 1846-7 when El Batallón de los San Patricios (The St Patrick’s Battalion) assembled south of the border to take up arms in the Mexican-American War, has your regular Gael displayed such an enthusiasm for things Mexican.

An army, of course, marches on its stomach; the modern-day homegrown Los Patricios wouldn’t dream of doing anything else and the result of this new-found epicurean enthusiasm is the opening of 20 new restaurants and burrito bars in Ireland since 2011. Domestic cooks have embraced outlets such as Lily Ramirez-Foran’s online ingredient shop www.mymexicanshop.ie  and its bricks-and-mortar equivalent, Picado Mexican, to try out the real thing at home.

Playing no small part in this new dawn is the Mexican Embassy-backed Taste of Mexico Gastronomic & Cultural Festival (Nov 18-23), now in its fourth year, showcasing food, drinks, music and fashion from this great nation. Events include a search for the ‘Best Enchilada in Ireland’. Chef and Mexican food authority Helma Honda hosts a conference (Nov 19) on authentic Mexican cuisine in the Instituto Cervantes, Lincoln Place, followed by a tequila tasting with José Torres Diaz, from the Mexican Tequila Regulatory Council. If you don’t know the difference between tequila and Mezcal, then renowned Mezcal authority Sergio Inurrigarro conducts a special tasting (Nov 20). www.embamex.ie  & www.tasteofmexico.ie