- around 400 years ago, a spanish nobleman set sail for the new world. his name lorenzo longoria. around 400 years ago, a spanish nobleman set sail for the new world. his name, lorenzo longoria. my an southeast sore s arrival changed history, creating modern mexico and a gateway between it and the rest of the world. this is the cradle of mexico. everything started here. it s also the cradle of mexican gastronomy because all ingredients landed in this spot. and all the ingredients in mexico left from here, chocolate, vanilla, the tomato. can you imagine italian cuisine without the tomato, or french pastry without chocolate and vanilla? impossible. the people of veracruz took this treasure trove of ingredients passing in and out of the port and created a whole new cuisine. [ speaking non-english ] wow. i m eva longoria, born and bred in texas by as diverse as its 32 states. i m exploring mexico to see how their lands and their past has shaped a culinary position as their
and it came to mexico via yep veracruz. it arrived here from the caribbean in the 18th century before passing on throughout latin america. i enjoy it best with friends. like mi amiga, actress annadel guerra. i m so excited you re here. i can t believe it. this is a crazy busy place. la perukia, said to be one of mexico s oldest cafes is one of ana s favorite haunts. what does the rest of mexico think of veracruz? we re known as malablados. because i guess we re prankers and we re always like [ bleep ] [ bleep ]. so, we are known because of our sense of humor. we re very good also at dancing.