Did You Know? Archaeologists have found fifteen-hundred-year-old kitchens
Mexican cuisine has been one of the country's most successful cultural exports over the past twenty years or so and most large towns in North America and Europe now boast at least one Mexican restauran...
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Did You Know? Tequila dates from the sixteenth century
In 1897, Carl Lumholtz, the famous Norwegian ethnologist, who spent several years living with remote Indian tribes in Mexico, found that the Huichol Indians in eastern Nayarti distilled agave juice usi...
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Did You Know? Oldest winery in the Americas is in Parras de la Fuente, Mexico
The oldest winery in the Americas is in Parras de la Fuente
In Mexico, vineyards and wineries exist in several states, including Baja California, Sonora, Zacatecas, Querétaro, and Coahuila. Wine expe...
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Did You Know? - Mexico Gave Chocolate To The World
Shortly after arriving at Tenochtitlán in the fall of 1519, Hernán Cortés and the Spanish conquistadores were granted an audience with Moctezuma at his breakfast table. They found the Aztec r...
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Did You Know? - Tobacco / Xigar
Did you know that the word "cigar" originates from the Mayan word xigar? The word was used to describe the action of aspirating or sucking which later came to signify the act of smoking tobacco. T...
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Did You Know? - Vanilla
Did you know that the vanilla bean is from an aromatic orchid that originally came from Mexico?
The Academy of Sciences and Gastronomic Arts in Paris were so taken with the fruit of this orchid, that ...
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Did You Know? - Peanuts
Did you know that the first people known to have used the peanut were the Mayans of Mexico?
International explorers first recorded the peanut in Haiti, but were told it had originally been taken from ...
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Did You Know? - Pineapples & Papaya
Did you know that peanuts, vanilla, guavas, tomatoes, some forty different chiles, avocados, and papayas originally came from Mexico?
Pineapple also grew wild in Mexico, as well as Peru and along the ...
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Did You Know? - Chewing Gum
Did you know that among the many things Mexico has given to the world, chewing gum is one of them?
El Tzictlil, a Nahuatl word for resin from the Zapote Blanco tree, caught the attention of three Amer...
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Immigrant Cooking In Mexico - Part Two: The Italians of Chipilo
The previous column on immigrant cooking in Mexico dealt with the Mennonites of Chihuahua, a group that brought Northern and Eastern European culinary traditions to their new country. A far diff...
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The Cuisine of Chiapas: Dining in Mexico's Last Frontier
Although the mention of Chiapas frequently brings to mind images of masked revolutionaries and steamy jungles, Mexico's southernmost state is a beautiful combination of mountains, plains and seacoast w...
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The Cuisine Of Veracruz: A Tasty Blend Of Cultures
Exotic-looking even on a map, the Mexican state of Veracruz stretches along the Gulf Coast like the graceful tentacle of a sea creature. Within the boundaries formed by the warm coastal waters to the e...
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Rice: The Gift Of The Other Gods
Just as corn was called "the gift of the gods" in ancient Mesoamerica, the same phrase was used for rice in what is now Southeast Asia. In several Asian languages, the word for rice and food is the sam...
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Demystifying Mole, México's National Dish
Although Cinco de Mayo, the May 5th holiday commemorating the 1862 Battle of Puebla, is celebrated with much more fervor by Mexicans living in the United States than in México, one exception is...
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The French Influence On Mexican Cooking: La Comida Afrancescada
Modern Mexican cooking is considered by culinary historians to be a fusion of three cuisines - indigenous, Spanish and French. This column has covered pre-Hispanic ingredients and techniques in the pas...
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Mexican Sweet Potatoes, from Soup to Dessert: Los Camotes
One of the most interesting aspects of writing about Mexican food is its history, which spans at least five centuries and reflects the cultural and social influences of both the pre-Hispanic Mesoameric...
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Vanilla: A Mexican Native Regains Its Reputation
Mention vanilla, and people are apt to think of the ice-cream flavor they select when confronted with a mind-boggling choice involving everything from chirimoya to cheesecake: "just plain vanilla." Wha...
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Mexican Wild Game - Duck And Quail
During the fall, when the weather changes, so do our culinary aspirations. Cooler temperatures inspire techniques like roasting, baking, braising, and a lot less outdoor cooking in most parts of the No...
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Tomatoes and Tomatillos: Salsa Essentials
This is the time of year when outdoor entertaining gets into full swing, and one of the staples of this casual kind of dining is salsa. It is served with chips or crudités, or as an accompaniment to g...
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Zacatecas: Culinary Gateway
The state of Zacatecas, in the northwestern part of the central Mexican plateau, has been culturally significant since pre-Hispanic times, when it was one of the few holdouts not conquered by the Aztec...
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The Mexican Kitchen, Heart Of The Home: Part I - Cooking Equipment, Modern And Traditional
Although I have had the privilege of working with many fine chefs and cooking teachers here in Mexico, my favorite culinary experiences have been with home cooks in their own kitchens. From humble outd...
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Adding Zest To Summer's Bounty: Part 2 - Tropical Fruit Accents for Meat, Fish or Fowl
Last month's column discussed buying and storing summer fruit, as well as the versatile fruit salsas which are perfect for outdoor dining. This month some ideas for using fruit as part of the main cour...
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Mexico's irresistible bakeries and breads: las panaderias
Como pan caliente - "like hot bread"- is the expression used in Mexico to indicate something that is popular, best selling, or in demand. And indeed, going for hot bread is one of the daily culinary ro...
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Mexico's Grain Of The Gods: Cooking With Amaranth
What food was considered so important to the diet of Mexico's pre-Hispanic population that it was fashioned into images of the gods and eaten as communion? What food was outlawed during the conquest of...
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Mexico's Gourmet Coffee: Cafe De Altura
Coffee, that fragrant morning eye-opener, is considered a daily necessity by millions of people. The degree of that necessity is reflected in the fact that coffee is the second largest legally traded c...
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