Picture a small tropical city nestled up against sparkling coastal waters, surrounded by fortress walls, complete with drawbridges and moats to keep out invading buccaneers. Where, in the twenty-first century, could this possibly be? No, it isn’t Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland. Nothing constructed by a theme park could come close to the real […]
Continue ReadingTo the north and west of Mexico City lies the region known as El Bajío, often called “Mexico’s breadbasket.” This rugged, high plateau bears a distinct resemblance to central Spain, home of its original settlers. Religious and hard working, they preserved many of the Spanish cultural and culinary traditions, and this part of Mexico is […]
Continue ReadingIt is nearly impossible to walk more than a block in any Mexican town without encountering a food vendor or two, with either stands on the street or small storefront businesses. The national affinity for snacking has given rise to an unbelieveable array of antojitos y botanas – appetizers and snacks – most of which are based […]
Continue Reading
Traveling through the Sierra Mixteca, which we have done many times on our drives from Puebla to Oaxaca, I am always reminded of the story of “stone soup:” a meal is prepared starting with just a stone in a pot of water, which becomes a tasty supper after all the people of a village have […]
Continue ReadingMention 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.” What started out as one of the most exotic flavors to be introduced to the European palate has come to be equated with blandness. Even more […]
Continue ReadingSuffering from post-holiday belly bulge? Thinking about trading in the guacamole and chips for cottage cheese and celery sticks? Before you do, consider the many healthy, diet-friendly ways of preparing Mexican dishes. Many people, especially those associating Mexican with Tex-Mex, think of it as heavy fare, laden with cream and cheese, consisting of fried food […]
Continue Reading
In the enormously diversified world of chiles, the poblano has long been considered one of the tastiest, most attractive and widely used of the capsicum family. A staple of Mexican home and restaurant cooking, the poblano has, in recent years, been fondly adopted into the family of favorite vegetables north of the border. Although poblano chiles are […]
Continue Reading
The months of April and May, after the cool winter and before the summer rains, are the warmest times of year in Central Mexico. But as in much of the country, the mountains are never far away, and provide a refreshing break from the heat. Some of the most thriving enterprises in the highland areas […]
Continue ReadingLast month, the nixtamalization of corn dough – or masa – was discussed, along with a description of the process itself and detailed instructions for making masa at home, either from scratch with dried corn, or using masa harina mix. Now comes the fun part: the many different regional treats that can be made with this basic […]
Continue ReadingThis 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 grilled meat, chicken or fish, and is indispensable with tacos. The word salsa means “sauce”, and includes […]
Continue Reading