Puebla

Javier Alvarado Saloma carefully cuts a piece of leather on which he’s traced an outline using a template. “I use either cow or pig skin,” he says, as he concentrates. Cutting the leather is the first step of several needed to make a mask. Two weeks after cutting the leather, he’ll have a finished mask, […]

Chipilo, Puebla is different from other Mexican pueblos. Very different. That’s because it is an Italian pueblo, settled in 1882 by Italians from Veneto, in northern Italy. In the late 1880s, the Mexican government wanted to modernize its agricultural sector and recruited Europeans. Seventy-nine families arrived in Chipilo, worked hard and eventually succeeded in establishing […]

While a torta can be filled with any kind of savory sandwich filling, the beans, avocado and tomato are always present. Leave out the onion if you are not a fan, or substitute mayonnaise for the crema; some torterías use melted butter instead of crema. The milanesa is probably the most popular filling, and part of its appeal is the crunch of […]

“Melting pot” cooking has given rise to innumerable ethnic grocery stores in the United States, and for people who enjoy cooking authentic Mexican food, this means that ingredients are easily available. Dried avocado leaves, essential to several Mixteca recipes, are sold in just about any Mexican grocery store. These are from the native Mexican avocado, Peresea […]

A few years ago, I had a call from Rachel Wharton, a writer for the New York Daily News food section. She was writing an article on cemitas, the latest sandwich craze to hit New York at the time, thanks to the many immigrants from Puebla who have contributed enormously to the wonderful street food culture of my home […]

Wild mushrooms are found in abundance in the states of Puebla, Tlaxcala and Estado de Mexico during and after the rainy season, and used in soups, quesadillas and vegetable dishes. Although the comadre used escobetas (coral mushrooms) the following recipe may be successfully prepared using fresh cultivated mushrooms. Ingredients 2 pounds fresh mushrooms (if using button mushrooms, […]

I first met the comadre through a colleague of mine at the University of Puebla, Mexico. I was in the habit of bringing meat loaf, mashed potatoes, and other “gringo food” that the professor’s elderly American father missed, to his house in Cholula, the small town where we both lived, and where the comadre worked as his housekeeper. She […]

The Mexican trout farms in the mountains outside Atlixco have open air restaurants that are crowded with families getting out of the city on weekends. The menus feature trucha empapelada, or en papillote, with a variety of seasonings. This version of Mexican trout with sesame seeds in parchment paper is delicious and unusual. Ingredients 4 whole small […]

No había comido carne cruda desde que vivía en Nueva York. No me gustaba la carne tártara que mi padre ordenaba. Pero recientemente probé este platillo de Puebla. La adición de semillas de chile frescas le da otra dimensión de sabor, y el jalapeño picado, cebolla y hierbabuena lo hacen aún mejor. Asegúrese de usar […]

I had not eaten raw meat since I was growing up in New York, saying “yuck” to my father’s order of steak tartare, until I tried this dish in Puebla recently. The addition of fresh chile seeds gives it a whole other dimension of flavor, and the chopped jalapeños, onions and mint take it over […]

En esta receta, la cazuela en la que se hornea el kebe es poco profunda como una charola. El platillo es similar a un rollo de carne hecho de carne de cordero. Su capa exterior forma una corteza para sostener el relleno de carne y piñones. También se sirve con jocoque, para el cual un […]

Existen probablemente tantas recetas para este platillo como lo hay cocineras en Puebla, donde es indispensable en las fiestas de boda. Durante el festival del mole poblano en Puebla, el cual se celebra por tres días consecutivos en julio, las recetas del mole poblano y las tradicionales mesas poblanas son calificadas. Ingredientes Para el pavo: […]

Beginning in mid-October, and lasting for a month, a five-hundred-year-old ritual encompassing history, tradition and cuisine takes place in the valley of Tehuacan, in the Mixteca Poblana region of southern Puebla. Traveling through this rocky, hardscrabble land, one wonders how the inhabitants have sustained themselves for thousands of years and marvels at the fact that […]

A specialty of the Puebla mountain town of Zacapoaxtla, this Mexican dish uses allspice leaves as well as berries in a savory chicken stew. If you can’t get allspice leaves, fresh bay leaves work well. In fact, allspice leaves are sometimes called “Jamaican bay leaves.” Ingredients 1 chicken, cut into serving pieces 1medium onion, cut […]

I taught this in a cooking class I gave last summer in Cuetzalan, Puebla, where I tried to incorporate two of the area’s signature ingredients, allspice and wild mushrooms, with rabbit, commonly eaten in Central Mexico since pre-Hispanic times. This Mexican-style dish combines the meat with wild mushrooms and a red pipian sauce based on […]

Charola is the Spanish word for a tray or, in this case, the pan in which the kibbeh is baked. It is something like a meat loaf made with lamb, with the outer layers forming a crust to hold the meat and pine nut filling. It is always served with jocoque, for which a thick, natural yogurt is […]

Tinga is a basically a stewed pork dish, cooked with a chipotle sauce and most commonly served on tostadas. A chipotle is a dried jalapeño with a wonderful, smokey flavor. The chipotles called for in this recipe, called chipotles adobados are canned and can be found anywhere from Michoacan to Michigan. This is a good dish to make ahead and then provide garnishes to […]

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 […]

We first saw this in a restaurant in Chipilo. If you like lasagna with white sauces, this one is a delicious change from the usual. The filling is the very Pueblan rajas con crema, poblano chile strips in cream, in this case thickened to form a béchamel sauce. If you use the no-boil lasagna noodles, a good […]

Every year pamphlets explaining the origins of this dish, along with a list of ingredients, are distributed in Tehuacan’s restaurants by the city’s Gastronomic Council, an association of restaurant owners formed to promote local cuisine. If you live in a place where goat meat is available, this is worth trying. The proportions come from La Cocina […]

I first tasted this dish several years ago, prepared by Doña Gloria of the Hotel Bar Reforma in Cholula. It was the first time I had seen the purple-fleshed variety of sweet potatoes other than in their raw state in the market. It made for a dramatically colorful presentation, although it is just as good […]

This beverage was first made by the colonial-era nuns at the Convent of Santa Clara in Puebla, and the Santa Clara brand is still one of the most popular. It is fun and very easy to make at home. Unlike north-of-the-border eggnog, rompope already contains alcohol, although in a small proportion, so it does not […]

The mountains of northern Puebla and Veracruz are blessed with an abundance of freshwater fish. The combination of fish and pipian is unusual but delicious, and any firm fleshed white fish can be used in this recipe. Use more or less chile seeds, according to taste. Ingredients For the fish: 2 quarts water 2 pounds firm white […]

In the northern and central parts of the state, southern Puebla is called ” tierra caliente” — hot land — although it can get chilly in winter, especially in the mountains. Most pozole is made with hominy-like corn kernels that have been dried then soaked, but this one is made with fresh corn, called elote, thus giving rise […]

In Puebla, these are most often served as small, finger-size rolls, in which case they are referred to as taquitos. Grape leaves usually come in a jar, packed in brine, and must be thoroughly rinsed before cooking. Cabbage leaves are sometimes used instead of grape leaves, making tacos de col. Ground beef may be substituted for the lamb. Ingredients: […]

For months after we moved to Mexico several years ago, my favorite place to eat here in Cholula was a hole-in-the-wall tortería called Tortas Alex. Although a Mexican torta goes far beyond what is normally described as a sandwich – it was something delicious, satisfying and comforting when we needed it most. This was long before tortas […]

There are probably as many recipes for turkey in mole as there are cooks in Puebla, where it is indispensable at wedding fiestas. During Puebla’s Festival de Mole Poblano, which is held for three consecutive Sundays in July, mole poblano recipes and traditional poblano table settings are judged. Ingredients For the turkey: 1 8-pound turkey or 2 large chickens, cut in serving […]

Aunque las habas frescas solo aparecen en los mercados del centro de México durante la primavera, la versión seca está disponible todo el año y se cuece en menos tiempo que otros frijoles secos. Publiqué una receta para sopa de habas al estilo de Puebla en la edición de noviembre del 2003 de México Connect, […]

After the Virgen de la Asuncion has been raised up from her bed of apples, a little bit every hour throughout the night, the faithful make their way home in the wee hours with bags of apples from her bed. This apple and egg dish is a traditional breakfast at this time of year. Ingredients […]

These were first served to us at the nopal fair in Tlaxcalancingo, Puebla. I have since had them in restaurants in Mexico City. They are aptly named for the flat soles of the country people’s sandals that they resemble. Ingredients: 6 large nopal cactus paddles, cleaned 1/4 medium white onion 1 large garlic clove, peeled […]

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 different cuisine came with the Italians, who largely migrated during the Porfiriato, in the last part of the 19th century. The great wave of migration from Europe during the […]

From Cholula to Chicago, taco lovers everywhere know that any taqueria that calls itself poblana, or “from Puebla,” will have tacos arabes on the menu. But not everyone knows that this regional specialty of meat roasted on a vertical spit and served in the thick, pita bread-like wheat tortilla called pan arabe is a prime example of the Mexican- Lebanese culinary fusion that […]

One of the most spectacular dances in the country — la Danza de Los Voladores, literally the Dance of the Flyers — involves only five participants.In the old days, they first had to find a suitable tree, as far away from women as possible, and then beg its pardon prior to chopping it down (see […]

Literally meaning “tablecloth stainers”, because of its deep red sauce, manchamanteles can be made with chicken, pork, or a combination of the two. In Puebla, where it originated, the fruit that is used varies from season to season and family to family, but plantains and pineapples are always included. Ingredients For the chicken: 2 chickens, cut into […]

There are Mexicans these days who have never attended a Cinco de Mayo celebration. The holiday has taken a back seat to the many saints’ days and other festivals. The growth of celebrations in the United States was initially triggered by a lawsuit from LULAC, the League of United Latin American Citizens, several decades ago, […]

Located 60 km southeast of Mexico City ­ about an hour and a half drive up a winding, but well-paved, highway from the international airport ­ in the State of Puebla, Mexico is a town that more than time has forgotten. As someone who has spent the past twenty years in the travel business, I […]

Mixiotes de carnero are a specialty of the central Mexican states of Puebla, Tlaxcala and Hidalgo. They are flavored with two of the most distinctively Mexican of leaves: avocado leaves, which are enclosed with the meat, and pencas de maguey – the inner layer of maguey leaves – used to wrap the meat. Mixiote wrappers- papel para mixiotes – may be used to wrap […]

Moles and other thick sauces made with nuts and seeds go best with chicken and pork. This recipe is from the town of Huauchinango, Puebla, set in a cloud forest not far from the Puebla-Veracruz border. It is a specialty of the small family restaurants in the area. Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, cut into serving […]

Candied nuts are a favorite treat in Mexico, and may be made with walnuts, pecans, almonds or peanuts. Walnuts are most prevalent during the winter holiday season. This sweet is one of the things we can’t resist while walking around Cholula’s December fair, with its booths of candy, ornaments, and decorations of every description. Ingredients […]

Although rainy weather is an unpleasant thought, if not anathema, to those hoping for a little summer vacation sun-and-fun, the rainy season is one of my favorite times of the year here in central Mexico. Perhaps this is because there is such a long dry spell that by the time the rains come, they are […]

A recent trip to the cloud covered village of Cuetzalan, high in the Sierra of Puebla, generated more of the questions that arise on each visit. How does the regional dress of pure white cotton, worn daily, stay so clean in a place where it rains nearly every day? How do any vehicles get to […]

On a huge hill, covered with weeds, small trees and debris, was built a church overlooking the city, the Sanctuary de los Remedies. It is a beautiful site, with the towered church silhouetted against the blue sky and the snow-capped peaks of Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl in the background. It was discovered that this was not […]

Of the many battles fought on Mexican soil in the nineteenth century, only one — the Battle of Puebla, fought on May 5, 1862 — has given rise to a Mexican day of national celebration. Why this one? The main reason is that the Battle of Puebla marks Mexico’s only major military success since independence […]

Recently, when a friend here in Cholula went up to Cuetzalan, in the Sierra of Puebla, I asked him to bring back some allspice, which proliferates there on evergreen trees that produce fat, fragrant berries. An indispensable ingredient in several adobos (the seasoning pastes used on meat, fish and fowl) and on many regional pipians (the seed-based […]

Cogan’s Reviews I’ve been heard a couple of times lately saying out loud: “What an absolutely amazing country this is!” We were in Patzcuaro a short time ago one Sunday morning when the town’s market was in full swing. An incredible variety of goods were on display. And with all that colorful activity around us, […]

Although there is a tendency to think of Mexican fruit in terms of tropical varieties like mango and guava, apples do well in the higher elevations of Mexico, and are valued for their flavor, shelf life, and nutritional properties. The journey of apples to Mexico was part of the long relationship between apples and humans, […]

Great intellectuals of the world have been talking for seven years about making things better. You can see how that has turned out. They assemble each November in Mexico, in Pubela, to empower a large paying audience and others with innovative ideas in science, technology, art, design, politics, education, culture, business, entertainment and other areas […]

In a God’s Eye By Elizabeth Kelly www.createspace.com, 2011 Available from Amazon Books: Paperback This book begins well but it does not end well. Our protagonist, now living in Cholula — “the oldest living city in the western world” — is a kindly old lady named Gina. She is a “good deal older” than her circle […]

Believe it or not, there is a village in Mexico with the unlikely name of Honey. Honey. This hardly sounds like a Mexican word and certainly lacks any Nahuatl or Spanish roots. Yet, in the state of Puebla there is a small village named Honey. I admit that when I first heard of the village, […]

The Cuexcomate volcano, in a suburb of the city of Puebla, is generally considered to be the world’s smallest volcano. Weighing in at an estimated 40 metric tons, it stands just 13 meters (43 feet) tall, with a reach (diameter) of 23 meters (75 feet). The name Cuexcomate derives from the Nahuatl Cuexcomac which means […]

“The mountain, she is not innocent….” Senor Reyes’ voice trailed off as his words hung in the dry air of the climber’s hostel in Tlachichuca. John and I toned down our giddy anticipation and shifted uncomfortably in the sudden gravity of the moment. Reyes was perfect, exactly the type of mountain man you expected to […]

Besides being used as a kind of rough paper for records and correspondence, amate was also cut into human or animal forms as part of witchcraft rituals after which it would be buried in front of the person’s house or animal enclosure. Colorful paintings on papel amate or bark paper are sold throughout central Mexico, virtually anywhere […]

Step by step, all roads are formed by those who walk them. The roads of Mexico were first formed by native people walking from city to city. These roads – some paved – were used for conducting warfare, cultural interchange, and commerce. Later these same roads were trod by the heavy horses of the conquering […]

Ingredientes: 12 nopales tiernos 6 rebanadas de queso manchego o panela 1/4 de cebolla en trozo 1 diente de ajo sal al gusto 1/2 taza de harina 4 claras 4 yemas 1 1/2 taza de aceite Preparación: Se cuecen los nopales en 3 tazas de agua con el ajo, la cebolla y la sal. Se […]

Las granjas de trucha en las montañas de las afueras de Atlixco tienen restaurantes al aire libre que se llenan de familias que salen de la ciudad por el fin de semana. Los menús incluyen trucha empanzada o en papillote, con una variedad de sazones. Ésta versión es deliciosa e inusual. Ingredientes 4 truchas enteras, […]

Las montañas del norte de Puebla y Veracruz están bendecidas con abundantes pescados de agua dulce. La combinacion de pescado y pipián es poco común pero muy deliciosa, y cualquier pescado blanco de carne firme puede ser utilizado para esta receta. La cantidad de semillas de chile va de acuerdo con su gusto individual. Ingredientes […]

En Puebla, estos se sirven como pequeños rollos del tamaño de un dedo, y se les llaman taquitos. Las hojas de uva por lo general vienen en un frasco, empacadas en salmuera, y deben ser bien enjuagadas antes de cocinar con ellas. Las hojas de col se pueden utilizar en vez de hojas de uva, […]

Las nueces acarameladas son un favorito en México, y pueden ser hechos con nueces, pacanas, almendras o cacahuates. Las nueces son más abundantes en el invierno. Nosotros siempre los compramos en la feria de diciembre en Cholula, donde venden dulces, ornamentos y artículos decorativos de todo tipo para navidad. Ingredientes 2 tazas de nueces 1 […]

De Cholula a Chicago, los entusiasta de tacos en todas partes saben que cualquier taquería que se llama “poblana,” tendrá tacos árabes en el menú. Éstos consisten en carne asada en un asador vertical, servida en una tortilla gruesa similar al pan pita que se llama pan árabe. Es un claro ejemplo de la fusión […]

This is a classic apple and blueberry marmalade recipe from the Sierra Norte, adapted from Patricia Quintana’s Cocina de los Angeles. Blueberries are nearly as abundant as apples in the Sierra of Puebla, and the two make a wonderful combination. Ingredients 3 pounds blueberries 2 pounds apples, peeled and grated Sugar as necessary 2 2-inch pieces […]

It’s easy to enjoy a Cinco de Mayo celebration. Many of the festivities in the U.S. have grown so that now they are generally larger than those in Mexico. Half a million people show up for the annual event in Los Angeles alone. In Mexico, there are parades and parties in places like Puebla and Mexico […]

There is no more glorious an experience or heightening of the senses than to walk through Puebla’s exquisitely beautiful downtown on a sun drenched afternoon. Every building is a work of art. And everywhere, there are gorgeous tiles, dating back hundreds of years and looking as though they were made yesterday. They adorn the facades […]

The creative blending of diverse ingredients is the hallmark of Mexican cooking, and in the state of Puebla it is a passion. Everywhere there is talk of food. People give detailed accounts of what they’ve just eaten, plan to eat later, or what was served at the most recent fiesta. Their enthusiasm for the subject is […]

The name of this dish is derived from the Spanish word jocoque, which is sometimes translated as buttermilk, but is really a type of thick yogurt of Middle Eastern origin. In the city of Puebla, with its large Lebanese population, jocoque is sold in most supermarkets, but in rural areas it is homemade and truly delicious. If you can’t […]

Although Cinco de Mayo, the national May 5th holiday commemorating the 1862 Battle of Puebla, is celebrated with much more fervor by Mexicans living in the United States than in Mexico, one exception is the state of Puebla, and especially the city of Puebla itself. Here — in the colonial city where mole poblana originated — […]

The Quetzal Dance is one of the most colorful folkloric dances anywhere in the country. It is also thought to be one of the most ancient. Both the dance and the spectacular headdresses worn by those taking part are thought to pre-date the Conquest, perhaps by hundreds of years. The headdresses represent the extravagant colors […]

From Cholula we are in the city of Puebla in a matter of minutes. Though Puebla is a city of maybe 1.5 million people, it is not a city of tall buildings of steel and glass. The old part of town surrounds the main plaza or ‘zocalo’. The plaza is dominated by a magnificent Cathedral and buildings […]

Puebla is an industrial city of the first order. Though the downtown architecture is virtually exclusively colonial style, you still have the feel that you are in canyons of buildings due to their proximity. The zocalo is the heart pumping with activity, often demonstrations, since this is also the state capital. On your route to the […]

In 1887, Eulogio Gregorio Clemente Gillow y Zavalza (1841-1922) was appointed Bishop of Antequera (Oaxaca). Four years later, he became the first Archbishop of Antequera. Named after a town in Spain, Antequera is the Catholic archdiocese of Mexico which includes the city of Oaxaca. Archbishop Gillow had a somewhat curious background. He was the only […]

La Ceiba is a small town in the state of Puebla on the highway between Mexico City and Poza Rica, Veracruz. It’s about 45 minutes from Poza Rica. The town was named after a large ceiba tree that once grew in the plaza. The name of the town has actually been changed to that of […]

Dateline – La Ceiba, Puebla, Mexico May 1, 1998 La Ceiba is a small town in the state of Puebla on the highway between Mexico City and Poza Rica, Veracruz. It’s about 45 minutes from Poza Rica. The town was named after a large ceiba tree that once grew in the plaza. The name of […]

Dateline-San Francisco Ixtacamaxtitlan September 29, l998 Part I In February 1519 Hernan Cortez and his small army of adventurers set sail from Cuba on one of the most epic military adventures in the history of our world. Unfortunately, the history of Mexico has since been tarnished by plunder, corruption, and greed. The following quotes refer […]

Map of Puebla Map of Puebla SCT, 1999.

In my original booklet on traveling the Central High Plains, we traveled to Poza Rica by way of Xicotepec and La Ceiba, one of the principal routes between Mexico City and Poza Rica. Since I have used some of the material in other articles, we will take a different return route and visit some of […]

Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México (State of), México City, D.F., Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatán, Zacatecas,

Eula died during the rainy season, when the earth is soft and moist and a grave is easy to dig. Esperanza said that the damp weather was hard on the ancianos, and indeed, in those months, many a house in town bore over its gate the black ribbon which in central Mexico signifies a death in the […]

Mexico is a land of contrasts; I see this in both of my workplaces. Graffitied walls and worn picket fences; towering store signs and grazing cows; littered highways and rolling green hills – all of these images equally contradictory and impossible to imagine side by side. Yet, somehow these scenes are all strung together by […]

Yohualichan is one of those places that, if you blink, you might miss it. Situated toward the end of a meandering cobbled road in the midst of the Sierra Norte Mountains of Puebla, the entrance to the town’s road and archaeological site is marked by a single blue sign around a curve in a one-lane […]

Maseual Siuat Xochitajkitinij, or “Indigenous Women, Weavers of Flower,” works toward the revalorization and cultural conservation of traditional handicrafts. It is also promoting equity between men and women in the workplace. Yohualichan is one of those places that, if you blink, you might miss it. Situated toward the end of a meandering cobbled road in […]

Here in Cholula, the market ladies sell pickled sweet-and-hot chipotles known locally as “chipocludos,” a recipe for which was given in this column in the February 2003 issue of Mexico Connect. This recipe, though similar in that it uses piloncillo or brown sugar, is not as picante, and because it uses the much larger ancho […]

In this recipe, corn is cut fresh from the cob and used to fill poblano chiles, which are wrapped in fresh cornhusks, eliminating the need for soaking. Although a metate would traditionally be used to grind the corn in southern Puebla, where chiltamales originated, a blender or food processor makes this dish an easy one. Ingredients: 4 cups corn […]

San Gabriel Chilac, the southern Puebla town known for hand-embroidered blouses and dresses, is a garlic-growing region providing this indispensable culinary ingredient to much of the area, where this soup is served with the piquant addition of crushed chile de arbol. Ingredients: 1 head garlic, peeled and thinly sliced 4 tablespoons corn oil 1 arbol […]

Following a policy of keeping the boys and the girls seperated, Martita and Vidal seldom saw each other at school. It must have been some comfort just knowing that the other was close by. Marta’s dormitory was upstairs in a long building along the side of the complex. The bottom floor served as classrooms. There […]

La Ceiba is a small town in the state of Puebla on the highway between Mexico City and Poza Rica, Veracruz. It’s about 45 minutes from Poza Rica. The town was named after a large ceiba tree that once grew in the plaza. The name of the town has actually been changed to that of […]