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, […]
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Ask any Mexican to name his or her favorite fruit, and chances are the answer will be el mango. From very early spring until late summer, mangos are everywhere: stacked into symmetrical montones (“mountains”) in the markets, sold in the street on sticks, with the flesh cut to resemble flower petals, or in large glass jars in a spicy […]
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In addition to being served in Mexican homes during the Christmas and New Year holiday season, hot Mexican holiday punch, or ponche navideño is sold at night by street vendors who ladle it out from steaming cylindrical vats. The tejocote is a small fruit, golden in color when mature, similar in taste to an apple, but with a pastier […]
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Mexico presents a different face to each person that meets her. Traveling through the country is an experience unique to the individual, even to people on the same journey, whether they be tourists spending a week at an ultra-modern beach resort or ethnologists visiting remote indigenous villages. Each of us has a personal framework through […]
Continue ReadingWhen we first came to Mexico many years ago, a trip to the market was cause for both excitement and apprehension for my then ten-year-old younger daughter. There were beautiful things, like fragrant flowers and bundles of bright green herbs, as well as “yucky” things, like the heads of freshly slaughtered pigs. But one thing […]
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This seems like a good time of year to talk about the culinary specialties of Guerrero, the Mexican state whose coastline is home to some of the country’s most popular winter resorts, including Acapulco and Zihuatenejo. Chilly northerners flock to their beaches to enjoy sunbathing, water sports, and the area’s abundant seafood. But although the […]
Continue Reading Bordering on the Pacific Ocean, and nestled up against against Jalisco and Michoacan, the small state of Colima enjoys the best of both culinary worlds: the ocean’s bounty of fresh seafood, and the typical ranch dishes of Western Mexico. In addition, it boasts a legacy of over 3,000 years of continuous civilization, and the attendant […]
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Tacos al pastor Tacos de carnitas Tacos al carbón Tacos de fritangas Tacos de cazuela Tacos dorados Tacos de pescado Last month’s article traced the origins of Mexico’s street tacos and presented information on the street stands themselves and the condiments they offer, as well as giving some tips on how to go about selecting a […]
Continue ReadingJust 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 same, and rice was part of the creation myth of many Asian cultures, as corn was in […]
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TACO ORIGINS TACO BASICS TACO STREET SMARTS TYPES OF TACOS PART TWO: NIGHTTIME TACOS One of the earliest and most common of Mexican foods to be exported and embraced north of the border, the taco is simply a tortilla wrapped around a filling. From the ground beef-filled hard shells of Taco Bell to the “mystery […]
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