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 […]
Continue ReadingThis Gulf Coast version is from Veracruz, but similar seafood pozoles are found along Mexico’s Pacific coasts. Most Mexican seafood stews come with the heads on the shrimp, but if you do not like to serve shrimp this way, leave them off. If, on the other hand, a more intense shrimp taste is desired, save […]
Continue ReadingLast month’s column focused on the gastronomy of the Estado de Mexico, the state that nearly surrounds Mexico’s capital. This month, we’ll take a look at the myriad dining experiences to be had in the capital itself, Mexico City, commonly known as “el D.F.”, short for Distrito Federal. The city has been a center of migration […]
Continue ReadingOne of the earliest food preparation techniques in many parts of the world was wrapping food in leaves and cooking it over an open fire, usually either steamed or roasted. In some instances, the food was baked in clay ovens or in pits dug in the ground. Cornhusks in Mexico, grape leaves in the eastern […]
Continue ReadingChilpachole is a specialty of Veracruz, but it is found all over Mexico, especially in Mexico City, where food of every region comes together. It can be made with either shrimp or crabmeat, and the various recipes I have been given for both are remarkably similar, with homemade fish stock and ancho chile being used in […]
Continue ReadingMoles 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 […]
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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 […]
Continue ReadingWhen Francisco Hernandez de Córdoba, having set sail from Cuba in 1517, met a Maya in a canoe off the island of Cozumel, he was given gourds of water and balls of ground maize. This Mayan keyem, more commonly called by the Nahuatl name posolli, was the sustenance food carried by travelers in pre-Hispanic Mexico. Culinary anthropologist Sophie Coe […]
Continue ReadingDuring the winter months, Mexico’s varied and beautiful coastal waters yield an unsurpassed assortment of delicacies from the sea. This is when pescados y mariscos — fish and shellfish — are at their finest and freshest. The seasonal bounty from the ocean coincides with the observance of Lent, a traditionally meatless time of year, and the demand […]
Continue ReadingAfter several years of reading cookbooks, newspaper food sections, online culinary magazines and endless food blogs, I realize that the enchilada, an iconic Mexican food, is quite often turned into a completely different dish when it leaves the country. While the basic elements are present, the techniques frequently used north of the border turn enchiladas […]
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