With the month of June comes the start of the school vacation, long awaited by young students, but possibly not as much so by their mothers and fathers. Keeping the kids busy, happy and productive throughout the summer can be a challenge, especially for conscientious parents who continue to limit the TV and video hours […]
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When I moved to Mexico 26 years ago, there were very few supermarkets. In Cholula, there were, and still are, numerous small mom-and-pop stores called miscelanias that crammed a huge variety of inventory into small spaces. And no matter what else they sold, there was always yogurt, occupying what seemed to be a disproportionate amount of space […]
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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 […]
Continue ReadingThe 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 […]
Continue ReadingOnce again, the time to talk turkey has arrived, and in Mexico this can inspire quite a bit of talk indeed. Over thirty words for the bird have been used at one time or another in various parts of the country, twenty-one of which were still in use when Dr. Lawrence B. Kiddle wrote “The Names […]
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I recently watched a video of women in the lush, green Papaloapan region of Oaxaca making yucca tamales. As is quite often the case with tamales of all kinds, it was a group effort. The labor-intensive culinary ritual involved in their preparation seemed a lot easier with the conversation and camaraderie that went on with […]
Continue ReadingPossibly no other country in the world has as many festivals, fairs and feast days as Mexico. National holidays, religious holidays and people’s santos (saints’ days) are all celebrated with gusto, as are the observances of the patron saints of virtually every city, town and pueblito. The santoral, or calendar of saints’ days, is so crowded with names […]
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While Mexican cooking varies from one region of the country to another, no State compares with Oaxaca in the variety of cuisines found within its borders. The natural geographic divisions created by the mountain ranges (Sierras) criss-crossing the state, have given rise to distinct cultures and micro climates within Oaxaca. Differing local foods and their culinary use […]
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It would be difficult to think of a food more versatile than the empanada except, of course, the taco. Both consist of a dough-based wrapper around a filling, and both can hold a huge variety of ingredients within. But while the taco has its roots in the indigenous Mexican culinary tradition, the empanada was an […]
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Although grown most frequently in the tropical coastal areas of the country, plantains are found in markets all over Mexico, where they are called plátano macho and look like bananas on growth hormones, ranging in color from bright green and unripe to nearly black and looking overripe. Like the banana, the plantain is an herbaceous flowering plant, […]
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