Growing up, the three food staples were tortillas, salsa, and frijoles. A pot of freshly made frijoles de la olla is my absolute favorite way to eat beans. I love how pure and fresh they taste fresh from the olla, or pot. As soon as they were ready to eat I would fill a large bowl, add some fresh salsa and […]
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El Chupacabra Martini will set your honey’s heart afire. The fiery red blood orange juice infused with the explosive Brazilian aphrodisiac of acai is sure to make sparks fly. Hints of guava and pineapple nectar in this drink are fruits from Puerto Rico (where Chupacabra sightings were first reported). This sensuous drink with a beautiful […]
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Americans commonly mistake Cinco de Mayo, the day that commemorates the Mexican Victory over the French in Puebla (1862), for Mexican Independence day (1810). Cinco de Mayo has become an American holiday synonymous with mariachis, margaritas, Corona beer, and Americanized Mexican food like jalapeño-studded nachos and cheese-smothered burritos. Although we didn’t celebrate the holiday as children, we think […]
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Chocolate, that perennial favorite, has been accused of being sinfully delicious, overly fattening, and the precursor to teenage complexion problems. Its history is intertwined with religion, and at one point was the cause of a theological donnybrook in the Catholic church in Mexico. “Food of the Gods,” is the literal translation of the name Theobroma. The name, […]
Continue ReadingA friend from western Mexico is on the phone, planning a trip to visit us down south in Oaxaca. “From the map, it looks like there’s a freeway loop around Mexico City,” he says hopefully. Yes, well. We explain to him that the map was evidently put together by someone with great futuristic vision, because […]
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Here’s a key phrase to memorize before heading to Mexico. “Es muy picante?” Whenever a waiter answers this question with, “Sí señora,” I’m forewarned. In the first bite, my mouth will erupt with the combustible spices and chiles on which Mexicans flourish. “To us, food has to be spicy to be good,” says Lula Bertran, Mexico’s leading […]
Continue ReadingThe Vanilla Festival is held in early summer every year in Papantla, Veracruz. The origins of the festival pre-date the Spanish conquest. Its timing is now tied to the Catholic celebration of the Feast of Corpus Christi (Body of Christ), sixty days after Easter. Papantla is the heart of Mexico’s vanilla-growing region. Vanilla, surely one […]
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What better way to begin a series of children’s cooking classes than with pizza and mango smoothies? Chef Pilar Cabrera‘s Casa de los Sabores began their inaugural class with the basics of kitchen safety and hygiene, composting and recycling, and nutrition, all in a three-hour session. And at the same time, lead instructor Ninfa Raigosa infused […]
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Tejate is a pre-Hispanic corn and cacao based drink. It is likely the only complex food recipe in all Mexico still enjoyed today just as it was thousands of years ago in Oaxaca. When visiting a Oaxacan marketplace and enjoying a half jícara gourd of tejate, you’re likely treating yourself to the same carefully crafted beverage, made with virtually […]
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The producer of Medicine Man, starring Sean Connery, found Los Tuxtlas, as did Mel Gibson when he filmed Apocalypto. Being the home of the mysterious Olmec civilization, which predated the Mayans, makes it the perfect base for Mexico’s witches and medicine men who still produce curative powders and drinks from native plants based on ancient lore. Beyond historical sites, […]
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