In Mexico, the lime — known as a limón — is everywhere, served with nearly all food except coffee and dessert (and some desserts are made with them) and sold in even the smallest neighborhood stores. Here, limes are considered a necessity, and almost no kitchen is without them.
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Huazontle is a Mexican native plant, sometimes called "Aztec spinach," that resembles elongated broccoli. It is inexpensive, grows easily from seed, and is a low maintenance-high yield plant. It is easy to see why it has been an important vegetable in Mexico for so long, and the highlight of many meatless meals. Huazontle is high in fiber and protein, as well as some vitamins and minerals.
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Mexico is a country where soup is an integral part of the comida — the main meal of the day — and many people feel that this meal is not complete without it. When the weather is hot, cold soup makes a wonderfully refreshing first course or light supper. There is also something elegant about cold soup, perhaps because one of the first ones that come to mind is vichyssoise, the French favorite served in Chapultepec Castle by with the ill-fated Maximilian and Carlotta.
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One of the most refreshing Mexican fruit drinks, or aguas, is the deep ruby colored agua de jamaica, made from roselle hibiscus. This agua has lately been adopted by creative Mexican chefs for use in a variety of both sweet and savory dishes, including marinades, sauces, sorbets, granitas, jellies and trendy cocktails. Its intense color and tart flavor are quite original.
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Today, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries are grown commercially during most of the year in Mexico, especially in Jalisco and Michoacan, with the exception of the summer rainy season. Berries are low in fat, cholesterol and sodium, and high in Vitamin C and fiber. The United States still imports 80% of its blueberries from Chile, but Mexican growers are hoping to change this and to increase both blueberry and raspberry exports.
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Mamey is native to tropical areas of Mexico and Central America. The skin of the pit peels away to reveal a yellow kernel underneath, the fruit's seed. The mamey pit was used by the Aztecs in making chocolate drinks and is used today in Oaxaca in making tejate, the foamy cacao drink served at markets and fairs. But it is the flesh of the mamey that is used most frequently in Mexican kitchens.
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There are few places more relaxing than Baja California, and no time better to go there than winter. This Mexican peninsula that straddles the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez seems to have been created for relieving stress and renewing the spirit. The "winter blues" are banished here, where the only blues are the sunny skies and clear water.
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Possibly 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 gus...
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While coffee is grown in many parts of Mexico, there are two growing areas that produce the best coffee: Chiapas and Oaxaca. High-grown (altura and estrictamente altura) coffees from Chiapas have good acidity and deep, milk chocolate-like flavors. Oaxacan coffee is similar but milder, and tends to be more variable in quality.
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On Noche Buena — Christmas Eve — one of the most festive dinners of the year is served.
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