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Mexico's berries: a spring awakening of flavor by Karen Hursh Graber

Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries from a Mexican supermarket
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. read more
food-drink

Mamey fruit: Mexico's sweet winter treat by Karen Hursh Graber

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. read more
cuisines food

Back to Baja: Some favorite dishes get a makeover by Karen Hursh Graber

Tip of the Baja, Where the Sea of Cortés meets the Pacific. © Dr. Ilya Treyger

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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Baja California

Calendar of Mexican food festivals by Karen Hursh Graber

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... read more
fiestas-traditions food-drink index-page

Buying and brewing good coffee in Mexico by Kevin Knox

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. read more
food how-to

A Mexican Christmas dinner: tamales, turkey, tejocotes by Karen Hursh Graber

On Noche Buena — Christmas Eve — one of the most festive dinners of the year is served. read more
christmas culture-customs food

Chestnut stuffing for poultry: Relleno de castañas para aves by Karen Hursh Graber

This is a very traditional Spanish Christmas stuffing that I have been served here in Cholula. Although most of the chestnuts sold today are exported by Italy, there has been a recent resurgence in the... read more
recipe

Corn, beans and squash: the life cycle of the milpa by Karen Hursh Graber

The milpa, or cornfield, is probably the most important element in the life of the rural Mexican farmer, apart from his family, or maybe alongside his family, because the milpa represents generations of his people working the soil. Even in places where agricultural production has been industrialized to the point of overshadowing any importance a milpa might have had before, the campesino continues to work his plot of land, however small, following the cycle of tilling, sowing and harvesting that his forefathers did. read more
cuisines culture-customs Oaxaca

Culinary travel in the Mixteca Poblana: The avocado route by Karen Hursh Graber

For generations, the people of the Mixteca Poblana have been creating a regional cuisine out of what seems to be nothing. read more
food Puebla

September in the Mexican sierra: an abundance of apples by Karen Hursh Graber

During the late summer and early fall here in Central Mexico, apples are prominent in markets, fairs, and even religious rituals. Starting in late August with the Feria de Manzanas (Apple Fair) in Zacatlan de las Manzanas in the Sierra of Puebla, apples are eaten fresh, preserved as jellies, jams and fruit liqueurs, and used in a number of desserts, chicken and pork dishes. read more
food Puebla