Getting to the Heart of Oaxacan Cuisine: A Cooking Class with Susanna Trilling
The longer one lives and travels in Mexico, the more meaningless the term "Mexican food" seems to become, for the true cuisine of Mexico contains such distinct regional differences that some people cla...
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More Cuisine Of Puebla, Cradle Of Corn
Some of the following recipes are for dishes described in "The Cuisine of Puebla, Cradle of Corn" . I've recently returned from a trip north, where I scouted several supermarkets to check on the...
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The French Influence On Mexican Cooking: La Comida Afrancescada
Modern Mexican cooking is considered by culinary historians to be a fusion of three cuisines - indigenous, Spanish and French. This column has covered pre-Hispanic ingredients and techniques in the pas...
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The Food of Durango, Mexico's Wild West
The northwestern Mexican state of Durango, a fantasyland of rugged mountains, pine forests, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, fertile valleys and yucca-strewn desert is perhaps best known as the location for ...
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The Slow Food Movement in Mexico
Just about anyone who has read cooking columns, culinary magazines or cookbooks in recent years has come upon the term "slow food" or "the Slow Food movement." But what exactly is the Slow Food movemen...
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Valentine Flowers from the Kitchen: Delicias de Flores
Each year, when February is on the horizon, I find myself thinking about the preparation of homemade treats for Valentine's Day.
Being an incurable romantic, having a wedding anniversary on Valentine'...
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Mexico's Leafy Green
A common misconception about Mexican food is that it does not use many greens other than seasoning herbs such as cilantro and epazote. One reason for this is that foreigners or new arrivals to Mexico h...
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Mexican Sweet Potatoes, from Soup to Dessert: Los Camotes
One of the most interesting aspects of writing about Mexican food is its history, which spans at least five centuries and reflects the cultural and social influences of both the pre-Hispanic Mesoameric...
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Soup Of The Day: La Sopa del Dia
Although the Mock Turtle sang the praises of "soup of the evening, beautiful soup", here in Mexico it's "soup of the day", that first course that is required on any comida corrida menu. Most Mex...
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A Guide to Mexican Cheeses (Part 2): Los Quesos Mexicanos
Last month's column (Part I) presented a guide to Mexico's many cheeses, along with suggestions for substitutions when certain cheeses are not available. However, with the enormous variety of internati...
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Vanilla: A Mexican Native Regains Its Reputation
Mention vanilla, and people are apt to think of the ice-cream flavor they select when confronted with a mind-boggling choice involving everything from chirimoya to cheesecake: "just plain vanilla." Wha...
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Mexican Wild Game - Duck And Quail
During the fall, when the weather changes, so do our culinary aspirations. Cooler temperatures inspire techniques like roasting, baking, braising, and a lot less outdoor cooking in most parts of the No...
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A Guide to Mexican Cheese: Queso Mexicano
Mexican markets, especially the open-air variety, still bear an uncanny resemblance to their pre-Hispanic predecessors. The colors and aromas of carefully arranged piles of fruit and vegetables, bundle...
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Jicama: A Sign of Changing Culinary Seasons
After returning home to Oaxaca from a recent two-week trip out of the country, I walked up to the corner produce stand to check out possibilities for dinner. The first thing that caught my eye was a ne...
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Cooking with Cactus: Nopales Cactus
Every April, the central Mexican village of Tlaxcalancingo, Puebla, celebrates the Feria de Nopales, a tribute to its most important crop, the nopal cactus. Set against a background of snow-capp...
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The Pumpkin, An Ancient Mexican Native: La Calabaza Grande
Perhaps the quintessential symbol of autumn, the pumpkin is a Mexican native and an ancient staple food. The oldest pumpkin seed found dates back as far as 7000 BC, according to archeologists excavatin...
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A Central Mexican Mixed Grill: La Parillada
Although the season for outdoor grilling has just begun north of the border, here in Mexico grilling is done nearly year-round. Whenever our family and next-door neighbors in Cholula had a Sunday free ...
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A Culinary Guide to Mexican Herbs: Las Hierbas de Cocina
Spring is the season of renewal, evident in the green buds poking up through the warming earth and, here in Mexico, symbolized by the wheat sprouts that adorn altars during Easter week. For many people...
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Mexican Wedding Feasts: La Comida de la Boda
June is a month of family celebrations; in México as well as north of the border, weddings, graduations and Father's Day are all prominent June occasions. This month, I happily recall a couple of the ...
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Tomatoes and Tomatillos: Salsa Essentials
This is the time of year when outdoor entertaining gets into full swing, and one of the staples of this casual kind of dining is salsa. It is served with chips or crudités, or as an accompaniment to g...
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A Culinary Tour of Xalapa: Dining in the Home of Jalapenos
When I told Carmen Titita Ramirez, owner of the highly acclaimed El Bajio restaurant in Mexico City, that I would be spending time in Xalapa, she responded with her usual exuberance and proceeded to wr...
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Zacatecas: Culinary Gateway
The state of Zacatecas, in the northwestern part of the central Mexican plateau, has been culturally significant since pre-Hispanic times, when it was one of the few holdouts not conquered by the Aztec...
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The Mexican Kitchen, Heart Of The Home: Part 2 - Cooking Techniques
Last month, the first part of this look at the Mexican kitchen focused on traditional utensils, primarily developed for the grinding and cooking of the Mesoamerican staple, corn. The modern appliances ...
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The Mexican Kitchen, Heart Of The Home: Part I - Cooking Equipment, Modern And Traditional
Although I have had the privilege of working with many fine chefs and cooking teachers here in Mexico, my favorite culinary experiences have been with home cooks in their own kitchens. From humble outd...
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The cuisine of Puebla - Mexico's wild mushrooms, gifts of the rainy season: Huitlacoche
Rain brings a more astounding variety than ever to the bounty in the markets. Corn and fresh chiles are stacked high, along with a number of herbs, both familiar and less well-known. Among the tastiest of the season's offerings are the wild mushrooms, some of which are known as setas.
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