Fabulous frijoles: Mexico's versatile legumes
When asked by the New York Times magazine to write about the most important contribution of the past millennium, Italian author Umberto Eco chose the humble bean. In How the Bean Saved Western Civiliza...
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The Humble Peanut Stars in Mexican Cuisine: Los Cacahuates
Many years ago, two young students of mine in California went on a family trip to visit their grandparents in Mexico. When they returned, they couldn't wait to tell me the funniest word they'd heard: ...
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Choice Cut Or Mystery Meat? A Guide To Mexican Butcher Shops: Part I - Beef
One of the most puzzling aspects of marketing for the newly arrived resident of Mexico is shopping for meat. It is frequently cut differently than it is north of the border, to accommodate Mexican cook...
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A Traditional Mexican Comida: Do-It-Yourself
One of the most fascinating aspects of adjusting to life in another country is exploring the cultural landscape of cooking and eating. In Mexico, food is an intrinsic part of festivals, rituals, and pe...
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Immigrant Cooking In Mexico - Part One: The Mennonite Kitchens Of Chihuahua
In recent years, immigration has become a topic of intense focus, not only in the United States and Mexico, but worldwide. Although generally seen as a political question, there is no doubt that the mo...
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Red, White Or Green: Warm Up The Winter With Pozole
When Francisco Hernandez de Córdoba, having set sail from Cuba in 1517, met a Maya in a canoe off the island of Cozumel, he was given gourds of water and balls of ground maize. This Mayan keyem...
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The cuisine of Jalisco: la cocina tapatia
If there is one state that can be considered quintessentially Mexican, it is Jalisco. Home of mariachis, tequila, famous regional dances and equally well-known culinary specialties, Jalisco is at the heart of the country's culture and contributes significantly to its cuisine. The lakes yielded a variety of fish while hunting provided ducks, doves and partridges. Europeans introduced cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, dairy products and lard, as well as wheat, olive oil, rice, spices, and several European varieties of fruit, nuts and vegetables.
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Early Fusion Food: Inside A Colonial Mexican Kitchen
One of the rewarding aspects of investigating the history and evolution of Mexico's rich and varied cuisine is the availability of authentic sources. The Spanish chroniclers took painstaking notes on n...
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For Summertime or Anytime: Mexican Saladso
Now that summer is approaching, along with Father's Day, graduations and weddings, thoughts turn to celebratory meals to be shared with family and friends. From barbeque to buffet table, formal or casu...
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The Cuisine of Hidalgo: Spanning Climates and Cultures
Over the years, on road trips from Central Mexico to various parts of the U.S., we have explored different routes, some more scenic than others. One of the most unforgettable included the state of Hida...
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Mexican Mangos: Fantastic Flavor, Big Business
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 monto...
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The Pineapple: Sweet Symbol of the Tropics
"The pineapple," wrote Fernandez de Oviedo in the 16th century, "appeals to every sense but that of hearing." This chief steward to the royal family of Spain may seem, from a 21st century point of view...
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Preserving The Fall Harvest: Mexican Pickles And Vinaigrettes
In many places, including much of North America, fall marks the end of the growing season for several crops, including various fresh fruits and vegetables. Cooks often choose to can, freeze or otherwis...
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A yearly culinary ritual: La matanza
Beginning in mid-October, and lasting for a month, a five-hundred-year-old ritual encompassing history, tradition and cuisine takes place in the valley of Tehuacan, in the Mixteca Poblana region of sou...
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The Cuisine of Tabasco: Heartland Of Pre-Hispanic Cooking
Nestled along the southernmost coast of the Gulf of Mexico is the state of Tabasco, birthplace of the Olmecs, called the "mother culture of Mesoamerica", and the Chontal Maya, famous as seafaring trade...
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A Traditional Mexican Cooking School: An Interview with Recipes
September is back-to-school time, so what more fitting topic for this month's Mexico Kitchen column than a Mexican cooking school? One of the questions most frequently asked by readers concerns the ava...
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The Cuisine of Michoacán: Mexican Soul Food
If Michoacan is "the soul of Mexico," as it has often been called, then its food is Mexico's soul food, for few other places in the country can claim such a profound and long-lasting indigenous influence on their regional cuisine. This western state, part of the Bajio region located north and west of Mexico City, has retained its culinary roots for over a millennium.
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Perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of Oaxaca is the tremendous difference between one region of the state and another. The sierras which crisscross it form natural boundaries between enclaves ...
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About Leftover Corn Tortillas
Although I love flour tortillas, there is something really special about a corn tortilla, fresh off the griddle or straight from the tortilleria, sprinkled with a little salt, rolled up and eaten. It r...
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Eggs: A Mexican Staple from Soup to Dessert
One of the most recent topics of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, simply entitled "Eggs," inspired a bit of research on the history and use of eggs in Mexican cooking. However fraught with sy...
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Open Sesame: Gateway to a World of Flavor
While passing the rows of restaurants surrounding downtown Puebla's Parian crafts market, one cannot help but notice that every one of the many display bowls of mole poblano is adorned with a liberal s...
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A Meal in a Sandwich: Tortas, Cemitas, Pambazos
For months after we moved to Mexico several years ago, my favorite place to eat here in Cholula was a hole-in-the-wall tortería called Tortas Alex. Although a Mexican torta goes far beyond what is nor...
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Immigrant Cooking in Mexico: The Afromestizos of Veracruz
This month we'll continue to take a look at the cooking of the immigrants who contributed to the modern Mexican culinary repertoire. Unlike other groups discussed previously -- including the Mennonites...
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October in Actopan: Mexico's National Mole Festival
One of the most popular of Mexico's many fairs and festivals is the Festival del Mole, the National Mole Fair, held each October in the village of San Pedro Actópan, in the Milpa Alta delegation of th...
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A Guide to Mexican Butcher Shops Part II: Pork and Lamb
Continuing a look at meat cuts and how they are named and used in Mexico, we will first consider pork. The old saying that you can eat every part of the pig but the squeal is especially true in Mexican...
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