Making merry in May: Mexico's National Cheese and Wine Festival
To the north and west of Mexico City lies the region known as El Bajío, often called "Mexico's breadbasket." This rugged, high plateau bears a distinct resemblance to central Spain, home of its origin...
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Garbanzo soup with saffron: Garbanzos en amarillo
Garbanzos en amarillo, with chickpeas, orange sweet potatoes and saffron, is evocative of the hearty peasant dishes of central Spain. It is a traditional food for the Día de La Santa Cruz, celebrated throughout Mexico, and with particular fervor in Queretaro, on May 3.
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Shrimp and nopal tacos: Tacos de camaron y nopalitos
The chunky salsa recipe that goes with these tacos makes more than necessary for the tacos, and is a delicious dip for totopos (fried tortilla triangles). I get asked for the recipe every time I serve ...
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Enchiladas with buttermilk sauce: Enchiladas de jocoque
Enchiladas with cream sauces are popular in Querétaro, and these use the thick Mexican buttermilk called jocoque, introduced by Mexico's many Lebanese immigrants. A mixture of regular buttermilk (whic...
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Vintage cars in a Mexico City museum
El Museo del Automóvil in the south of Mexico City houses more than a hundred painstakingly restored cars. In existence since 1991, the Museo del Automóvil is unique to Latin America and was the fruit of the labors of a group of vintage car lovers, who exhibit their treasures for the joy of it. While it is basically a permanent exhibition, around 30 cars are rotated every three months to allow other collectors to also display their wheels. All the cars are registered and in fine working order, and the engines are turned over once a month to keep them that way.
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Graffiti: the Estadio Azteca and Mexico City's new wave muralists
Increasingly here in Mexico's capital, the graffiti mural is coming to represent what some local experts feel is a new movement in mural art in the great tradition of early 20th century Mexican muralists such as Diego Rivera and David Siqueiros. Mexico City's largest sports stadium has allowed graffiti murals to adorn its many outer walls, entrance gates and car park enclosures.
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Tequisquiapan: provincial Mexican charm in Queretaro
Only a two-hour drive from Mexico City, Tequisquiapan is the second most important tourist destination in Querétaro. Although it comes to life on weekends, it retains the charm of a Mexico's provincia...
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Graffiti: Mexico City's wall art emerges from the shadows
In Mexico City, graffiti is a bit like prostitution. Nominally, it's illegal — carrying a $1,000 peso fine or a day in jail. But the rule of law doesn't seem to stand in the way of anyone with a can of spray paint inclined to deface a wall.
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September in the Mexican sierra: an abundance of apples
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.
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Sauteed apples and eggs: Huevos zacatlantecos
After the Virgen de la Asuncion has been raised up from her bed of apples, a little bit every hour throughout the night, the faithful make their way home in the wee hours with bags of apples from her bed. This apple and egg dish is a traditional breakfast at this time of year.
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Graffiti: the wry humor of Mexico City street stencil art
Most modern art aficionados know that if mysterious British artist Banksy didn't create the urban world's love affair with quirky riddles in stencil art on public walls, then he certainly spearheaded i...
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Culinary travel in the Mixteca Poblana: The avocado route
For generations, the people of the Mixteca Poblana have been creating a regional cuisine out of what seems to be nothing.
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Grilled marinated chicken breasts: Pollo atlixquense
"Melting pot" cooking has given rise to innumerable ethnic grocery stores in the United States, and for people who enjoy cooking authentic Mexican food, this means that ingredients are easily available. Dried avocado leaves, essential to several Mixteca recipes, are sold in just about any Mexican grocery store.
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Chicken in yogurt sauce: Enjococado
The name of this dish is derived from the Spanish word jocoque, which is sometimes translated as buttermilk, but is really a type of thick yogurt of Middle Eastern origin. In the city of Puebla, with its large Lebanese population, jocoque is sold in most supermarkets, but in rural areas it is homemade and truly delicious. If you can't find jocoque, a mixture of half sour cream and half regular plain yogurt is an acceptable substitute.
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