Puebla Style Eggnog: Rompope
This beverage was first made by the colonial-era nuns at the Convent of Santa Clara in Puebla, and the Santa Clara brand is still one of the most popular. It is fun and very easy to make at home. Unlik...
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Stuffed Nopales: Huaraches
These were first served to us at the nopal fair in Tlaxcalancingo, Puebla. I have since had them in restaurants in Mexico City. They are aptly named for the flat soles of the country people's sandals t...
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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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Stewed pork with chipotle tostadas: Tinga Poblana
Tinga is a basically a stewed pork dish, cooked with a chipotle sauce and most commonly served on tostadas. A chipotle is a dried jalapeño with a wonderful, smokey flavor. The ...
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Yohualichan, Puebla: A small town, but a mighty force in Cultural Conservation
Yohualichan is one of those places that, if you blink, you might miss it. Situated toward the end of a meandering cobbled road in the midst of the Sierra Norte Mountains of Puebla, the entrance to the ...
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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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Trout with Sesame Seeds in Parchment Paper: Trucha Empapelada con Ajonjolí
The trout farms in the mountains outside Atlixco have open air restaurants that are crowded with families getting out of the city on weekends. The menus feature trucha empapelada, or en papillote, wi...
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Fish in Red Pipian: Pescado en Pipián Rojo
The mountains of northern Puebla and Veracruz are blessed with an abundance of freshwater fish. The combination of fish and pipian is unusual but delicious, and any firm fleshed white fish can be use...
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Puebla style sandwiches: Cemitas:
A few years ago, I had a call from Rachel Wharton, a writer for the New York Daily News food section. She was writing an article on cemitas, the latest sandwich craze to hit New York at the time, thank...
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Fried cutlet torta: Torta de milanesa
While a torta can be filled with any kind of savory sandwich filling, the beans, avocado and tomato are always present. Leave out the onion if you are not a fan, or substitute mayonnaise for the crema; some torterías use melted butter instead of crema.
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Cinco de Mayo: What is everybody celebrating?
Ask about the history behind these celebrations, and a few may be able to tell you that the Mexicans defeated an invading French army on that date in 1862. Beyond that - except maybe in Puebla - general knowledge of the circumstances becomes sketchy. Why were the French there? What happened next? Did the French just go away? Many teachers in the U.S. still tell their classes that May fifth is Mexican Independence Day, which is dead wrong. (Independence Day in Mexico is September 16th.)
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Cinco de Mayo celebrations in Mexico
There are Mexicans these days who have never attended a Cinco de Mayo celebration. The holiday has taken a back seat to the many saints' days and other festivals.
The growth of celebrations in the Uni...
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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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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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