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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Rabbit in chile sauce: Conejo en adobo
The rabbit that I recently bought in the Cholula market, weighing in at a hefty 3 ¾ pounds, was perfect for this recipe, since it calls for the meat to be cooked and marinated before being combined wi...
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Cornhusk wrapped chiles stuffed with fresh corn: Chiltamales
In this recipe, corn is cut fresh from the cob and used to fill poblano chiles, which are wrapped in fresh cornhusks, eliminating the need for soaking. Although a metate would traditionally be used ...
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Spiced Lamb Steamed in Maguey Leaves: Mixiotes de Carnero
Mixiotes de carnero are a specialty of the central Mexican states of Puebla, Tlaxcala and Hidalgo. They are flavored with two of the most distinctively Mexican of leaves: avocado leaves, which are encl...
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Demystifying mole, Mexico's national dish
Although Cinco de Mayo, the national May 5th holiday commemorating the 1862 Battle of Puebla, is celebrated with much more fervor by Mexicans living in the United States than in Mexico, one exce...
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Mexicasa: The Enchanting Inns and Haciendas of Mexico by Gina Hyams and Melba Levick
Gina Hyams and Melba Levick have created a wonderful compilation of photographs of twenty-one of Mexico's most spectacular and beautiful inns and bed and breakfast establishments. This one is a real winner.
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Mexico mountaineering expedition on Pico de Orizaba (Citlaltepetl)
Mexico's Highest Volcano (Citlaltepetl)
PART ONE: ORIGINS
PART TWO: GETTING THERE
PART THREE: PIEDRA GRANDE
...
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The Aztecs speak - part 3
Quetzalcoatl was coming. Moctezuma had already sent wizards, magicians and seers, to cast spells that would destroy or at least deter the Spaniards from continuing toward his capital. Their failure had...
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Mexican chicken and fruit stew: Manchamanteles
Literally meaning "tablecloth stainers", because of its deep red sauce, manchamanteles can be made with chicken, pork, or a combination of the two. In Puebla, where it originated, the fruit that...
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South from Puebla, Mexico
From Cholula we are in the city of Puebla in a matter of minutes. Though Puebla is a city of maybe 1.5 million people, it is not a city of tall buildings of steel and glass. The old part of town surrou...
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Cholula: Traveling the Central High Plains of Mexico
On a huge hill, covered with weeds, small trees and debris, was built a church overlooking the city, the Sanctuary de los Remedies. It is a beautiful site, with the towered church silhouetted against t...
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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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A Glass Garden
There is a sense of permanence in so much change.
"Travel is like peeling an onion, at least one layer will make you cry."
I don't recall who wrote that line, but it holds true. My trek started in th...
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Temexla, Puebla: Perspectives from rural Mexico
The square five-gallon can with a slow burning fire inside generated enough heat to warm the tortillas and beans. Small containers of salsa, chilis and whatever sat on the ground. The half dozen or so ...
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San Francisco, Ixtacamaxtitlan: Padre Julio Flores
Following a policy of keeping the boys and the girls seperated, Martita and Vidal seldom saw each other at school. It must have been some comfort just knowing that the other was close by. Marta's dormi...
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La Ceiba, Puebla: Efrain, artist curandero and friend
Perspective:
Dateline - La Ceiba, Puebla, Mexico
The Artist and Curandero: continued.
La Ceiba is a small town in the state of Puebla on the highway between Mexico City and Poza Rica, Veracru...
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La Ceiba, Puebla: The artist and curandero
Perspective:
Dateline - La Ceiba, Puebla, Mexico
The Artist and Curandero
La Ceiba is a small town in the state of Puebla on the highway between Mexico City and Poza Rica, Veracruz. It’s ab...
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La Ceiba in Puebla
Perspective:
Dateline - La Ceiba, Puebla, Mexico
May 1, 1998
"La Ceiba" (or maybe Lázaro Cárdenas or Tito Hernández or Villa Avila)
La Ceiba is a small town in the state of ...
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The cuisine of Puebla, cradle of corn
The creative blending of diverse ingredients is the hallmark of Mexican cooking, and in the state of Puebla it is a passion. Everywhere there is talk of food. People give detailed accounts of what they...
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Stewed pork with chipotle on 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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The comadre and her sixteen children, or how I started cooking Mexican food
I first met the comadre through a colleague of mine at the University of Puebla, Mexico. I was in the habit of bringing meat loaf, mashed potatoes, and other "gringo food" that the professor's e...
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Mexican fava bean soup: Caldo de habas vegetariano
This soup was, and still is, prepared by the comadre and other Cholula cooks during the meatless Semana Santa, Holy Week. The use of hierbabuena (mint) to flavor soup is typical of Central Me...
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Mushrooms in vinaigrette: Hongos en escabeche
Wild mushrooms are found in abundance in the states of Puebla, Tlaxcala and Estado de Mexico during and after the rainy season, and used in soups, quesadillas and vegetable dishes. Although the comadre...
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The Classic Period (300-900 AD) Part 2: Cholula
The most important center of the Mexican highlands after the fall of Teotihuacan was Cholula, near the twin volcanic peaks Iztaccihuatl and Popocatepetl and the city of Puebla. The Great Pyramid there,...
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