Fish in red pipian: Pescado en pipian rojo Karen Hursh Graber

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... read more

fish main-dishes salsas Puebla Veracruz

Chicken in sesame seed, pumpkin seed and chile sauce: Tlatonile de pollo Karen Hursh Graber

This sauce originated in Huatusco, in north central Veracruz. Comapeños are very small, dried red chiles abundant in this region. You can substitute chiles de arbol for the comapeños, but I rec... read more

poultry main-dishes salsas Veracruz

Did You Know? Blacks outnumbered Spaniards until after 1810 Tony Burton

By common consent, the history of blacks in Mexico is a long one. The first black slave to set foot in Mexico is thought to have been Juan Cortés. He accompanied the conquistadors in 1519. It has been... read more

Mexico's Danza de los Voladores - a photo-essay Tony Burton

One of the most spectacular dances in the country — la Danza de Los Voladores, literally the Dance of the Flyers — involves only five participants.In the old days, they first had to find a suitable... read more

culture-customs Veracruz Cuetzalan, Puebla

Did You Know? Vanilla Festival in Papantla, Veracruz Tony Burton

The Vanilla Festival is held in early summer every year in Papantla, Veracruz. The origins of the festival pre-date the Spanish conquest. Its timing is now tied to the Catholic celebration of the Feast... read more

exploring-tourism fiestas-traditions flora indigenous-groups Papantla, Veracruz

Seafood frittata: Torta de mariscos Karen Hursh Graber

This dish takes advantage of Veracruz' abundant variety of seafood. It is quite adaptable, in that just about any other kind of seafood or fish can be added, including squid, shelled oysters, clams or ... read more

eggs seafood Veracruz

It's hot in Zacatepec, Morelos Julia Taylor

Zacatepec has three claims to fame – the sugar mill, the Instituto Technológico de Zacatepec and its soccer stadium.

Cheese-filled Sweet Potato Patties: Tortitas de Camote Karen Hursh Graber

In most of Mexico, these fried patties are made with white potatoes, whereas in Veracruz they are made with sweet potatoes or yucca. This cheese-filled version is more versatile than most, because it c... read more

cheese vegetables vegetarian side-dishes Veracruz

Xalapa-style green mole: Mole verde de Xalapa Karen Hursh Graber

Puebla and Oaxaca both have their own distinctive versions of green mole, but none is as laden with fresh vegetables as Xalapa's mole verde. Although I have prepared several meatless pipians and ... read more

vegetables poultry main-dishes mole-and-pipian Xalapa, Veracruz

Oyster mushroom chileatole: Chileatole de setas Karen Hursh Graber

Mushrooms proliferate in the mist-covered hills of north central Veracruz, the only place I have ever seen chileatole made with them, in this case with setas or oyster mushrooms. It would probabl... read more

vegetables poultry soups Veracruz

A culinary tour of Xalapa: Dining in the home of Jalapeños Karen Hursh Graber

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... read more

food-drink Xalapa, Veracruz

Stuffed Fish Filet: Filete De Pescado Relleno Karen Hursh Graber

This is a basic coastal recipe, adaptable to several different kinds of fish and shellfish. We first tried it in Boca del Rio, Veracruz, but some version of it is on the menu of nearly every seafood re... read more

fish main-dishes Veracruz

Spicy seafood soup: Chilpachole Karen Hursh Graber

Chilpachole is a specialty of Veracruz, but it is found all over Mexico, especially in Mexico City, where food of every region comes together. It can be made with either shrimp or crabmeat, and the var... read more

seafood soups Veracruz

Veracruz online Ron Mader

Veracruz isn’t just about coffee, Caribbean music and beautiful beaches —it’s also about excellent websites. The area boasts a generous mix of everything you could ask for—tropical forests and ... read more

exploring-tourism Veracruz, Veracruz

Veracruz: traveling the Central High Plains of Mexico Charles E. Moritzky

A couple of years ago I wrote a booklet about the Central High Plains with the idea that I would offer my services as a guide. This idea, as a lot of my other ideas, fell flat. However, I was asked if ... read more

exploring-tourism Veracruz

In Tecolutla, Veracruz: just like Bogie and Bacall Rhonda Tranks

The small fishing town of Tecolutla straddles the Gulf of Mexico and the Rio Tecolutla in the northern part of Veracruz State. Apart from school vacations and the annual fishing tournament nothing much... read more

exploring-tourism Tecolutla, Veracruz

Veracruz for foreigners: an introduction Dean & Yoly Hughson

Updated December, 2009 When we tell people that we go to Mexico often, they always ask "Cancun or Puerto Vallarta?" When we tell them "Veracruz"' they always ask, "Where is that?". The State of Vera... read more

beaches exploring-tourism perspectives Veracruz

La Bamba explained: the music of Veracruz Janice Carraher

Can you hear Ritchie Valens belting that one out? One of Rock and Roll’s most copied songs (from garage bands, movies, and college marching bands, to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir). La Bamba is an ode to an era, the anthem of the American Boom generation. Many of us over the years continue to sing that catchy song without thinking much about it. But in truth, there is a whole lot more here than meets most peoples ears. read more

culture-customs music Veracruz

Veracruz, Mexico: a feast for the senses Patricia Alisau

Veracruz is unlike any other city in Mexico, with a rhythm all its own. Salsa music, the cry of the street vendor, the bell of a trolley, and the comings and goings of sea vessels all blend together. M... read more

exploring-tourism history Catemaco, Veracruz

Did You Know? - Vanilla Teresa Kendrick

Did you know that the vanilla bean is from an aromatic orchid that originally came from Mexico? The Academy of Sciences and Gastronomic Arts in Paris were so taken with the fruit of this orchid, that ... read more

spices Papantla, Veracruz

The cuisine of Veracruz: a tasty blend of cultures Karen Hursh Graber

Exotic-looking even on a map, the Mexican state of Veracruz stretches along the Gulf Coast like the graceful tentacle of a sea creature. Within the boundaries formed by the warm coastal waters to the e... read more

cuisines food-drink history index-page indigenous-groups Veracruz

Yam and pineapple dessert: Dulce de camote con piña Karen Hursh Graber

This delicious dessert is a perfect example of the Afro-Cuban influence on Gulf coast cooking, combining pineapple, a plantation crop, with yams or sweet potatoes, a West African staple. Ingredients: ... read more

vegetables fruit desserts Veracruz

Seafood Pozole: Pozole con Mariscos Karen Hursh Graber

This Gulf Coast version is from Veracruz, but similar seafood pozoles are found along Mexico's Pacific coasts. Most Mexican seafood stews come with the heads on the shrimp, but if you do not like to se... read more

seafood main-dishes soups Veracruz

Rum Milkshake: Toro Karen Hursh Graber

I hadn't been to Boca del Rio in many years, and was surprised to see it transformed from a sleepy fishing village to a gastronomic center. At a fair there, with a friend from Veracruz, just about ever... read more

fruit beverages Veracruz

Veracruz-style seafood and rice: Arroz a la tumbada Karen Hursh Graber

One of my happiest dining memories is the first time I tried Arroz a la Tumbada at the King of Carnival restaurant in the city of Veracruz, where it is prepared to order for each diner and serve... read more

fish seafood main-dishes rice-and-grains Veracruz