"Like Water for Chocolate" is a sort of combined novel and cookbook. Food plays a very prominent part in the narrative. The heroine, Tita, is a wonderful cook and we are even provided with her recipes along with the action. The story is set at the time of the Mexican Revolution - 1910-1920 - in Piedras Negras in Northern Mexico. And, like so many Mexican stories, it concerns a family. The story mainly concerns Tita, the youngest daughter, the remarkable cook and originator of all those recipes. read more

Last month's column (Part I) presented a guide to Mexico's many cheeses, along with suggestions for substitutions when certain cheeses are not available. However, with the enormous variety of internati... read more

Mexican markets, especially the open-air variety, still bear an uncanny resemblance to their pre-Hispanic predecessors. The colors and aromas of carefully arranged piles of fruit and vegetables, bundle... read more

What food was considered so important to the diet of Mexico's pre-Hispanic population that it was fashioned into images of the gods and eaten as communion? What food was outlawed during the conquest of... read more

Last month's column discussed buying and storing summer fruit, as well as the versatile fruit salsas which are perfect for outdoor dining. This month some ideas for using fruit as part of the main cour... read more

Enticing colors, graceful shapes and heady fragrances are all part of the appeal of summer fruit. Fruit salsas, which combine Mexican flavors and techniques with a Southwest influence, are perfect for the warm weather which finds many readers gearing up for grilling, chip-and-dipping, and outdoor entertaining.

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Mention vanilla, and people are apt to think of the ice-cream flavor they select when confronted with a mind-boggling choice involving everything from chirimoya to cheesecake: "just plain vanilla." Wha... read more

Last month the history, distillation process, and some culinary uses of tequila were discussed in this column. A trip to the Mexican town of Tequila inspired further investigation of the beverage's rol... read more

Mexico's Sea of Cortez, also known by the less lyrical name Gulf of California, supports more marine life than any other body of water on earth. It is no surprise, therefore, that divers, fishermen, an... read more

Translations and conversions of weights, measurements and ingredients for the kitchen. read more

Translations and conversions of weights, measurements and ingredients for the kitchen. read more

Mexican chocolate refers to either the round, flat disks of cinnamon-scented chocolate found throughout the land, or the foamy drink made from them. This uniquely flavored sweet is popular in many othe... read more

During the day visitors come down the long entranceway that gives this restaurant its name, asking if it is open. Despite the sign at the entrance to El Tunel, showing the opening time ­ 5:30 p.m. ­ ... read more

Chocolate, that perennial favorite, has been accused of being sinfully delicious, overly fattening, and the precursor to teenage complexion problems. Its history is intertwined with religion, and at on... read more

In the month of January, cold winds from the north blow down across the altiplano of central Mexico, and those of us lucky enough to get away for a few weeks or so gravitate toward Mexico's beaches or ... read more

(Read Part 1) Last month's column contained recipes and historical background on the turkey. This Mexican native, found on holiday tables all over the country, adapts well to the local seasonings and ... read more

Mexican wines may finally be gaining ground in a centuries-old battle fraught with political, sociological and economic challenges, not to mention the usual climatic problems. Father Hidalgo would be ... read more

First of a Two-Part Holiday Turkey Feature   Once again, the time to talk turkey has arrived, and in Mexico this can inspire quite a bit of talk indeed. Over thirty words for the bird have been used... read more

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... read more

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... read more

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. read more

The beverages known in Mexico as aguas frescas are an inspired compliment to the rich melding of chiles, herbs and spices found in Mexican food. They act to counter-balance strong flavors and are always light, never cloying. Aguas frescas function somewhat like sorbets, in that they refresh the palate. read more

Last month's column contained a list of Mexican culinary herbs - some as well-known as cilantro, and others a bit more esoteric - and their uses. This month's column contains recipes usin... read more

As anyone who has ever eaten a comida corrida - the "daily special" at restaurants in Mexico - knows, the course called sopa seca will either be a plate of rice or some shape of pasta wit... read more

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Mexico, don't be a sloppy taco eater. Wouldn't Eleanor, Abigail and Judith just die! Far cry as it is from the excruciatingly correct manners of these three deities, Fanny wants you to know that there IS a proper way to eat a taco: 1. First rule. Don't over stuff that tortilla. This is a fatal error. read more