Driving northward along the Tamaulipas coast, the traveler goes from the tropical region of the Veracruz border to the plains of south Texas. A mid-point on the journey is the small town of San Fernando, which has one of the best norteño beef restaurants around. A specialty there is a dish called Fajitas al Sombrero, the “sombrero” being […]
Continue Reading
The state of Tamaulipas is part of the the Gulf Coast Region of Mexico, along with the states of Tabasco and Veracruz. The state capital is Ciudad Victoria. Other large cities include Reynosa, Matamoros, Nuevo Laredo and Tampico. The state shares 370 kilometers (230 miles) of the U.S. border with Texas and is home to […]
Continue ReadingBelow are selected articles and recipes from Tabasco, Tamaulipas and Veracruz, the three states that form the Gulf Coast Region of Mexico. To see ALL articles and recipes related to this region, please use the following individual state links: Tabasco – Articles or Recipes Tamaulipas – Articles or Recipes Veracruz […]
Continue Reading
The state of Nuevo León is part of the Northern Mexico Region, along with the states of Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, San Luis Potosí, and Zacatecas. The state is an industrial powerhouse, centered on Monterrey, Mexico’s third-largest city. The state has an unusual, elongated shape: it is very much longer north-south than west-east. The state […]
Continue ReadingA Norteño dish originating in Tamaulipas, this is the classic accompaniment to the grilled beef dishes of northern Mexico. It is an ideal make-ahead dish, especially good with barbeque, improving as the flavors come together. Although the initial cooking of the beans can be done in a pressure cooker, a slow-cooking pot, such as a clay casserole, […]
Continue ReadingLast month’s column focused on the gastronomy of the Estado de Mexico, the state that nearly surrounds Mexico’s capital. This month, we’ll take a look at the myriad dining experiences to be had in the capital itself, Mexico City, commonly known as “el D.F.”, short for Distrito Federal. The city has been a center of migration […]
Continue ReadingDuring the winter months, Mexico’s varied and beautiful coastal waters yield an unsurpassed assortment of delicacies from the sea. This is when pescados y mariscos — fish and shellfish — are at their finest and freshest. The seasonal bounty from the ocean coincides with the observance of Lent, a traditionally meatless time of year, and the demand […]
Continue ReadingDuring the fall, when the weather changes, so do our culinary aspirations. Cooler temperatures inspire techniques like roasting, baking, braising, and a lot less outdoor cooking in most parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Mexico, while part of this hemisphere, is far enough south to have the benefit of the southern migration of wildfowl. Several wildfowl […]
Continue ReadingPossibly no other country in the world has as many festivals, fairs and feast days as Mexico. National holidays, religious holidays and people’s santos (saints’ days) are all celebrated with gusto, as are the observances of the patron saints of virtually every city, town and pueblito. The santoral, or calendar of saints’ days, is so crowded with names […]
Continue ReadingLiving in southern Mexico and making frequent trips to visit family and friends north of the border, we have taken many different routes to the frontera. From Tamaulipas, which connects the tropical south to the northern plains, to Sonora, where the vistas range from colonial towns to picture-perfect cowboy country, we have enjoyed all of our travels […]
Continue Reading