Regional Cuisines Archives - MexConnect

The cuisine of the Yucatan: a gastronomical tour of the Maya heartland

Tony — Wed, 26 Aug 2020 06:42:32 +0000

The Mexican state of Yucatan, located on the peninsula of the same name, is the home of one of the most distinctive regional cuisines in the country. A long tradition of fine dining, going back to the ancient Maya and incorporating sophisticated European dishes, is very much in evidence in the cities, towns and villages scattered throughout this fertile area. Traveling in the Yucatan, one is constantly reminded of the people’s unbroken culinary link with their ancestors.

Bordering on the Gulf of Mexico to the north, and the states of Campeche and Quintana Roo on either side, Yucatan is a limestone plain where the infiltration of moisture has formed grottos, caverns and fissures through which subterranean waters flow. The corn, beans, vegetables and fruit grown here are basically the same foodstuffs that were eaten five hundred years ago when the Spaniards explored the Yucatan, and had been consumed for at least another half a millennium before that.

TRADITIONAL FOODS: FROM MAYAN TIMES TO MODERN TIMES

Although the Europeans arrived well after the glory days of the Classic Maya, dependence on corn as the basic staple food was still very much in evidence and continues to this day. Maíz played an integral part in practically every lifetime ceremony, from cutting the newborn’s umbilical cord over a corn cob, to placing a piece of corn dough in the mouth of the deceased. It was used as both solid and liquid food, most commonly prepared as a piece of once-ground corn dough dissolved in water, called posolli in Nahuatl and keyem by the Maya. Posolli, as we found it in Yucatecan markets, is still very much in use, especially by poor people, and remains a thin gruel rather than the hearty hominy pozole of central Mexico.

When the Spaniards reached the shores of the Yucatan in 1517, the Maya met them with corn dough to make posolli. They also brought ‘roasted fowl’, which could have been one of a number of native species, including the turkey, muscovy duck, currasow and guan. The turkey, especially, was important in the world of ritual and, like corn, remains important today in ceremonies for curing, planting, and praying for rain. In our travels throughout Yucatan, we rarely encountered a restaurant which did not have at least one traditional turkey dish, sometimes replaced by chicken, on the menu.

The Maya were also known as great cultivators of fruit. Although the Europeans forced them to cut down their beloved orchards, the ability to grow magnificent fruit trees was not lost. Today tamarinds, plums, mamey, avocados and other tropical varieties flourish and are enjoyed in the delicious nieves – ices – and fruit drinks which are so popular in the hot climate. Bitter oranges, with their strong influence on Yucatecan marinades and salsas, are found throughout the state.

Honey, too, is an important part of the Yucatecan diet and has been used for centuries to sweeten corn drinks and to make an alcoholic ritual drink called balché. A delicious honey liqueur called Xtabentun, which we bought in Merida and brought back to central Mexico with us, was only one of the gastronomical delights that we found in the markets and restaurants of this beautiful city.

MERIDA, THE WHITE CITY: MARKETS AND RESTAURANTS

Called La Ciudad Blanca for the white stone used to build the stunning homes and palaces of Yucatan’s hennequin barons, Mirada is filled with churches and temples, each with its own small plaza, where people congregate to enjoy salbutes, panuchos, and other corn dough based street snacks. Between those and the fruit ices, we were never long without a delicious tidbit to ‘tide us over’ between meals in some of Merida’s numerous restaurants. Although prices vary to suit every budgetary range, hospitality and graciousness are constant.

At La Prosperidad, a palapa-roofed bastion of regional cooking, we enjoyed local specialties while listening to tropical music. Besides tasting, nothing is more revealing to a food writer than being invited into the kitchen, something which happened frequently on the Yucatan trip. La Prosperidad’s employees were patient in the face of questions, sharing recipes for some of the wonderful botanas we had enjoyed at the bar, including the tamal called brazo de reina and the delicious, enchilada-like papadzules, both of which harken directly back to pre-Hispanic times and use the very common Mayan ingredient pepitas, toasted pumpkin or squash seeds.

Another restaurant, Las Almendras, although more geared toward tourists, did have a wide selection of Yucatecan dishes, including the obviously European-influenced queso relleno, which consists of a whole Edam cheese hollowed out and stuffed with the spiced ground meat called picadillo. Despite the fact that menus with food photos nearly always spell disaster, in this case it was helpful to those not familiar with local food. Chilmole, for example, although scrumptious, might come as a shock to a diner not expecting turkey covered with a nearly jet-black sauce.

In addition to eating in restaurants both large and small, exploring Merida’s markets was another enlightening culinary experience. Bright mounds of recados, or seasoning pastes, are logically displayed next to the isles of chickens with which they are most commonly served. Inquiring why the chickens all had stark white skin, we were told that this particular breed holds up better in the hot climate than yellow-skinned chickens.

For those wishing to make their own recados for chicken, turkey and other meat, all of the ingredients are right there in the spice section: the achiote seeds of the bixella orellana tree, used in preparing the recado rojo used to coat the famous cochinita pibil; the fat, fragrant allspice berries that go into chilmole; the cloves, black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks and coriander seeds for the beef seasoning recado para bistec.

RUINS AND VILLAGES: CULINARY DISCOVERIES IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

Photo by David McCollam

Tearing ourselves away from Merida’s markets, we set out to see some of the impressive Mayan ruins found throughout the area. On the way to Uxmal, the beautiful archeological site of a building complex constructed in the ornate Puuc style, we stopped to see the massive colonial churches in Umán and Muná. It is said that the well-known pollo pibil was invented in Muná’s Convento de la Asunción. Whether or not that is true, there is evidently a strong culinary tradition here, with food booths set up all over town selling a variety of Yucatecan antojitos. We especially enjoyed the grilled meat dish called poc chuc, cooked fresh to order over wood charcoal fires.

Near the ruins themselves, at the Antigua Hacienda de Uxmal, there is a hotel and restaurant with a reputation for good food, but after a walk around the ruins we decided to take a detour to the ceramics town of Ticul, home of pollo ticuleño, succulent chicken baked in banana leaves, in the tradition of cochinita pibil and several other dishes that were once prepared in a pib, or pit oven in the ground.

Another archeological site not to be missed is Chitchén Itzá, a pre-Hispanic civic and religious center which contains the largest ball court in Mesoamerica. On the way, we stopped at Acanceh, a hammock-making center, where the sixteenth century church was constructed next to the base of a large pyramid. This village carries on the tradition of cooking and eating deer meat, although due to the present-day scarcity of deer, this dish is prepared only on special occasions, such as Acanceh’s celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. Other specialties, such as fruit sorbets, buñuelos, pipian, cochinita and relleno negro are also served at fiesta time.

Another town worth seeing on the way from Merida to Chitchén Itzá is Izamal, whose convento has the largest atrium in the Americas, to which thousands of pilgrims flock on December 8, when the Izamal celebrates its fiesta. All of the houses are painted a beautiful creamy yellow color to match the church, making the town a particularly attractive place to stop, have a bite to eat, and possibly take a guided horseback tour of the area or a dip in one of the underground natural pools. Izamal is known for sopa de lima, as well as parchment-wrapped chicken, pork empanadas and a traditional atole called tanchucuá, made with fresh corn, chocolate, allspice and sugar.

Another possible stop on the Chitchén Itzá route is Valladolid, the second-most important city in the state, after Merida. Its colonial buildings were silent witnesses to the Caste War, Yucatan’s precursor to the Mexican Revolution. Valladolid is proud of its many restaurants offering traditional Yucatecan food, and is the undisputed home of pavo oriental, a delicious, vinegary turkey dish, as well as lomitos, which could be described as Yucatan’s version of carnitas.

PROGRESO: SEAFOOD SPECIALTIES

North of Merida is the port of Progreso, whose beaches attract city folk from Merida during vacation time, especially Holy Week and summer weekends. A good variety of unique local seafood is found here and appetizingly prepared in Progreso’s restaurants. Esmedregal, a type of jack fish, is fried and served with the hot but tasty salsa de chile xcatic. Pescado tikin-xic, a specialty of La Carabela restaurant, is fresh grouper prepared with a classic Yucatecan achiote paste and baked in banana leaves. Squid, caught in season in huge nets, is an ingredient in the regional version of sopa de mariscos, seafood soup.

Further east along the coast is Rio Lagartos, a town of pastel-painted houses at the mouth of the river of the same name. The local cuisine features the small river snails, most often made into ceviche, mysteriously called chivitas – ‘little goats.’

Whether or not ‘little goats’ sound tempting, many of Yucatan’s dishes are downright tantalizing. The tasty marinades and pastes that season the grilled or baked meat, chicken and fish are some of the most inspired flavor combinations in Mexico. Many travelers to the state have remarked on the fact that even those who dislike the hot chiles that permeate some regional food are pleasantly surprised.

The very hot chiles habaneros are served in a salsa on the side, rather than as part of the dishes themselves. For chile lovers and non-chile lovers alike, the following recipes should lead to a memorable meal or two. Thanks to its huge rise in international popularity, achiote paste, indispensable in Yucatecan cooking, is now widely available in the United States and several other countries. Thankfully, you don’t have to be able to pronounce the names of these dishes in order to enjoy them.

RECIPES:

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Campeche: Cocktails and Seafood in a Pirates’ Paradise

Tony — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 20:23:40 +0000

Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican Kitchen

Picture a small tropical city nestled up against sparkling coastal waters, surrounded by fortress walls, complete with drawbridges and moats to keep out invading buccaneers. Where, in the twenty-first century, could this possibly be? No, it isn’t Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland. Nothing constructed by a theme park could come close to the real thing, the intriguing Mexican city of Campeche.

Capital of the state of the same name, the westernmost of the three Yucatan peninsula states, the 465-year-old city has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, and with good reason. Originally the Mayan trading village of Ah Kim Pech, it was here that the Spaniards first landed on Mexican soil, making their first contact with the Mayans.

Local sources of valuable lumber attracted Spanish settlement, and the ships carrying these exports to Spain soon became targets of the English pirates. During 160 years of raids by the pirates, the Spaniards built thick stone bulwarks around their settlement, with eight fortresses whose walls extended into the sea.

Today, the Old Town of Campeche, with its bright, balconied Spanish colonial mansions, is still surrounded by these bastions, called baluartes. The visitor to the city can enjoy a view of the Gulf of Mexico from cannon-studded roofs, explore dungeons, and walk over moats that once held either crocodiles or skin-burning lime. Several of these fortresses now contain museums, with historical information and artifacts from both colonial and pre-Hispanic Mayan eras.

As interesting as these places are, the sultry climate and relaxed atmosphere combine to seduce the foot-weary tourist into one of the many restaurants and small cafes in search of a tall, cool drink. Search no further, because this is the home of the cocktail, a word which originated here with the English pirates, who enjoyed drinks adorned with palm fronds which reminded them of “cock’s tails.” Many a rum drink was imbibed by those hearty partiers, who appreciated the wealth of local tropical fruit, the juices of which mix so nicely with rum. The word campechana itself has come to mean a mixed drink or a mixed seafood cocktail. And speaking of seafood, we’re getting to the heart of the matter, at least where Campeche’s cuisine is concerned.

The coastal waters yield a variety of fish and shellfish, including shrimp, cazón (baby shark), pampano, esmedregal (black snapper) and octopus. Traditional Mayan ingredients, such as achiote, along with exotic fruits and Spanish herbs, combine to produce a cuisine that is both tasty and visually appealing.

These dishes can be enjoyed in a variety of settings, from fine restaurants, such as La Pigua, home of coconut shrimp, to more modest mom-and-pop establishments. And let’s not forget the market, which, like most Mexican mercados, offers a sampling of the best snacks and daily specials. People here have a pleasantly positive response to the visitor’s interest in the different dishes and ingredients. (Besides meaning a mixed drink or seafood cocktail, campechana is synonymous with a nice, easy-going person.)

A trip to the Campeche market is a rewarding and memorable experience, with stands featuring regional variations of typical Mexican fare. Instead of the gorditas, chalupas and memelas of central Mexico, other corn dough-based snacks prevail. Panuchos and salbutes may be filled with black beans, shredded fish, or chicken. Although famous for its seafood, Campeche has a good variety of chicken dishes using the white-skinned poultry bred in the area to resist the heat.

The local tropical fruit is also put to delicious use, and the city abounds with small storefronts offering juices, liquados and ice cream in a number of refreshing flavors. Much of the casual evening strolling that campechanos enjoy involves a stop or two for fruit ices or ice cream.

This month all of Mexico observes the Lenten season with seafood and fruit aguas, which campechanos enjoy year-round. Whether getting into the seasonal spirit or just looking for a few new recipes, try one or two of the following and enjoy a taste of one of the most unique cuisines of Mexico.

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July 24 is National Tequila Day: A tequila resource page

Tony — Fri, 17 Jul 2020 19:01:04 +0000

The US celebrates National Tequila Day on July 24.

Present in the popular margarita, tequila can stand alone as a fine liquor. The popular traditional drink boasts an appellation or denomination of origin.

Distilled from the nectar of the Weber blue agave, tequila dates from the 16th century. It may have originated in the Mexican town of Amatitan, Jalisco, where a pre-Hispanic distillery has been discovered in El Tecuane Canyon.

MexConnect invites you to celebrate by getting to know this quintessentially Mexican drink — Mexico’s gift to the world. ¡Salud!

History of tequila

Discovering Mexico’s tequila region

Cooking with tequila

Recipes with tequila

Drinks

Tequila in appetizers and soups

Avocado soup with tequila: Sopa de aguacate con tequila

Salsas and salad dressings with tequila

Main dishes with tequila

Desserts with tequila

Tequila recipes in Spanish

Tequila trivia

Tequila in literature

Tequila, Lemon and Salt: From Baja — Tales of Love, Faith and Magic

Tequila tales

Published or Updated on: July 20, 2010

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Morelos: land of culinary contrasts

Tony — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 21:01:41 +0000

Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican Kitchen

The Mexican state of Morelos, although diminutive in size, boasts an impressively large cultural amalgam. Long before Europeans arrived and settled in Cuernavaca and Tepoztlan, now upscale resort areas, groups from many parts of Mexico found their way to this area of natural springs and a nearly perfect climate.

The Olmec presence in Chalcatzingo in around 1500 BC marked the beginning of a period of continuous migration of different indigenous groups of the nahua family. Teotihuacanas, Toltecs, Xochimilcas, Chalcas and Tlahuicas were all forebears of the present day inhabitants of Morelos. The state that housed Emperor Maximilian’s summer home was also the birthplace of Emiliano Zapata and his indigenous ancestors, and continues to be a place of cultural contrasts, not least in the area of cuisine.

The city of Cuernavaca itself, settled in the 10th and 11th centuries AD by the Tlahuicas and later dominated by Aztecs and Spaniards, is famous for its markets and restaurants. Long after Cortes built his palace there in 1529, the city continued to be a mecca for well-heeled visitors, including residents of Mexico City and international celebrities and jet setters. The heiress Barbara Hutton and the artist and collector Robert Brady built lavish homes that are now open to visitors who can only imagine the meals that were served in their elegant dining rooms.

With this kind of clientele, it is no wonder that Cuernavaca became home to some outstanding restaurants, and the lush foliage of the “City of Eternal Spring” that attracted filmmakers provides impressive garden settings for many dining spots. At Las Mañanitas, diners enjoy chicken in green mole, tortilla soup and trout almandine, among other selections, surrounded by tropical plants and birds. At Reposado, nouvelle Mexican offerings include huitlacoche fondue, salmon in adobo and game hen in peanut mole.

In addition to the more famous restaurants, Cuernavaca has its share of mom-and-pop eateries like Restaurant Taxco, which features a good variety of enchiladas with various fillings and sauces, and local specialties like rabbit in ancho chile adobo and chicken in peach sauce. The latter is a very characteristic dish of the region since it combines chicken with fruit, of which Morelos has seemingly endless varieties.

Because it attracts visitors and part- and full-time residents from other countries, Cuernavaca prides itself on offering an “international” cuisine. French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and German restaurants are easy to find, along with food from other regions of Mexico.

An entirely different type of cooking, nearly purely indigenous, is found in the state’s nahua villages. Here, the cultivation of fruit and vegetables and the raising of animals for food (one concession to the European influence) combine with the age-old hunting and gathering methods of the ancestors to provide sustenance. Although villages such as Tlayacapan, famous for its hand-decorated, lead-free earthenware, attract some tourism, most of them are inhabited by self-sufficient people who raise or forage for just about everything they eat.

Much of the diet in these communities is made up of food eaten long before the Europeans arrived: verdolagas (purslane) and other wild greens, herbs, wild mushrooms and berries, and small animals such as rabbit, possum, quail, badger, iguana, armadillo and a variety of river fish.

People also continue to raise the traditional family plots of corn, beans and squash, as well as cultivating fruit and vegetables for sale in the region’s markets. Pears, plums, apples, peaches, avocado, lime, orange, apricot, quince, mango, pomegranate, several kinds of zapote, blackberries and raspberries are only a few of the fruits that thrive in Morelos.

In the village of Hueyapan, famous for its fruit production, the barter system is alive and well organized. Locals trade fruit with people from neighboring villages for clay cooking pots, palm mats and baskets, and other household items. Hueyapan is also known as a prime area for wild mushroom gathering, with at least fifteen edible species found in abundance for about five months of the year. These are usually prepared in chile and tomato sauces, soups and stews.

Wild mushrooms often take the place of meat in rainy season meals, since chickens and pigs are raised for special meals and cows, because of their milk production, are almost never slaughtered. These special meals can be family occasions like weddings, or ritual meals such as those offered during feast days.

Anthropologist Eduardo Hernandez Cortes calls one nahua community, Tetelcingo, “a village with a very intense religious festival life, where food and the agricultural cycle play a very important role.” On the day of Cristo Rey, the streets are adorned with arches of sugarcane and corn, altars of cantaloupe, watermelon and bananas, and huge loaves of egg bread in the shapes of animals. On the day of San Lucas, food offerings of fish in green mole, plum atole and aguardiente are made to the old gods, the Ouajkes or rain spirits.

Besides being a center of religious life, Tetelcingo is an area of mushroom cultivation, where the hongos de cazahuate ( Pleurotus ostreatus or oyster mushrooms), which formed part of the traditional diet, are now grown by local women who have been taught through programs sponsored by the Biology Institute of the UNAM and other academic groups.

Like Tetelcingo, the village of Cuentepec, where the entire population speaks Nahuatl and the children attend bilingual Nahuatl-Spanish schools, is devoted to the concept of food as ritual. Many of its festivals reflect the pre-Hispanic cosmovision regarding food items as offerings to the señores del aire y de la lluvia — the lords of the air and rain. Between the day of the Asunción, a feast of the Virgin on August 15, and the day of San Miguel, on September 28, a total of thirty ritual offering meals are prepared in Cuentepec. Although most of the food offerings, such as tamales nejos, made with masa cooked with ash, as well as beans, moles and pipians, are shared by members of the community, the ritual tamal made for the air and water lords is buried. (And just as well, because this contains the head of an old rooster whose beak has been filled with fresh tobacco.)

Although the culinary landscape of the nahua villages seems far removed from that of Cuernavaca’a upscale restaurants, the two meet, as many things do in Mexico, in the marketplace. The mercados of Cuernavaca, Tepotzlan, Cuautla and other cities are largely inhabited by the indigenous women who sell the tamales, tortillas, sopes, tlacoyos, moles and pipianes that have been sustaining them for thousands of years and whose ingredients and techniques will no doubt continue to be the inspirations for many creative young chefs.

Below are some recipes from Morelos that combine the old, the new, and the always delicious food of this small and beautiful state.

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La Cocina de Hidalgo: Nace de Diversos Climas y Culturas

Tony — Sun, 28 Jun 2020 16:57:52 +0000

Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican Kitchen

A lo largo de los años, hemos viajado por carretera desde México a diferentes partes de los Estados Unidos. Las rutas varían, y algunas son más escénicas que otras. Uno de los viajes más bonitos pasó por el estado de Hidalgo, en el norte de México central. Ahí, los paisajes todavía asemejan al arte de calendarios publicados en los 1940 y 1950. Pasamos por un desierto espectacular con nopales, magueyes y casas de adobe con cercas de piedra para llegar a una cuenca llena de vegetación tropical.

Las diferencias en tipos de terreno y climas, al igual que las variadas culturas que florecieron en Hidalgo, han resultado en una cocina única. Los antiguos Otomíes y otros pueblos indígenas, los españoles coloniales y, mucho después, los mineros de Cornualles, todos dejaron su legado culinario al estado de Hidalgo.

La Sierra Madre Oriental cruza por todo éste estado, dividiéndolo en pequeños valles. Aunque no se encuentran muy lejanos entre sí, cada valle es el hogar de diferentes grupos indígenas, todos con su propia lengua en común. Cuando llegaron los españoles, juntaron estos grupos para poder controlar la población de mejor manera y facilitar el trabajo de los misioneros. Las comunidades creadas por los espanoles incluían diversos grupos étnicos, y formaron la base para los municipios de hoy. La fusión de diferentes etnias da lugar a una cocina mestiza que realmente satisface el alma. Los aztecas aparentemente sabían esto porque aún antes de la conquista, el tributo que les exigían de esta región eran productos alimenticios.

Los Otomí, Tepehuane, Mazahua y Nahua eran expertos en la caza y el cultivo. Los productos básicos mesoamericanos como el maíz, frijol y chiles fueron, y siguen siendo, cultivados en abundancia en Hidalgo. Ahora, la cuarta parte de los chiles verdes producidos en México provienen del estado. En las regiones menos fértiles, el maguey era la selección para el tributo. Del maguey, producían la bebida popular conocido como “pulque”, y la fibra de ixtle, utilizada en tiempos prehispánicos para hacer textiles.

En la sierra, la gente recolectaba setas silvestres y una variedad de hierbas y verduras conocidas por lo general como quelites. En las áreas menos fértiles, la caza proporcionaba la mayor parte de la dieta; el conejo, venado, tlacuache, ardilla, pato salvaje, y una variedad de aves eran valiosas fuentes de nutrición. En las áreas áridas se consumían armadillos, gusanos de maguey y reptiles, sazonados por lo general con chiles. Y, como en la mayor parte del centro de México, las hormigas llamadas escamoles fueron una delicadeza muy preciada y la siguen siendo hoy en día.

Con la llegada de los europeos, vacas, cerdos, borregos y cabras fueron introducidas, y los últimos dos son ingredientes característicos de la cocina regional de Hidalgo. Barbacoa es la carne de cabra o carnero sazonada y horneada en un hoyo. Es la estrella del repertorio culinario del estado, al igual que los mixiotes. Éstos son bultos de carne de cordero o pollo sazonados y envueltos en hojas de maguey, y cocidos al vapor hasta quedar tiernos. Las pencas u hojas del centro del maguey han sido utilizadas tradicionalmente para envolver mixiotes, pero ahora es ilegal cosecharlas. Actualmente se utiliza un papel tipo pergamino llamado “papel para mixiotes.”

Muchos de los comestibles introducidos por los españoles fueron ideales para las comidas nativas. El comino se convirtió en un excelente sazonador para el conejo, y es uno de los principales ingredientes en el adobo típico de Hidalgo que es considerado como uno de los mejores del país. La carne de cerdo es un relleno delicioso para los grandes tamales huastecos llamados zacahuil. La carne de res rinde un caldo sabroso al cocinarse con la fruta del cactus llamada xoconostle, enriquecida con chorizo o aceite de oliva. Las habas españolas se preparaban con hierbabuena para producir el caldo de habas de la región.

Otra creación culinaria fue introducida por los mineros británicos de Cornualles que llegaron a Hidalgo en 1800 para trabajar en las minas de plata. Ellos acostumbraban comer pasteles de carne llamados “pastie”, pues es una comida portable, perfecta para llevar a las minas, y suficientemente nutritiva para sustentar a los mineros durante sus turnos de 16 horas. Se conocen en español como “pastes” y probablemente es el platillo más conocido del estado. Hoy en día los pastes son una especialidad del antiguo pueblo minero de Real del Monte, donde los techos inclinados y las chimeneas demuestran la herencia de Gran Bretaña y donde los visitantes disfrutan de estos deliciosos pasteles. Los inmigrantes del Distrito Minero Central de Cornualles en el sudeste de Inglaterra, sin duda nunca habían comido chile antes de llegar a México. Pero ahora los chiles serranos frescos son ingredientes para los pastes al igual que la carne de res, el puerro y las papas. En otoño, se hacen pastes especiales con cordero y chile ancho, que es el chile poblano seco.

Estos sensacionales bocadillos se encuentran en Real del Monte y en Pachuca, la capital del estado que también fue un pueblo minero. Sin embargo, los pastes no son la única razón culinaria para visitar Pachuca. En octubre, la ciudad celebra su fiesta en honor a San Francisco, y la feria de comida regional es una de las atracciones principales. Éste año, el embajador mexicano en Londres está promoviendo a Pachuca y Real del Monte como “el pequeño Cornwall de México”. (Pachuca también es el lugar en donde el futbol originó en México, traído de Cornualles y originalmente jugado en 1900 en el Club Atlético de Pachuca. El primer campo de golf en México también se encuentra en Pachuca.)

Otra de las especialidades locales en Pachuca es el pan de pulque, un pan con sabor a naranja en el que se utiliza el pulque fermentado como levadura. El pulque también se utiliza para rehogar carne y aves de corral, y para hacer las bebidas llamadas “pulques curados”, en los cuales el jugo fermentado del maguey se sazona con fruta, a menudo la fruta tropical de la región Huasteca cálida y húmeda o con la fruta del cactus del desierto.

Además de la papaya, mango, guayaba y piña que crecen en la región Huasteca, las manzanas, duraznos, peras, cacahuates y nueces también se cultivan en los fértiles valles. La fruta se utiliza por lo general en mermeladas y postres, incluyendo peras cocidas en jarabe de azúcar y canela, palanqueta de nuez, pasteles cubiertos con mermelada, y gelatina de pitaya o pitahaya (fruta de cactus). También hay un pastel preparado con puré de pencas de nopal.

Las siguientes recetas son solo una pequeña muestra de la comida de Hidalgo, donde la unión de diferentes culturas ha proporcionado un repertorio culinario enriquecido y variado. Una receta para mixiotes de carnero, puede ser encontrada en la edición de marzo del 2004 de México Connect, y una receta para conejo en adobo en la edición de diciembre del 2005.

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La Cocina De Inmigrantes En México: Los Libaneses En Puebla

Tony — Sun, 28 Jun 2020 16:30:02 +0000

Karen Hursh Graber

De Cholula a Chicago, los entusiasta de tacos en todas partes saben que cualquier taquería que se llama “poblana,” tendrá tacos árabes en el menú. Éstos consisten en carne asada en un asador vertical, servida en una tortilla gruesa similar al pan pita que se llama pan árabe. Es un claro ejemplo de la fusión culinaria entre México y Líbano que comenzó a principios del siglo XX.

Hasta años recientes, México no tuvo muchas restricciones migratorias. Por lo tanto, llegaron muchas personas europeas y originarias del Medio Oriente a finales del siglo XIX y principios del XX. Los libaneses eran parte de ese movimiento, atraídos a México por las iniciativas de desarrollo de Porfirio Díaz que impulsaban la inmigración extranjera.

Entre 1880 y 1910, la primera oleada de inmigrantes libaneses llegó a México. Ellos abandonaron su país debido a la opresión del régimen Otomano, con su inestabilidad política, competencia económica y tensión religiosa. Arribaron a la costa este de México y se asentaron en la península de Yucatán y en los puertos de Veracruz y Tampico.

Durante la Primera Guerra Mundial, los otomanos aislaron la cordillera en el centro de Líbano, provocando una hambruna severa. De los habitantes que pudieron escapar, muchos llegaron a México y se convirtieron en proveedores de armas y comida durante la Revolución Mexicana. Durante los años 20s y 30s, miles de libaneses más llegaron. Aprovechando el auge del petróleo en México en la década de los 30, se establecieron en la costa del golfo. Aunque algunos se asentaron en el centro de México en este periodo, fue hasta después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial que grandes números de ellos emigraron a la ciudad de México y a Puebla, logrando la reunificación de muchas familias mexicano-libanesas.

La comunidad libanesa floreció en México. (De hecho, Carlos Slim y Salma Hayek son algunos de los libaneses mexicanos cuyos nombres se han hecho reconocidos.) Por sus fuertes lazos familiares y culturales con Líbano, la comunidad inmigrante preservó una gran herencia que incluye sus tradiciones culinarias.

Líbano se encuentra en la costa este del Mediterráneo. Su comida combina elementos de la cocina del Medio Oriente y de Europa. La dieta mediterránea es muy saludable y consiste en frutas, vegetales, granos enteros, pescado y mariscos. Cuando se come carne roja, por lo general es cordero. La mantequilla y la crema se usan muy poco excepto en algunos postres, y por lo general la comida toma su sabor característico de grandes porciones de ajo, aceite de oliva, especias y hierbas. (El abundante uso de hierbas frescas es un sello de la cocina libanesa, y en tiempos recientes una de las preguntas a consideración al buscar una esposa fue ¿qué tan finamente puede picar perejil?)

En México, el grupo más grande de libaneses está en Mérida. Pero en Puebla, con su propia gastronomía rica y compleja, la comida libanesa se convirtió en parte del repertorio culinario regional. Tomando en cuenta los ingredientes locales, especialmente chiles, los cocineros libaneses en Puebla desarrollaron su propia versión de la comida de su patria.

La tradicional carne asada llamada shawarma se convirtió en el relleno de los tacos árabes, hechos con más frecuencia con carne de cerdo en vez de cordero, y marinada en una pasta de chile. Aunque se enrolla en gruesas tortillas de harina y se sirve con salsa de chipotle, son claramente reconocibles como una versión de shawarma. Los tacos al pastor son otra variación de tacos árabes en los cuales delgadas rebanadas de carne de cerdo se asan con un pedazo de piña en la parte de arriba. (La carne apilada termina en una punta más delgada y se llama trompo, por su semejanza al juguete.) Cuando se sirven en una tortilla de maíz en vez de en pan árabe, se les llaman tacos orientales.

Otra especialidad libanesa que se ha mexicanizado con ingredientes locales es el kibbeh, una masa de carne molida de cordero y trigo bulgur. El kibbeh nayee es un platillo de carne cruda que se asemeja a la carne tártara, y en México se conoce como kebe cruda. Se sazona con cebolla y especies y en Puebla la kebe cruda contiene semillas de chile frescas y se sirve con cebollas verdes picadas, jalapeño picado, chiles serranos y hierbabuena. Casi siempre se acompaña con jocoque. También es acompañado a menudo con una versión del guacamole que utiliza tomatillos en vez de tomates rojos. Es probable que el sabor ácido de los tomatillos asemeje el sabor de los condimentos avinagrados de Líbano, pero en cualquier caso es una adición definitivamente mexicana a la forma de servir los kibbeh.

Dos otras versiones de kibbeh son el kibbeh bil-saneeya, el cual se convirtió en kebe charola en México, y el kibbeh rass, llamado kebe bola. El kebe charola consiste de carne molida y trigo bulgur mezclados. Se coloca la mezcla en el fondo de una cazuela poco profunda, alternando capas de carne y piñones. La capa final es de carne, y se cocina en el horno. El kebe bola se forma en hamburguesas, también rellenas de piñones, y se fríen. Otra especialidad libanesa de carne molida es la kafta, que es carne de cordero molida con perejil y cebolla. Se hacen bolitas de carne y por lo general se sirve con salsa de tomate. O se puede formar la carne alrededor de un palito de madera como un tipo de brochetas.

Las hojas de uva rellenas del Medio Oriente se convirtieron en tacos de parra en México. Son del tamaño de un dedo, rellenos con arroz sazonado y carne de cordero molida. Las empanadas de espinaca también vienen de Líbano y se sazonan con especies y hierbas, en especial perejil y hierba buena. En Puebla, son muy populares la salsa de garbanzo llamada hummus y la baba ganouj que se conoce simplemente como berenjena. También la ensalada tabbouleh de hierbas y trigo bulgur es muy aceptada y estos tres platillos mantienen su distinta identidad libanesa.

El pan se sirve con todas las comidas. El “pan con bolsillo” plano llamado pita es perfecto para comer hummus, baba ganouj, jocoque, o kebe cruda. Se puede espolvorear con zahtar, una mezcla de semilla de ajonjolí, zumaque y tomillo, y hornear. Se corta en triángulos y se sirve como totopos para acompañar las salsas.

Los postres libaneses son muy dulces, con porciones generosas de nueces, dátiles, miel, jarabe de azúcar, y aguas de naranja y de flores de rosa. Panaderías de especialidad en Puebla y en la ciudad de México venden una variedad de postres libaneses, especialmente la baklava. Por lo general, se acompañan con café. Casi todas las aguas de fruta mexicanas son buenas para acompañar la comida libanesa.

Las siguientes recetas de la comunidad libanesa en México se sirven especialmente en las reuniones familiares y eventos sociales. Son ideales para el buffet, tales como los que ofrecen en el Centro Cultural Libanés de México en Puebla, donde se acompañan por hummus, jocoque, pan pita fresco y totopos de pita. En Líbano, a estos platillos de buffet informal se conocen como mezzes.

The post La Cocina De Inmigrantes En México: Los Libaneses En Puebla appeared first on MexConnect.

Cooking on the Sea of Cortez: Culinary adventures in Baja California

Tony — Sat, 27 Jun 2020 00:01:09 +0000

Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican Kitchen

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, and seafood lovers from all over the world find the Mar de Cortez an alluring and gracious host.

Like an enormous net, it has gathered marine species (over 3,000!) from the Pacific coasts of Mexico and South America, including nine hundred species of fish. With its bounty of inshore varieties, including several kinds of bass, corbina, snapper and tuna, the Sea of Cortez has nourished men from the pre-Hispanic indigenous tribes to today’s seafood gourmets. In addition to the fish, it provides a wide range of mariscos, the shellfish so dear to the hearts of Mexicans: shrimp, scallops, clams, oysters, mussels and spiny lobster.

The first Europeans to enjoy these delicias were the Spaniards, who first began exploring the Sea of Cortez in 1532. After having conquered their way across Mexico, they looked to the west, across the sea to the land mass they they thought to be an island. The “island” turned out to be the peninsula now known as Baja California, which is divided into the two westernmost states in the Mexican republic, Baja California Norte and Baja California Sur.

Although “the Baja”, as it is affectionately known, has coasts on both the Pacific and Sea of Cortez, it is the latter which contains more inshore fish and shellfish. On a recent trip along its coast, I had the pleasure of learning about their preparation first-hand from several bajacalifornianos, as natives of this region are known. In settings ranging from palapas ( palm-thatched huts) on the beach to fine restaurants, I was given recipes and demonstrations.

Virtually ignored in discussions of regional Mexican cooking, Baja nonetheless continues to produce some of the finest and freshest seafood dishes found anywhere, and the creativity which has blossomed in recent years is reflected in its restaurant menus. The traditional familiarity with the best ways of preparing pescados y mariscos have combined with the need to satisfy increasingly discerning tourist palates. There is an ability to season the food without masking the pure, natural flavor. Types of fish and shellfish which have, for generations, been cooked over fires in fishermen’s camps on the beach have taken well to the refinements of la nueva cocina.

In a palapa on the beautiful bay called Bahía de Concepción, the son of one of the ejido (communally-owned land) families on whose beach we were camped, showed me how to make his aunt’s stuffed clam recipe, starting with going out into the bay to gather the clams and ending with a clambake for twenty, prepared by the light of our small propane lantern and then grilled over hot coals on the beach.

When the need for hot showers and other amenities drew us into towns along our route for a few days of restaurant meals, the chefs, cooks, and even waiters were happy to discuss the ingredients, recipes, and even the names of different fish, which, in Mexico, can vary wildly from region to region. Technique and seasoning may have been different in each place, but never once were we served anything overcooked.

The most important rule of thumb when preparing fresh pescados y mariscos is to cook them just until they are done. The cardinal sin of overcooking results in tasteless fish and rubbery shellfish. If you favor the idea of not cooking them at all, as in ceviche, in which the seafood is “cooked” by marinating in lime, be sure that the fish is the freshest possible.

Although there are few things more satisfying than catching and cooking your own fish dinner on the beach, it is important to remember that only citizens and legal residents of Mexico may fish without a license and that everyone, even locals, are expected to observe the daily bag limit. Some species of fish in the Sea of Cortez have already become extinct due to greedy commercial fishermen and anglers who bring in more than they can eat.

Whether you snag your fish with rod and reel or with a supermarket cart, the following recipes may bring back fond memories for those who have been to the Baja, or whet the appetites of those yet to experience its beauty.

The post Cooking on the Sea of Cortez: Culinary adventures in Baja California appeared first on MexConnect.

A Gastronomic Circuit Around the City or When Lost in Mexico, Follow Your Stomach: El Estado de Mexico

Tony — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 17:21:17 +0000

Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican Kitchen

A friend from western Mexico is on the phone, planning a trip to visit us down south in Oaxaca.

“From the map, it looks like there’s a freeway loop around Mexico City,” he says hopefully.

Yes, well. We explain to him that the map was evidently put together by someone with great futuristic vision, because the loop it indicates in no way resembles a freeway. It is a road that goes through several towns in the Estado de Mexico – State of Mexico – which nearly completely surrounds the capital. But the alternative is driving through Mexico City, which many out-of-towners are loath to do.

However, there is one very bright spot in all of this, which we hasten to mention. After several trips, many of them circling the city via the State of Mexico, we have discovered some fine culinary pit stops among its volcanic peaks and fertile valleys.

This area, like most of central Mexico, is known for the abundant natural resources that led to its early settlement.

The volcanic mountain chains that cross this high plateau, or altiplano, provide a variety of soil conditions, yielding an array of produce for sale in the area’s many markets. Different elevations create diverse climatic characteristics even a few miles apart. Mountain streams contain trout that are grilled fresh or served in a variety of tasty ways. Native wildlife such as duck and rabbit are prepared in adobos and pipianes, and turkey, another Mexican native, is most often served in mole.

Cultural centers since pre-Hispanic times, the urban areas, towns and villages that comprise what is now the State of Mexico have ancient gastronomic traditions that are evident in contemporary cooking. Herbs and vegetables such as nopales (cactus paddles), verdolagas (purslane), berros (watercress) and epazote (wormseed) have traditionally been used to lend a distinctive flavor to the local cooking, as have chiles and seeds, notably pumpkin and sesame.

The area’s most famous beverage is pulque, a mildly alcoholic fermentation of the juice ( agua miel) extracted from the maguey plant. Pulque fermented with ancho chiles and epazote is called chiloctli, and though it sounds like it would make a good marinade, it is a ritual drink at family occasions. Another local libation with anchos and epazote added is nanche, made from the fruit of the loquat tree infused in aguardiente, cane alcohol. Enjoyed throughout the country, but originating in the State of Mexico, the beverage called mosco (gnat) is a sweet liquor made with oranges and other fruit, depending on availability. Chumiate, another liquor, is made with a variety of herbs such as mint, lemon grass, chamomile and field anise. Town stores and markets sell these beverages as well as the ingredients to make them at home, which many people do.

The food of this state can be just as adventurous as its drinks, as we’ve learned through many a rest stop, planned destination, or wrong turn. Sometimes it’s best to just give up driving in circles for a while, and stop and see what’s cooking.

Coming from western Mexico toward the central region, most travelers opt for Highway 15, through Toluca, the Estado de Mexico state capital, choosing either to pass through or to stop and see the city. In our case, we just got lost there.

Tired of driving around, we spent the night and had some terrific tacos de carnitas in the huge Plaza de Los Mártires. This city, besides boasting museums specializing in everything from coins, stamps and science to history, anthropology and fine arts, is known for its pork, including the wonderful chorizo, spicy sausage that comes in either red, flecked with pieces of chile, or green, made with finely chopped herbs. Besides the ubiquitous porky products, we enjoyed the local sweets, especially the nightime hot chocolate at the cafes lining the portales that open onto the plaza.

Finally heading east on Highway 15 from Toluca, we decided on a rest stop at one of the cabañas (literally “cabins”, but actually small roadside restaurants) that line the highway between Toluca and Mexico City. Thinking of having a cold drink and a quesadilla, we stopped at a place called El Portasuelo and ended up having a huge, delicious meal. A mom and pop operation like most of the cabañas, the restaurant did indeed feature quesadillas, the fabulous central Mexican kind with either quesillo (string cheese) or requesón (somewhat like ricotta) and a choice of chorizo, roasted poblano chile strips, wild mushrooms, chicken, picadillo, squash blossoms and more.

One look at the menu, however, and we were way beyond quesadillas. The local fresh trout was offered in a variety of ways, including grilled, fried, al mojo de ajo (the classic Mexican preparation of fish with garlic) a la naranja (in orange sauce) a la mexicana (with chile and tomato salsa) a la diabla (deviled) and adobado (in a chile rub.)

My husband chose a trucha empapelada (trout en papilotte) and I went with another local specialty, rabbit. I ordered it in adobo and was not disappointed. Indeed, I look forward to returning to one of those cabañas on another trip and trying out one of the other rabbit dishes. Rabbit is not frequently encountered on menus, but the few times I’ve seen and ordered it in Mexico, it has been delicious. An hour and a half later, our planned half-hour rest stop was over. So much for plans.

We have also gotten lost in the opposite direction, coming from the south and trying to get to Toluca and points west. Proceeding north nicely on Highway 55, we saw a sign that said Toluca, stopped and foolishly asked the elderly man who shuffled out at the entrance to the road if this was really the way to Toluca. Yes, he assured us, it was. It turned out to be a way to Toluca – a nine hour way – if not the way – a three hour way. (It may have eventually led to Chicago, too, but couldn’t really be called the way there, either.) Many months later, we found a line in a guidebook warning us “Do not be tempted to take this route.” But these wrong turns can reveal something we wouldn’t want to miss anyway, and this one led to one of our favorite gastronomic pleasures, hongos silvestres – wild mushrooms.

Those not taking that route will never end up in Santiago Tianguistenco, a town noted for its variety of wild mushrooms, and well worth a stop for caldo de hongos, a regional mushroom soup. Also featured at the several small restaurants are tlacoyos, blue corn dough stuffed with a paste of arvejón or other beans, baked to order on the comal and topped with a choice of salsas and cheese. For the really daring, there are atepocates, frog embyos with tomatoes and chiles, cooked in corn leaves. We weren’t ready for this particular local specialty, but blue corn tlacoyos fresh off the comal are irresistible.

Coming through the State of Mexico from the north, along Highway 57, the Querétaro-Mexico route, other exotic regional dishes are found in Tepotzotlan, home of the National Museum of the Virreinato (colonial period.) Once the visitor has ogled over the treasures in this XVII century marvel of Churrigueresque (Mexican Ultra-Baroque) architecture, a stop at one of the many outdoor cafes across the street is in order. At Casa Mago, the fresh trout is often accompanied by the story of Elizabeth Taylor stopping there in 1963 – something local old timers have not forgotten. If the café fare seems too mild, venture closer to the market and order some escamole – ant eggs, considered a delicacy in Mexico – served with guacamole and salsa.

Not as exotic as ant eggs or frog embryos, but one of our favorite of all Mexican specialties, is found in the part of the state that lies east of the D.F. Barbacoa, appreciated all over the central area of the country, is nowhere more popular than in Texcoco, founded in the 12th century by Chichimecas and later inhabited by Alcohuans, commonly known as Texcocans after the great lake on whose shores they lived.

This historic city was the home of the great philosopher king and poet Nezahualcoyotl, whose likeness graces today’s $100 Mexican peso bill. Considering that the pre-Hispanic inhabitants of Mexico had no wool-bearing animals, the king and his contemporaries might be puzzled at the sight of barbacoa de borrego – sheep barbeque – establishments literally lining the highway through Texcoco.

This is deep pit barbeque, requiring a large hole in the ground lined with volcanic rock heated by a fire that must be kept burning for hours to get the rocks hot enough to hold the heat. Once the rocks are deemed hot enough, the butchered animal is wrapped in maguey leaves and lowered into the pit over a large pan that will catch the liquid to be served as consome, a traditional accompaniment to barbacoa.

This is not exactly fast food, and usually only served on weekends, when the road in front of the barbacoa restaurants is lined with cars. Happily, ours has been among them and a stop for barbacoa is a “must” when traveling through Texcoco. My husband has even done it at home, digging a hole in the field behind our house and sending me off to the market in search of the pencas de maguey with which to wrap the butchered sheep that he and a friend had purchased.

Not everyone can (or would want to) do an entire barbacoa de borrego, but the following recipes from the State of Mexico are easily prepared at home, for a taste of the truly delicious cuisine of the country’s most populous state.

The post A Gastronomic Circuit Around the City or When Lost in Mexico, Follow Your Stomach: El Estado de Mexico appeared first on MexConnect.

The Cuisine of Hidalgo: Spanning Climates and Cultures

Tony — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 01:57:14 +0000

Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican Kitchen

Over the years, on road trips from Central Mexico to various parts of the U.S., we have explored different routes, some more scenic than others. One of the most unforgettable included the state of Hidalgo, in north central Mexico, where a great deal of the countryside still resembles the beautiful Mexican calendar art of the 1940s and ’50s. At one point we descended from a spectacular high desert, studded with nopales and maguey and dotted with with old adobe houses and stone fences, into a basin filled with abundant tropical vegetation.

The differences in terrain and climate, along with the many cultures that have flourished in Hidalgo, have combined to produce a unique and varied cuisine. The ancient Otomí and other indigenous people, the Spanish colonials, and the Cornish miners who came later, all left their culinary legacy to the inhabitants of present-day Hidalgo.

The Sierra Madre Oriental, zigzagging through the state, breaks it up into several small valleys, which – though not far distant from one another – are home to different indigenous groups, all with their own languages and customs. When the Spaniards arrived, they gathered neighboring groups together within “the sound of the bell,” in order to better control the populace and facilitate the work of the missionaries. The communities created by the Spaniards from a mix of ethnic groups were the basis of modern municipalities, forming a kind of indigenous melting pot, and anyone who has lived in a “melting pot” knows that this is where to find the really soul-satisfying food. The Aztecs had apparently known this, too, because foodstuffs were what they had demanded as tribute from this region to their empire before the Conquest.

The Otomí, Tepehuane, Mazahua and Nahua people were all expert hunters and farmers. The Mesoamerican staples of corn, beans and chiles were, and still are, grown in abundance in Hidalgo, which today produces a whopping one fourth of all the green chiles in Mexico. In the less fertile regions, maguey was the tribute of choice, yielding the much loved beverage pulque, and the fibrous thread ixtle, used in pre-Hispanic times to make textiles.

In the mountains, people gathered wild mushrooms and a variety of herbs and greens given the general name quelites. In the less fertile areas, hunting provided a great deal of the diet; rabbit, dear, possum, squirrel, wild duck, and a variety of game birds were valued sources of nutrition. In arid areas, armadillos, maguey worms and reptiles were consumed, usually with the ubiquitous chile as the main seasoning. And, as in most of Central Mexico, the ant roe called escamoles was, and remains today, a highly prized delicacy.

With the arrival of the Europeans, cattle, pigs, sheep and goats were introduced, and the latter two are characteristic ingredients of Hidalgo’s regional cuisine. Barbacoa, the seasoned goat or mutton baked in a pit, is the star of the state’s culinary repertoire, as are mixiotes, bundles of seasoned lamb or chicken wrapped in maguey leaves and steamed until falling-apart tender. The pencas, or inner leaves of the maguey, have traditionally been used to wrap the mixiotes, but it is now illegal to strip the plants of their inner leaves, and cooks use a parchment-like paper called papel para mixiotes.

Many of the cooking ingredients brought by the Spaniards were well suited to the native foods. Cumin made an excellent seasoning for rabbit, and is one of the main ingredients in Hidalgo-style adobo, or seasoning paste, generally considered to be one of the best in the country. Pork was delicious as a filling for the huge Huasteca tamales called zacahuil; beef made a tasty stew when cooked with the tart cactus fruit xoconostle; and mole de frijol ayocote, a dish made with the large, purple ayocote beans, was enriched with chorizo or olive oil. The Spanish fava beans were cooked with hierbabuena to produce the region’s caldo de habas, fava bean soup.

Another culinary creation, and perhaps the state’s most famous, was introduced by the Cornish settlers who came to Hidalgo in the 1800s to work the area’s rich silver mines. The meat pies called “pasties”, a portable meal perfect for carrying down into the mines, and filling enough to keep the miners going throughout their sixteen-hour shifts, became known in Spanish as pastes (pronounced PAH-stays). Today pastes are the specialty of the old mining town of Real del Monte, where the high sloping rooftops and chimneys reflect the Cornish influence in the area and where visitors make a point of ordering the delicious meat pies. The Cornish immigrants, who came from what is known as the Central Mining District of Cornwall, in southwestern England, had undoubtedly never eaten chiles before coming to Mexico, but today fresh serrano chiles are as likely to be included in pastes as are the traditional beef, leeks and potatoes. At this time of year, special pastes are made with lamb and the ancho chiles that are the freshly dried version of the summer harvest of poblanos.

These seasonal treats are featured in both Real del Monte and Pachuca, the state capital and onetime twin mining town to Real del Monte. However, pastes are not the only reason to visit Pachuca. In October, the city holds its annual festival in honor of Saint Francis, where a regional food fair is one of the major attractions. This year, the Mexican Embassy in London is marketing both Pachuca and Real de Monte as “Mexico’s Little Cornwall,” and encouraging visitors to come and meet the Spanish-speaking descendants of the Cornish immigrants. (Pachuca is also the birthplace of soccer in Mexico, brought from Cornwall and originally played in 1900 at the Pachuca Athletic Club. The first golf course in Mexico was also located in Pachuca.)

One of the local specialties that can be tasted and purchased in Pachuca is pan de pulque, an orange-flavored bread that uses the fermented pulque as a leavening agent. Pulque is also used in braising meat and poultry, and to make the beverages called pulques curados, in which the fermented juice of the maguey is flavored with fruit, often the tropical fruit of the warm, humid Huasteca region or the cactus fruits of the high deserts.

In addition to the papaya, mango, guava, pineapple grown in the Huasteca region, apples, peaches, pears, peanuts and walnuts are cultivated in the fertile valleys. Fruit is often used in preserves and desserts, including pears cooked in cinnamon and sugar syrup, walnut brittle, cakes topped with marmalade, and pitaya (cactus fruit) gelatin. There is even a cake made with liquefied nopal paddles in the batter.

The following recipes are just a sampling of the food of Hidalgo, where a mixture of different cultures has provided a rich and varied culinary repertoire. A recipe for Mixiotes de Carnero: Spiced Lamb Steamed in Maguey Leaves, can be found in the March 2004 issue of Mexico Connect, and a recipe for Conejo en Adobo: Rabbit in Chile Sauce in the December 2005 issue.

The post The Cuisine of Hidalgo: Spanning Climates and Cultures appeared first on MexConnect.

The cuisine of Puebla, cradle of corn

Tony — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 00:20:41 +0000

Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican Kitchen

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’ve just eaten, plan to eat later, or what was served at the most recent fiesta. Their enthusiasm for the subject is born of pride in one of the oldest and most savory regional cuisines of Mexico.

Long before the Spaniards came to this area and built the city of Puebla, the nearby town of Cholula was a ceremonial center and home of pre-hispanic street food, which was sold to the worshippers who thronged to the great pyramid. The conquerors established Puebla as a center of their own religion, building several convents and monasteries. Poblano cuisine is a mixture of the traditional indigenous fare and the influence of the Spanish nuns, in whose grand conventos were born such specialties as chiles en nogada, mole poblano, and a variety of sweets bordering on the baroque.

The good sisters spent a great deal of their time cooking, and enthusiastically embraced the local ingredients. Tortillas and salsas, moles and pipians (both sauces), were introduced to the tables of the Poblano families of New Spain. By far the most widely-adopted was corn; one form of it or another is eaten daily. Puebla is called la cuna del maiz – the cradle of corn – because the oldest corn kernels in the world were found in the area of Tehuacán, Puebla.

Today, some of the best places at which to sample local specialties are at the ferias, or fairs. Here is a breakdown of the culinary regions of the state and some specialties of each:

La Sierra Norte

The Sierra Norte, the mountains which separate Puebla from it’s coastal neighbor, Veracruz, is home to a large indigenous population, predominantly Totonacas. Guardians of prehispanic recipes and cooking secrets, the inhabitants of the Sierra Norte use the abundance of fruit produced in their vast orchards to make preserves and wines. Apples, plums, cherries and blackberries are just a few of the many varieties with which the famous fruit wines of the Sierra are made. Some great wine-tasting can be done at the Zacatlán fair, held each year in mid-August. Popular local dishes, some of which have spread to other parts of the country, are:

Molotes : Chorizo, squash blossoms with cheese, or sliced new potatoes with fragrant epazote (an herb) are folded into a circle of thin corn dough, freshly made and rolled out while you watch, the edges sealed, and fried in oil to a golden crispness that would make the Colonel jump up and sing a corrida.
Mixiotes : These flavorful, parchment-thin outer layers of the maguey (a cactus) leaves are used as natural wrappings for pieces of chicken or lamb which have been marinated in seasonings that include fresh marjoram, garlic, orange juice, avocado leaves (which give the dish a wonderful, heady aroma and flavor) and achiote paste. The marinated meat is placed on the maguey leaf, along with vegetables and potatoes, covered with a red chili sauce, tied into a succulent bundle about the size of a sandwich bag and steamed until the meat is falling-apart tender.
Pipián blanco : A pipián is a stew made with ground nuts and seeds which, when combined with the stock produced by cooking meat or poultry, make a thick, delicious sauce. This particular one, made with turkey cooked in its own fragrant broth, uses the savory combination of peanuts and cilantro seeds. This fabulous dish is part of the ritual meal served when the Totonacas celebrate the dance of los voladores – the “flyers” – which involves spinning from a 50-to-100 foot- high pole, set into ground which has already been blessed with offerings. You can watch the dance of los voladores and enjoy the wonderful pipián at the Cuetzalan fair in early October.

El Centro

The central part of the state is made up of the city of Puebla and the towns and villages lying to the east and west. The area is characterized by its many large markets and twice-weekly traditional tianguis– outdoor markets- featuring a huge array of fresh produce, dried chiles, herbs and spices. This part of the state is gastronomic heaven, and the quality of food served in humble food stalls as well as elegant restaurants is outstanding. The following are only a few of the dizzying variety of delights to be sampled here:

Chiles en Nogada : This dish is a tribute to the fruit of Puebla’s late summer-early fall harvest season. Ground meat is seasoned and combined with raisins, pine nuts and local fruit: apples from Zacatlán, peaches and pears from Huejotzingo. Roasted poblano chiles from San Martin are stuffed with the mixture, batter-dipped, fried and topped with a creamy sauce made with walnuts from Calpan and garnished with pomegranates from Tehuacán. Today this creation is found all over the country, especially during the patriotic month of September, but never have I tasted any as good as the ones made in Puebla’s home kitchens. Whole families spend days on end preparing a mountain of these delicacies for an all-out chiles en nogada feeding frenzy.
Tinga : Cooked, shredded pork is placed in a cazuela – clay pot- with a sauce made from tomatoes, onions, garlic and the wonderfully smokey-flavored chipotle chiles. This is simmered until the meat absorbs the flavor of the sauce and served on tostadas garnished with shredded lettuce and avocado.
Mole Poblano : In this part of Mexico, any stew made with a combination of ingredients ground together is called a mole, but the most famous of all is mole poblano. The classic version is served with turkey, and uses four different kinds of chiles and a variety of ground seeds and nuts, including almonds, peanuts, and sesame seeds, plus its characteristic ingredient, dark bitter chocolate. Added to this are spices – cinnamon and cloves, among others – plus onions, garlic and tomatoes. This is the dish usually served at wedding fiestas. Among traditional Cholulteca families, a live turkey is present at the reception. This placid creature is passed gently from dancer to dancer, absorbing the good feeling of the party, and is cooked the next day for the newlyweds’ first mole.

Mixteca Poblana

The southern part of the state, the Mixteca Poblana is really the ancient corn-belt, and it is said there that corn “was discovered as a wild god and converted into a domestic god.” Tehuacán, the most important city in the region, means “the place that has gods.” Such was the value of corn to the people of this area. Corn in one form or another is still consumed, as either food or beverage, with every meal.

One of the oldest food-related rituals in Mexico is carried on each October in this part of the state. With the arrival of groups of nomadic goat-herds from Guerrero and Oaxaca, preparation begins for the butchering of the goats in the ex-haciendas. A deep-pit barbeque is held to give thanks for the sustenance provided by their animals. At this time of the year, the markets of Tehuacán, Izucar, Chilac and Acatlán are hives of activity.

Puebla specialties originating in this area include:

Tlacoyos : Blue corn is made into a dough , formed into an elongated shape while the customer watches, to the accompaniment of the patting sound of palms shaping the masa (the “heartbeat of Mexico”). Well-seasoned refried beans are then tucked into the center and the filled corn patty is grilled on a dry comal. (This is a good snack if you’re trying to go easy on fats.) The hot tlacoyo is then covered in your choice of a tasty red or green salsa and topped with chopped onions and shredded cheese.
Mole Verde : This is a delicious stew made with tomate verde, cilantro, epazote, green chiles, garlic and onion. Wild greens are frequently added, verdolagas (purslane) being the most common. This is combined with the simmered meat and broth of chicken or pork and served with white rice and frijoles de olla (beans).

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