Saffron (Crocus sativus). Photo: Tony Burton

Searching for Saffron in Mexico: Azafran and Azafrán de bolita

mazbook1, Jul 24, 2013: I have lived and cooked in México full-time now for 16 years and there is one puzzle I still haven’t solved. The spice saffron – azafrán – is probably the world’s most expensive spice, as it is just the dried stigmas of the purple flowers of the crocus sativa. Expensive since […]

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Tamales de elote © Daniel Wheeler, 2008

Los Tamales: Five Hundred Years at the Heart of the Fiesta

Mexico is the land of fiestas, and never more than during the month of December, when the feasts are so many that they overlap by several days. Starting on December 3, the beginning of the nine-day tribute to the Virgin of Guadalupe, and continuing through until January 6, Three Kings Day, there is non-stop celebration. In addition […]

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A nativity scene represents the first Christmas in one of Guadalajara's four main plazas. © Daniel Wheeler 2009

Mexican Christmas menu ideas: Posadas, Noche Buena, Navidad

In Mexico, the Christmas season is a month-long fiesta, starting with the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe on December 12th, and continuing through the posadas, Noche Buena and Navidad, right up to the Three Kings Day on January 6th. During this celebratory month, preparing seasonal dishes is an important part of the festivities, with […]

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Mexican chicken salad with chipotle vinaigrette known as salpicon de pollo © Karen Hursh Graber, 2014

May in Mexico: A month of holiday food

Look on any Mexican calendar for the month of May, and you will see a lineup of holidays, including federal and civic observations, as well as religious and non-religious festivities. Nearly all of these are celebrated with parties, parades, performances, festive meals, or a combination of these. A holiday in Mexico rarely passes without food and drink, […]

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Piñata. © Maria Elena, 1999

A Mexican Christmas dinner: tamales, turkey, tejocotes

Mexican Kitchen The usually bustling Mexican markets become even more so in December, when the mountains of fruit for ponche navideño (Christmas punch) compete with a wild array of tinsel-y decorations for shoppers’ attention, and the excitement leading to the posadas and pastorelas builds up. The culmination of all this preparation is, of course, Noche […]

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