Modern Mexican cooking is considered by culinary historians to be a fusion of three cuisines – indigenous, Spanish and French. This column has covered pre-Hispanic ingredients and techniques in the past, and last month focused on Mexican colonial-period cooking, characterized by the introduction of Spanish ingredients, notably animal products, citrus and other fruit, olives and olive […]
Continue Reading
The two little girls were standing at the side of the winding mountain road, surrounded by plastic buckets of something whose shape we could barely distinguish in the fading daylight. Trying to get to the next town before darkness set in, we nevertheless stopped to ask what they were selling. “Mamey” was the answer, as […]
Continue Reading
As we settle into the crisp autumn months and adapt cooking techniques and ingredients to the change of seasons, it seems like a good time to look at the use of spices in the Mexican kitchen. Besides providing great depth of flavor, spices have both a warming and anti-inflammatory effect on the body, making them […]
Continue ReadingDecember has been a celebratory month in Mexico since pre-Hispanic times, when the winter solstice, one of the two most important holidays of the year (the other being the spring solstice) was celebrated by the Aztecs. After the Conquest, a new set of holidays came to be observed, always festive and always featuring traditional food […]
Continue ReadingJust as corn was called “the gift of the gods” in ancient Mesoamerica, the same phrase was used for rice in what is now Southeast Asia. In several Asian languages, the word for rice and food is the same, and rice was part of the creation myth of many Asian cultures, as corn was in […]
Continue Reading
Karen Hursh Graber Called simply (and fondly) “amarillo,” this Oaxacan mole dish is a specialty of the Central Valleys region of this southern Mexico state. Although usually made with chicken, it is one of the few moles that are excellent with beef. It can be served in a bowl with cooked vegetables, such as chayote, potatoes and green beans, or […]
Continue Reading
A common misconception about Mexican food is that it does not use many greens other than seasoning herbs such as cilantro and epazote. One reason for this is that foreigners or new arrivals to Mexico have usually been exposed only to the Mexican restaurant menus north of the border that, with the exception of those […]
Continue Reading
TACO ORIGINS TACO BASICS TACO STREET SMARTS TYPES OF TACOS PART TWO: NIGHTTIME TACOS One of the earliest and most common of Mexican foods to be exported and embraced north of the border, the taco is simply a tortilla wrapped around a filling. From the ground beef-filled hard shells of Taco Bell to the “mystery […]
Continue Reading
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. Huge glass containers of these cooling drinks are found […]
Continue ReadingIf Michoacan is “the soul of Mexico,” as it has often been called, then its food is Mexico’s soul food, for few other places in the country can claim such a profound and long-lasting indigenous influence on their regional cuisine. This western state, part of the Bajio region located north and west of Mexico City, […]
Continue Reading