From Cholula to Chicago, taco lovers everywhere know that any taqueria that calls itself poblana, or “from Puebla,” will have tacos arabes on the menu. But not everyone knows that this regional specialty of meat roasted on a vertical spit and served in the thick, pita bread-like wheat tortilla called pan arabe is a prime example of the Mexican- Lebanese culinary fusion that […]
Continue ReadingAlthough the Mock Turtle sang the praises of “soup of the evening, beautiful soup”, here in Mexico it’s “soup of the day”, that first course that is required on any comida corrida menu. Most Mexicans do not consider their main meal complete without a bowl of soup to start it off. Comforting, nourishing, easy to swallow, soup […]
Continue ReadingThe pre-Hispanic pumpkin seeds and the sesame seeds brought by the Spaniards come together in a wonderfully textured candy, also sometimes called palanquetas. If giving the candies as gifts, wrap each in cellophane, twist the ends closed and tie them with thin curling ribbon, called listón chino in the mercerías, or notions stores. Ingredients: 1 pound piloncillo (brown loaf sugar) broken into chunks […]
Continue ReadingSince pre-Hispanic times, the Maya people of the Yucatan have eaten either the black beans known as buul or the larger, light-colored beans called ibes, usually cooked in water in which chiles have been steeped. This chile broth is the basis for many traditional Yucatecan dishes. In the following version, the chile-tomato puree is added […]
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Bricks of rich Mexican chocolate are flavored with coconut from Pacific shores. Aromatic herbs are displayed in beautifully arranged baskets, their scent alone whetting the appetite. Sweet local honey is offered for tasting on slices of waxy, pale yellow yams. No, this is not a high-end gourmet emporium or a trendy organic supermarket. This is […]
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Perhaps no other single ingredient has had such a dramatic upsurge in mainstream culinary use over the last decade as has chile (chee-lay). Once considered an exotic component of Latin, Indian and Asian cuisines, the chile, in its many fresh and dried forms, has become a modern kitchen staple, added to everything from salad dressings […]
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Part 1 presented information on fresh chiles, capsicum anuum, New World natives that have become essential components in many of the world’s cuisines. One of their most intriguing aspects is the success with which they may be preserved by drying, nearly always changing the flavor of the original fresh chile. This change in flavor can range […]
Continue ReadingThis could be called a Mexican version of the jalapeño “poppers” popular north of the border. The idea for the filling came from Susana Trilling, who has written about the smoked mullet of southern Oaxaca, and the idea for the chile soaking technique came from the experience of biting into a jalapeño so hot that […]
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The michelada is a beer cocktail whose name is condensed from mi chela helada, “my iced beer.” Every region, and even everyone who makes it, seems to have a different version of this popular cooler, but two ingredients that are included everywhere are lime and salt. I’ve been served micheladas both with and without ice, but even without ice, the idea […]
Continue ReadingThere are probably about as many recipes for this dish as there are cooks in Puebla, where it originated. It is always associated with September, el mes patrio, because it features the red, white and green colors of the Mexican flag. An invention of the colonial Poblana nuns, chiles en nogada can be difficult but don’t […]
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