Almost a quarter of your skeleton lives in your feet. Fifty-two bones. Dozens of joints. They will carry you 75,000 miles over a lifetime, enough to circle the Earth three times and usually without complaint… usually. Yet we spend most of that time ignoring them. Not to mention what lies beneath them. The trouble is, […]
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Men are strange creatures. On the hazy fumes of a drunken evening, they will compete over anything: V8 vs. V6 engines, grill surface area, lawn stripes and, after sufficient cerveza, even personal appendage metrics. But in a brightly lit taquería, when the conversation behind me turned to hammocks, I couldn’t help overhearing. For research purposes, […]
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More than a deep dive into cool waters, cenotes (sinkholes) are portals to the past, conjuring up the history and lore of the Yucatán Peninsula, where they were thought to be passageways to the underworld or Xibalba: the place where the dead met the most powerful of gods and underwent trials and challenges. But who […]
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For far too long the history of 19th Century Mayan free rule in the Mexican Yucatán has been largely ignored. But local Maya are working to put it on the map. Through museums, ruins, guided tours and more, they are preserving the legacy of this largest post-colonial indigenous revolution in the Americas, commonly known as […]
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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 […]
Continue ReadingChronicler Diego de Landa mentioned chaya in 1566, when he observed that the leaves were especially delicious when cooked with plenty of bacon. What isn’t? Chayas fritas is an excellent side dish; it also stars in the scrambled egg dish Huevos revueltos con chaya. Chaya continues in popularity to the present, with exuberant chefs pushing the envelope of its many possibilities: […]
Continue ReadingEsta sopa es una especialidad del estado de Yucatán. A pesar de que se desarrolló en un clima cálido, es una buena comida para el invierno. La variedad de limón llamada Citrus limetta crece en abundancia en Yucatán, aunque otras variedades de limón pueden ser utilizadas al preparar esta sopa. Ingredientes Para el caldo: 1 pollo entero, […]
Continue ReadingThis is another Yucatecan favorite that makes use of leftovers from the day before. Chayas fritas from the afternoon meal are repurposed for breakfast the next day in this quick yet nourishing dish. Scramble the quantity of eggs desired, adding chayas fritas just as the eggs are beginning to set. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper […]
Continue ReadingThis delicious soup from the Yucatan uses half-ripe plantains, meaning green and yellow, not black and yellow. Use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian, if desired, and add more broth for a thinner Yucatan style plantain soup. Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small red onion, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, […]
Continue ReadingYucca has always been a staple in the cooking of the Caribbean and the Yucatan peninsula. Fairly bland on its own, it takes well to the flavor of other ingredients. In Mexican yucca in orange sauce, it blends with garlic and oranges. Ingredients 6 medium size yuccas 2 tablespoons corn oil 4 cloves garlic, peeled […]
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