(Is there anything this plant CAN’T do??) In 2009 a Czech company began importing from México nopal, grown on the slopes of the Mexican volcano Popocatépetl, as an additive to produce gourmet breads. Nopal is known for having a range of health benefits (See Post on The Medicinal Qualities of Opuntia Cladodes) and it would make a valuable addition to bread as it would lower … Continue reading Cerveza de nopal (Nopal Beer)
Death burns the lips of other cultures, but the Mexican is familiar with death, jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, celebrates it; it is one of his favorite toys and his most steadfast love. Octavio Paz Day of the Dead IS NOT (and has nothing to do with) Halloween. Halloween (which is rooted in Samhain) is celebrated on the eve of 31st of … Continue reading Dia de Muertos IS NOT Halloween
Tagetes erecta (syn Caryophyllus Indicus)Also known as : Flor de muerto, African marigold, Cempoalxόchitl (Nahuatl name “twenty flower”, from cempohualli – twenty and xochitl – flower), cempasuchitl, zempasuchitl, apátsicua (purépecha and tarasco), caxiyhuitz (huasteco), guie’biguá, guie’coba, picoa and quiepi-goa (zapoteco), kalhpu’xa’m (totonaco), Ita-Cuaan (Mixtec), Jondri (Otomí), Genda phool, Genda (Hindi, Bengali), Chenduhoovu, Chendu huva (Kannada), Ghenda (Marathi), Galaghoto (Gujarati), Chendu malli (Malayalam), Banti Puvuu (Telgu), … Continue reading Cempasúchil
Amongst the spices introduced to Mexico with the Spanish was the seed of an umbelliferous plant in the Apiaceae family (1) known as Cumin (Cuminum cyminum). Cumin was very popular in ancient Rome and containers of it were kept on the dinner table much like pepper is today. Cumin is native to an area of the Eastern Mediterranean known as the Levant. The term Levant originally meant “the … Continue reading Cumin
A type of “honey” can be made from aguamiel. Aguamiel is heated in a pot until most of the moisture has evaporated and the liquid has thickened to the texture of honey and becomes dark amber in colour. For every 9 litres of aguamiel you will produce around only 1 litre of agave honey. According to CINVESTAV (The Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the … Continue reading Medicinal use of Miel de Agave (agave honey)
Sotol is a distilled spirit similar in vein to mezcals and tequila that has been sourced from the dasylirion plant. Although previously classed as an agavaceae the dasylirion is a small genus of 18 semi-succulent species in the Nolinoideae (a subfamily of the Asparagaceae) family. The dasylirion is also known commonly as the Desert Spoon. This plant is common to northern Mexico, New Mexico and … Continue reading Sotol.
All tequila is mezcal but not all mezcal is tequila. Tequila and mezcal are both spirits created by the distillation of the juice that has been sourced from the heart of an agave. This heart (or piña) is roasted (in the case of mezcal) or steamed (in the case of tequila) (1) then crushed to obtain the juice. This juice is then fermented and distilled … Continue reading Tequila and Mezcal : A Primer : How to read a tequila or mezcal label.
Chenopodium ambrosiodes (Synonyms: Teloxys ambrosioides, Dysphania ambrosioides) Epazōtl : from Nahuatl, epatl – skunk and tzotl – sweat (1). I have seen this translation noted as being “epatli = skunk; zotli = grass”. There’s no confusion re skunk but I think there may have been over “zotli = grass”. The Nahuatl word for grass is zacatl (zacate en Español). There is a Nahuatl word “tzontli” … Continue reading Quelite : Epazote
We primarily know the maguey as being edible for its “juice” which can be used to make the fermented drink pulque or the distilled drinks mezcal, tequila, bacanora and raicilla (as well as all the un-named vino de agaves). But…..did you know the agave can be eaten? The baked pencas (1) and quiote (2) are quite edible (3). The outer petals of the maguey flowers … Continue reading Flor de Maguey : The Agave Flower
Moorish culture had an impact on more than just the medicinal practices of the Mexicans. The method of cooking tacos al pastor (in the style of the shepherd), is a dish developed in Central Mexico that is based on shawarma spit-grilled meat brought to Mexico by Iraqi immigrants in the early 1900s and Christian Lebanese following the Israel-Lebanon war in 1948 and the 6 day … Continue reading Tacos al pastor
Masa Americana 