Prehispanic Veganismo – The Tlaltequeada
A tlaltequeada is a kind of vegetable based rissole (1) typically made with vegetables, fruits, flowers and seeds. It is the perfect example of a quilitl (quelite) based dish and it could be argued that it is representative of a vegetable based cuisine as it would have been practised by prehispanic Mesoamericans. rissoles are what an Australian might call meat patties that include some grated … Continue reading Prehispanic Veganismo – The Tlaltequeada
Alfajores
This is just a quick entry. One of my regulars, a delightful Peruvian woman by the name of Lyda, dropped by today to give me some of her alfajores as a Christmas gift. Lyda is a naturopath/nurse who came to Australia a few decades ago. Joyous Yuletide. An alfajor (plural alfajores) is a traditional sweet biscuit.. In South America alfajores are found most notably in … Continue reading Alfajores
“Cultural” Appropriation of Cuisines?
Cover photo : the tendency of the Northern States (of México, not el otro lado) to consume their menudo with a bolillo rather than the typical tortilla. Strap yourself in. This one rambles a bit. I’m trying to sort something out in my head. Lalo Alcaraz is an American cartoonist most known for being the author of the comic La Cucaracha, the first nationally syndicated, … Continue reading “Cultural” Appropriation of Cuisines?
Quelites y Mole
This Post combines two of my favourite things when it comes to Mesoamerican food science. Quelites and mole. Now by and large quelites are plants we would (in some parts anyway) consider to be weeds, both agricultural and urban, but these plants are some of the most nutritious and medicinal that nature has to offer us. We underestimate these plants at every turn. Mole is … Continue reading Quelites y Mole
Recipe : Al Pastor
Cover image via Antojitos Mexican Curious on Facebook Typically tacos al pastor are made with marinated pork which has been stacked onto a vertical spit known as a trompo and cooked much in the same was as the Middle eastern doner kebab (1). The doner kebab (and tacos arabes) are of course not made with the forbidden flesh of the swine but the meats more … Continue reading Recipe : Al Pastor
Recipe : Mole Colorado
Alrighty then whingers, it turns out there is a growing undercurrent of distaste for food blogs that expound unnecessarily. This does not bug me at all. I want the story. I want the history. I want some kind of cultural understanding of the dish (if this is relevant). The recipe is the climax. I want foreplay. I want the whole experience. My Recipe Posts however … Continue reading Recipe : Mole Colorado
Quelite : Chipilin : Crotalaria longirostrata
also called : chepil, chepilin, cascabel de vibora, chapilin, chinchín de zope, chipilín de zope, chipilín de caballo, chipilino, garbancillo, parrajachel, tcap-in, tronador, longbeak rattlebox. Some 600 or more species of Crotalaria are described worldwide, mostly from the tropics with at least 500 species known from Africa: 19 species are native to Australia (Ryan etal 2011). The common name rattlepod or rattlebox is derived from … Continue reading Quelite : Chipilin : Crotalaria longirostrata
Lactucarium : The Journey Continues.
My initial foray into the production of lactucarium was hampered by one main issue, the lack of harvestable material. This has changed this season (Spring 2021). I recently moved into a new house. When I did a walk through inspection about 6 weeks ago the lawns were all mowed and the gardens manicured as you can see in the photo below. The date we moved … Continue reading Lactucarium : The Journey Continues.
Product Review : Mole de Xico
City Farm is a not-for-profit community organisation that has been running an Urban Farm for over 25 years located only a few minutes from the centre of Perth. This unique urban sanctuary is a working urban farm that focuses on recycling, sustainability and community support. One service they offer is a small commercial kitchen and (larger) dining area. In this space has popped up an … Continue reading Product Review : Mole de Xico
Recipe : Alegrias de Amaranto : Amaranth Joys.
Amaranth was an important grain in Mesoamerica. Known to the Aztecs as huauhtli they are believed to have dedicated more than 5000 hectares of land to its growth and produced between 15 and 20 tons of grain per year (1). This is just the Aztecs. Amaranth was in high demand as a tribute and annually 20 provinces supplied amaranth to Tenochtitlan as part of their … Continue reading Recipe : Alegrias de Amaranto : Amaranth Joys.
Masa Americana 