The Agave, Barbacoa and Mixiotes
The leaves of the maguey, called “pencas” are utilised for numerous purposes. One variety is used to create the fibre known as sisal while the thicker varieties can be cooked and eaten. Even the thorns were used as needles and for the practice of auto sacrifice. Some religious devotees and priests would pierce their earlobes, tongues or genitals with the thorns and collect the blood … Continue reading The Agave, Barbacoa and Mixiotes
Flor de Jamaica (Hibiscus sabdariffa)
Also called : Roselle, Rosella, Red sorrel, Karkady, Karkade Another popular street food in México are the agua frescas (fresh waters or cool waters). These are light non-alcoholic beverages which are flavoured with fruits, cereals, flowers, or seeds blended with sugar and water. Chia seed is often added. These drinks are typically served from large barrel-shaped glass containers and can be found in markets, taquerias, tianguis and on … Continue reading Flor de Jamaica (Hibiscus sabdariffa)
Frutos de Cactus : Colonche
Updated 08 June 2022 Colonche (1) is another Mesoamerican fermented drink similar in design to tepache and pulque. It is produced from the tuna fruits of several species of the nopal cactus (most notably O.strepthacantha) and is fermented using wild yeasts. Its shelf life, like that of tepache is somewhat longer than that of pulque and it can be expected to last for as long as 14-15 days. It is a … Continue reading Frutos de Cactus : Colonche
Medicinal uses of Xoconostle
The habitual consumption of the skin and fruit of the xoconostle can be useful in the control of serum glucose in individuals with Type 2 diabetes. In healthy people xoconostle can help prevent hyperglycaemic states and potentially reduce the concentration of cholesterol and triglycerides which may be related to metabolic syndrome.(Pimienta-Barros etal) Xoconostle pears (Opuntia matudae) have attracted the attention of researchers around the world due to this … Continue reading Medicinal uses of Xoconostle
Frutos de Cactus : Xoconostle
The xoconostle (from Nahuatl xoconōchtli – ‘Xococ’ = ‘sour’ and ‘nochtli’ = tuna or prickly pear fruit) is native to central México and the arid semi-desert areas such as: Coahuila, Zacatecas, Jalisco, San Luis Potosi, Guanajuato, Queretaro, State of Mexico and Hidalgo. It is the fruit of a type of Opuntia cactus. There are more than 15 varieties of this fruit. Opuntia joconostle, O.chávena, O.lasiacantha Pfeiffer, O.matudae and O.delafuentiana are noted … Continue reading Frutos de Cactus : Xoconostle
Unknown Porophyllums
In all corners of Mexico there are varieties of porophyllum unknown to the scientific community. They remain unclassified and without the Latin nomenclature that science is so fond of. There are many varieties of pore leaf yet to be catalogued. One such variety would be Copanquelite. According to Diana Kennedy, this as yet unidentified porophyllum (My Mexico, 1998) is a delicate plant with smaller leaves … Continue reading Unknown Porophyllums
Quelite : Porophyllum punctatum
Synonym : Porophyllum millspaughii BL Rob. Also called: Tlapanche, tepepapaloquilitl, eek’ puk che’ (Maya), hierba de dunas costeras, hierba del venado, mal de ojo, paloquelite, pech’ uk’ (Maya), pech’uk-il (Maya), pioja, pio-jillo (Nahuatl), Mata piojo (louse killer), piojillo, piojo, papalillo pipisca de venado, pipixat, pipitzcaquilitl, quelite, ruda de monte, sorrio, tepalcachu, ucuchoo, uk’ che’ (Maya), uk’ xiw (Maya), xiiw (Maya), xpechuekil, x- pechuk’il, yerba de … Continue reading Quelite : Porophyllum punctatum
Quelite : Tepepapaloquilitl
Also called : tepalcachu, pápalo, pipizca de venado. Tepepapaloquilitl (tepetl – mountain, hill : papalotl – butterfly : quilitl – weed), it is so named because it is a herb which attracts butterflies and it grows on hilly ground or in the mountains. Porophyllum gracile has also been identified as tepepapaloquilitl. In the mountains outside Toluca there is a root called “chautl” which comes from a plant identified by … Continue reading Quelite : Tepepapaloquilitl
Pulque Production
The processing of pulque happens in four stages. Castration Pit scraping and aguamiel extraction Seed/mother preparation Fermentation Castration It can take between 7 and 40 years before an agave is ready to harvest the aguamiel and it can take an expert to know when exactly to castrate the plant, if done too late then the plant will produce no aguamiel, if done too early then aguamiel production will be greatly … Continue reading Pulque Production
Quelite : Huacatay : Tagetes minuta
Inca marigold, Peruvian black mint, Stinking Roger, Ocopa, Cravo-de-defunto (generic name used for Tagetes species marigolds), cravo-de-urubu (vulture marigold), enxota, Aztec marigold Huacatay is native to southern South America (Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and the Chaco region of Paraguay). It has a liquorice like aroma/taste and is a popular culinary herb, beverage herb and medicinal tea. Plants of the Tagetes species are known as Marigolds … Continue reading Quelite : Huacatay : Tagetes minuta
Masa Americana 