Masa, Tortillas and Vitamin T
Comida callejera is very popular in Mexico and is enjoyed by people of all social classes. This food is produced by home cooks and it is not unusual to see businessmen standing in line with the working classes and indigenous locals waiting for a dose of vitamin T. The quality of the food is measured by the length of the queue and people will travel … Continue reading Masa, Tortillas and Vitamin T
Nixtamal
Until wheat was introduced to the Americas the primary grain was (and still is really) corn. Corn, botanically known as Zea mays, is native to Mexico and there are hundreds of species in a wide range of colours each with slightly different nutritional values. It is the nutritional value of corn that is the most interesting. Corn can be difficult to digest and a kernel of corn … Continue reading Nixtamal
Amaranth and the Tzoalli Heresy
The amaranth species is used for its seed and its leaves are eaten as a green vegetable. The popped grain is popularly used (both in the past and in modern times) to make a sweet treat called “alegria” (happiness/joy). The amaranth species of quelite is a valuable plant and was held in high esteem by the Azteca. It was one of four grains (the others being maize … Continue reading Amaranth and the Tzoalli Heresy
Quelite : Pápaloquelite : Porophyllum macrocephalum
Porophyllum macrocephalum Also called : Papaloquelite, Papaloqulitl (Nahuatl),Papalokilitl, Papalo, pápalo rollizo, (“plump” papalo), Quelite de mariposa, Mariposa Azteca , pucsnan’caca (Totonac), quelites oloroso, ahoyacaquilitl (sweet scented edible plant), chipaca, chaoacocopin, xpechukil, Pech´uk (Yucatán Maya), xac’ani (Otomi), wacamacho, ukche, tepegua (Queretaro), tepelcacho (Chilapa, Guerrero), tepelcasho, Pápalo macho, pápalo hembra (Mixteca), Chapahua (Totonaco, Veracruz Coast) Chapahuate (Totonaco), chivatillo (Michoacán), Mesis, Tepehua (Hidalgo), liendrilla, yerba de peo, yerba de chulo … Continue reading Quelite : Pápaloquelite : Porophyllum macrocephalum
The future of straws may be a cactus.
The National Autonomous University of Mexico, or UNAM as it is commonly known, is once again at the forefront of innovation into addressing the worldwide problem of pollution caused by single use plastics. Plastic straws (or popotes) are a major source of plastic pollution with 2017 figures estimating that 500 million straws are used in the USA alone on a daily basis (1)(2) and are … Continue reading The future of straws may be a cactus.
A solution to single use plastic bags.
The Nopal Cactus may provide a solution to the plastic bag pollution problem. In 2018 Australia banned the use of single use plastic bags. These bags were provided free to shoppers at supermarkets and by 2016 it had been estimated that 5 billion of these bags were used annually in Australia alone and that around 150 million of these ended up as roadside litter (1) … Continue reading A solution to single use plastic bags.
The Mighty Nopal Cactus
Two students from the Mexican university UNAM have won a prize for making a bioplastic straw from mango and the baba (for non-Mexicans this is a type of “slime” similar to that produced when cooking okra) of the nopal cactus. (1) https://news.culturacolectiva.com/mexico/alumnas-de-la-unam-crean-popote-con-cascara-de-mango-y-baba-de-nopal/?fbclid=IwAR3zHp6JCJc25t6Cyvzte_CmBH3058D6BAAIioZ-IpT5pYQsKD0BTOySDyk This cactus is amazing. Apart from being a potential foodstuff of the future it is also capable of producing a non-toxic biodegradable plastic … Continue reading The Mighty Nopal Cactus
The Journey Begins
“The grocer, not the conquistador, is the real Spanish father of Mexican society” (Pilcher, 1998) The food culture of México has been poorly represented. We take ingredients such as corn, tomatoes, avocados and chocolate (and a hundred other things) for granted. Not a lot of thought goes into how far these plants have travelled nor the impact they have had on the culture of the … Continue reading The Journey Begins
Masa Americana 