2018-09-08 15:00
Some of the many varieties of beans for sale at the daily indigenous market in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas. The metal cup measures one kilo (2.2 pounds). The Read More
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Mexico Cooks! Blog
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Mexico: a culinary travelogue, an adventure for the palate, mind, and spirit. Mexican food and culture at their best.
2018-09-01 17:49
Decorating the church for the feast day of St. Luke, in San Lucas Evangelista. Several years ago on the Catholic feast day of Saint Luke, I invited my friend Julia Read More
2018-08-25 15:00
Azul Histórico, a star of the constellation of three restaurants that make up Ricardo Muñoz Zurita's Grupo Azul, has become one of Mexico Cooks!' favorite destinations for comi… Read More
2018-08-18 15:00
Beautifully home-prepared chiles en nogada, as presented several years ago at a traditional food exhibition in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán. Freshly harvested and peeled nuez de castil… Read More
2018-08-11 15:00
Cochinita pibil from the Yucatán (seasoned pork, slow-cooked and then shredded), a specialty of Ricardo Muñoz Zurita's Restaurante Azul/Condesa. Served in a banana leaf with a… Read More
2018-08-04 15:00
Sun-and-shade dappled Plaza San Jacinto, Colonia San Ángel, in the southern part of Mexico City, hosts Bazar Sábado. Open only on Saturdays, the hours are 10:00AM until 7:00PM… Read More
2018-07-28 15:37
Enrique Olvera, creator of Restaurante Pujol, has recently opened a tortillería (a place to make tortillas) cum snack shop, right in the smack-dab middle of ever-trendy Colonia Condes… Read More
2018-07-21 16:59
Restaurante Teocintle Maíz, at the corner of Calles Miguel Blanco and Calle Constitución, Ajijic, Jalisco. You could have knocked me over with the proverbial feather. This char… Read More
2018-07-14 15:05
The Ilegal mezcal palenque (in a big stretch of translation, it's a mezcal distillery) is right on the road between Tlacolula and Teotitlán del Valle, in the little town which Read More
2018-07-07 15:00
As we drove through Tehuantepec, we were looking for a nearby comida of fresh seafood and had no idea where to go; we stopped to ask a taxi driver and Read More
2018-06-30 15:00
Typical public transportation in Juchitán de Zaragoza (also known as Juchitán de las Mujeres). These three-wheeled vehicles, some covered like this one and some open to the air… Read More
2018-06-23 15:00
Along the 2-lane highway between Tlacolula and the Isthmus, Chef Silvana and I stopped to have the gas tank filled. (In Mexico, a gas station attendant performs that chore. There's Read More
2018-06-16 15:00
If you go to Tlacolula on a day other than Sunday, you'll easily be able to see the exterior of Templo Santa María de la Asunción. Be sure to visit Read More
2018-06-09 18:02
When we who know tamales think about Oaxaca-style tamales (and who here reading Mexico Cooks! doesn't know tamales?), this is what comes immediately to mind: a tamal oxaqueño like the… Read More
Market To Table :: Second Annual Encuentro De Cocineras Tradicionales De Oaxaca, Days Three And Four
2018-06-02 15:31
Oaxaca's Mercado de la Merced. It's small compared to the city's downtown Mercado 20 de noviembre, yet quite complete in its offerings and is arguably the most traditional of Oaxaca Read More
2018-05-26 16:05
The 2nd Annual Encuentro de Cocineras Tradicionales de Oaxaca was about food, of course--more than 300 different and delicious dishes, prepared and served by about 85 of Oaxaca's finest trad… Read More
2018-05-19 17:08
A few weeks ago, Mexico Cooks! featured a retrospective about the First Annual Encuentro de Cocineras Tradicionales de Oaxaca, encouraging readers to hotfoot it south to the city of Oaxaca… Read More
2018-05-12 16:45
Pan Segura, Legítimo Estilo Jalisco (Bread Segura, Legitimate Jalisco Style) is almost literally a hole in the wall on Calle 16 de septiembre in Mexico City's Centro Histórico… Read More
2018-04-28 15:00
These bright-red dried chile de árbol (tree chile) are slender, pointed, and about four inches long. These chiles are really--but really--picante. Soak, toast and liquefy them to use… Read More
2018-04-21 15:44
The ubiquitous chile jalapeño is popular all over Mexico and the world, at points north, south, east, and west. The jalapeño measures anywhere from 2" to 3" long and rates Read More
2018-04-14 15:00
Roasting Roma tomatoes and onion quarters on a comal (in this case, a cast iron griddle). That little tomato on the right looks downright happy to be toasting. Several years Read More
2018-04-07 20:05
Oaxaca hosted its first-ever Encuentro de Cocineras Tradicionales on April 24-25, 2017. The festivities included more than 50 traditional home cooks from Oaxaca's eight regions, plus two day… Read More
2018-03-31 16:00
Nuestra Señora de Dolores (Our Lady of Sorrows) leads the procession. Hooded members of various Catholic cofradías (confraternities, or religious organizations founded in Europ… Read More
2018-03-28 04:04
In this mural around the corner from the restaurant, the silver Twinkie, icon of the Pinche Gringo BBQ joint, floats above Mexico City's Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Read More
2018-03-24 16:00
When I was a little girl, a Popsicle was a big deal. Summertime meant that the ice cream truck, bell tinkling, would trundle through the neighborhood where I lived. After Read More
2018-03-10 21:08
The man who operates this cart in Mexico City's Centro Histórico (Historic Center) wheels his baked plátanos y camotes (bananas and sweet potatoes) around during the day. In re… Read More
2018-03-03 17:14
A stylized modern entrada (appetizer), served at Restaurante Quintonil in Mexico City. Mexico's main meal of the day is comida, which is eaten sometime between two and five o'clock in Read More
2018-02-24 16:41
A classic quick breakfast in the USA, circa 1950s: cold unsweetened cereal--probably corn flakes--with a banana, milk, and sugar. Several times a month, Mexico Cooks! receives vacation-time… Read More
2018-02-17 16:00
Several years ago, Mexico Cooks! was thrilled to meet doña Yolanda Rodríguez Orozco. At the time, she was cooking at a now-defunct buffet restaurant in Morelia, Michoacá… Read More
2018-02-10 16:00
Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the penitential season of Lent, will be February 14, 2018. The following article has been very popular as a meatless meal reference since Read More
2018-02-03 16:00
These and just a few other ingredients for albóndigas de Jalisco (Jalisco-style meatballs) combine to become a simple but delicious meal. It's been downright chilly both day and night… Read More
2018-01-27 16:20
Niños Dios: one Christ Child, many colors. Mercado Medellín, Colonia Roma, Mexico City. For about a month prior to Christmas each year, the Niño Dios (baby Jesus) is for… Read More
2018-01-20 16:10
First published about six years ago, this is by far the most popular of Mexico Cooks!' nearly 600 archived articles. There's just something wonderful about comfort food, no matter what Read More
2018-01-13 16:00
In mid-December, you read the story of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe), the patron Virgin of Mexico. She is so well-loved that there's a saying about Mexico's Read More
2018-01-06 16:00
Most Mexicans eat traditional rosca de reyes (Three Kings' Bread) on January 6, the Feast of the Three Kings. Its usual accompaniment is chocolate caliente (hot chocolate). The rosca in Read More
2017-12-30 16:00
In Mexico, we throw a "Fin del Año" party--to celebrate the end of the old year, as well as the beginning of the new year. The photo shows you fireworks Read More
2017-12-23 16:00
A Christmas tree may be the central focus of your home decoration during this joyous season of the Christian year. In most parts of Mexico, though, the Christmas tree is Read More
2017-12-16 16:00
Traditional piñatas ready for sale decorate the door to the Hernández family's tiny taller (workshop) on Av. Lázaro Cárdenas, Morelia, Michoacán. Among cle… Read More
2017-12-09 16:00
The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe) in Mexico City. This newest Basílica was constructed between 1974 and 1976. It is the second most vis… Read More
2017-12-02 16:00
Restaurante Pasillo de Humo, Mexico City: casa llena (full house) recently at midday. The name of the restaurant means "hall of smoke"; it's borrowed from the name of an iconic Read More
2017-11-25 16:00
A perfect michelada, rimmed with Tajín and topped with crunchy fresh cucumber. Spicy, salty, beery, umami-rich, and completely refreshing. Here in Mexico--everywhere in Mexico!--the s… Read More
2017-11-18 17:10
Looking for something different to serve for Thanksgiving? How about calabaza en tacha--winter squash cooked in a deliciously sweet syrup? As a side dish instead of sweet potatoes--or in add… Read More
2017-11-11 16:00
Tijuana boasts an extraordinary school of culinary arts. We were privileged to be invited to present Mexico's maíces nativos (native corns) to a full auditorium of faculty, students… Read More
2017-10-28 23:55
Mexico Cooks!' full body bone scan, 2009. Remember me as you pass by, As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, so you will be, Prepare Read More
2017-10-21 15:00
At Restaurante Corazón de Tierra, Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California. Headed up by renowned chef Diego Hernández Baquedano, Corazón de Tierra was named number 39 out of… Read More
2017-10-14 19:01
Señora Blanca Estela Martínez Bueno--known to the world as doña Esthela--along with her husband, don José, in the white hat--converse with Rafael Mier about some… Read More
2017-10-07 15:00
Here we go! These two shallow baskets, packed into the trunk of our vehicle, are overflowing with 50 or more different regional varieties of maíces mexicanos nativos (native Mexican c… Read More
2017-09-30 16:53
Beautiful Plaza Río de Janeiro, Colonia Roma Norte, Mexico City. The tall pink building on the right-hand side of the photo is (was, I suppose) the home of a friend Read More
2017-09-23 15:00
When Chris Mejia and Jennifer Kramer (founders of Baja California specialist tour company Baja Test Kitchen) invited us to take Mexico's native corns on the road, Tortilla de Maíz Mex… Read More
2017-09-16 15:00
Street vendors hawk la bandera nacional (the Mexican flag) in dozens of forms for several weeks during August and right up to September 16, Mexico's Independence Day. In this photo Read More
2017-09-09 16:20
Chile en nogada (chile poblano stuffed with a seasonal filling and topped with fresh walnut sauce, chopped parsley, walnut meats, and pomegranates), as served by chef Juan Cabrera Barron at… Read More
2017-09-02 15:00
In conjunction with last week's article about the volcano Popocatépetl, please enjoy this short history of Dr. Atl (Gerardo Murillo), Mexico's quintessential painter of volcanos. The… Read More
2017-08-26 15:00
This article about the volcano Popocatépetl, published just over four years ago, is once again appropriate. Don Goyo (the volcano's nickname) is as active today as it was in 2013 Read More
2017-08-19 15:00
A decorative charanda barrel at the entrance to Distilería El Tarasco in Uruapan. Charanda, distilled from sugar cane and bottled as both blanco (newly distilled) or reposado (aged)… Read More
2017-08-12 16:33
It's that time again! The Quérendaro, Michoacán, Feria del Chile (Chile Fair) is happening this very weekend. If you're in the vicinity, try to get there today or tomorrow. As… Read More
2017-08-05 15:00
Founded in 1972 by Raúl Ramírez Degollado y Alfonso Hurtado Morellón, the highly successful restaurant has now expanded to sixteen locations in various parts of Mexico C… Read More
2017-07-29 15:00
A whole frog, battered, deep fried and served with chiles toreados (chile serrano, rolled in oil and grilled or sautéed until soft), cebolla blanca (white onion, in this case carameli… Read More
2017-07-22 15:00
Over the course of more than 30 years, Mexico Cooks! has visited Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, one of the most beautiful small colonial cities of Mexico, more times than we can count… Read More
2017-07-15 21:51
At the Mercado de Sonora, this gigantic freshly cut squash looks more like a huge flower. The squash, an extremely hard-shelled variety known as calabaza de Castilla (Castilian squash), was… Read More
2017-07-08 15:00
Rosalba Morales Bartolo, born and raised in San Jerónimo Purenchécuaro, Michoacán, grew up cooking alongside her mother in their indigenous Purépecha kitchen. Pur… Read More
2017-07-01 15:00
A beautiful pink and golden Mexican chicken, ready for the soup pot. Last week's article about Mexico's dichos de la cocina (kitchen sayings) was just the tip of the iceberg Read More
2017-06-24 15:00
Frijoles boil in a clay pot placed on a creative fogón (on-the-ground cooking fire). The fire ring is the wheel rim of a truck, the wood is what was available Read More
2017-06-17 15:00
Fresh hierbabuena (mint) growing in a Morelia friend's garden. The cuisines of Mexico--and you know that there are many--are a fantastic amalgam of indigenous corn-based food preparations wi… Read More
2017-06-10 15:00
Freshly picked red and white corn at a Pátzcuaro, Michoacán tianguis (street market). The typical Mexican tianguis (street market) is a multi-layered event. It combines wonderf… Read More
2017-06-03 15:00
If you've shopped at any of Mexico's thousands of tianguis (street markets), municipal markets, or fairs, you may have wondered what certain vendors were ladling out of their frosty glass Read More
2017-05-27 15:00
You've heard that old saying, "Life is uncertain, eat dessert first..."? Here we are, beginning at a meal's sweet ending with a tamal de chocolate (chocolate tamal) from Pasillo de Read More
2017-05-20 16:34
Sra. Martina Escobar Montero, gracious owner at Restaurante Catedral, welcomed our press group to Oaxaca with the city's typical hospitality. Pictured here at the bountiful buffet featured e… Read More
2017-05-13 15:29
Our first breakfast in Oaxaca at the end of April was at Restaurante Las 15 Letras (Abasolo #300, Centro Histórico, Oaxaca). We started with a seasonal fruit plate that included Read More
2017-05-06 15:00
Oaxaca hosted its first-ever Encuentro de Cocineras Tradicionales on April 24-25, 2017. The festivities included more than 50 traditional home cooks from Oaxaca's eight regions, plus two day… Read More
2017-04-29 15:39
Mexico Cooks!' mother, circa 1980. She tried her best to give me good advice, but I was often loathe to listen. In November 1969, she suggested that the March on Read More
2017-04-22 15:00
Like many of you, we started our year with the Women's March--in our case, at the United States Embassy in Mexico City. This delightful young man exemplified everyone's spirit of Read More
2017-04-15 15:00
Nuestra Señora de Dolores (Our Lady of Sorrows) leads the procession. Hooded members of various Catholic cofradías (confraternities, or religious organizations founded in Europ… Read More
2017-04-08 17:58
The truly wonderful Hotel Tajín. Our reservation was for one night, but the town of Papantla and the hotel were so delightful that we stretched it out to three nights! Read More
2017-04-01 16:18
Did you know that vanilla--that leathery, wrinkled, don't-know-what-to-do-with-it, dark-brown bean in the back of your pantry, that bottle of extract in your cupboard, the ice cream that dri… Read More
2017-03-25 16:00
On the way from coastal Casitas to Papantla--a drive of about an hour--you know we got hungry! And what better to have for brunch than roadside tacos, Veracruz style: on Read More
2017-03-18 17:19
After leaving Puerto de Veracruz, our next stop was the town of Coatepec, high in the coffee-producing mountains of central Veracruz state. We stayed just outside the town, at Eco-Hotel Read More
2017-03-11 16:00
On the malecón (pier) in the port of Veracruz. Mexican president Venustiano Carranza used this lighthouse building, built at the turn of the 20th century, as the Palacio Nacional (fed… Read More
2017-03-04 16:00
This article originally published in Mexico Cooks! on January 21, 2017. Due to world political events beyond our control, very few people initially read it. Welcome us back today, just Read More
2017-02-04 16:00
We Make America. Photo courtesy Debra Pearlman. Dear readers, the time between November 8, 2016 and today has taken a toll on our world, no matter where each of us Read More
2017-01-28 16:00
Niños Dios: one Christ Child, many colors: ideal for Mexico's broad range of skin tones. Mercado Medellín, Colonia Roma, Mexico City. For about a month prior to Christmas each… Read More
2017-01-21 16:00
From the un-popped kernel to the fully popped microwave-able snack treat, popcorn's evolution is many millennia old. Popcorn was the first corn in Mexico, domesticated at least 5000 years be… Read More
2017-01-14 16:00
Ceremonial tortillas from the state of Guanajuato, made only in the Otomí communities of that state as food for certain ritual occasions. These were served at Restaurante Azul Condesa… Read More
2017-01-07 20:53
One of Mexico Cooks!' first restaurant breakfasts of the New Year was at Lalo, where I ate these delicious huevos a la florentina (eggs with spinach) served on an English Read More
2016-12-31 16:00
In Mexico and some other Latin American countries, women wear yellow underwear on New Year's Eve to bring good luck and wealth in the year to come. Wearing red underwear Read More
2016-12-24 16:00
A Christmas tree may be the central focus of your home decoration during this joyous season of the Christian year. In most parts of Mexico, though, the Christmas tree is Read More
2016-12-17 16:00
Huge piñatas at a Mexico City market. Among clean ollas de barro (clay pots), plastic receptacles filled with engrudo (flour/water paste), and colorful, neatly stacked rounds of papel… Read More
2016-12-10 16:00
The actual tilma (cape-like garment made of woven maguey cactus fiber) worn by San Juan Diego in December 1531. The image is imprinted on the fabric; no science has been Read More
2016-12-03 16:00
Tamales Oaxaca style, wrapped in banana leaves. These tamales, prepared in the kitchen at Restaurante Las 15 Letras in Oaxaca, were filled with armadillo meat. They were absolutely delicious… Read More
2016-11-27 06:09
During the course of the last year, Mexico Cooks! has received several new books about Mexico's people, places and things. You can see that my desk is stacked up--and this Read More
2016-11-19 16:00
The painter's eye. Detail of Dr. Atl (Gerardo Murillo) 1962 self-portrait, oil on cardboard. Private collection. Gerardo Murillo was born in 1895 in the San Juan de Dios neighborhood of Read More
2016-11-12 17:17
For several years, I've asked friends about Korean food in Mexico City. We are fortunate to have a good-sized Korean community here. This is a cuisine I don't know but Read More
2016-11-05 16:00
Remember me as you pass by, As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, so you will be, Prepare for death and follow me. ...from a Read More
2016-10-29 15:00
José Guadalupe Posada, born in early 1852 in the state of Aguascalientes, Mexico, developed his skill as an artist into a career as the foremost political cartoonist of his era Read More
2016-10-22 15:00
MODO: the Museo del Objeto del Objeto (Museum of the Object of the Object), on the lovely corner of Calle Colima and Calle Córdoba, Colonia Roma Norte, Mexico City. The Read More
2016-10-16 01:37
So many of you are nearly fanatical--and rightfully so--about Mexico's artisan-made goods! The technique shown above, that incorporates hand-ground lacquers into beautiful designs and object… Read More
2016-10-08 15:00
Originally published in a different format in 2007, this article has recently received a good bit of attention on social networks. It bears re-publishing here. "Real" Mexican chile relleno (… Read More
2016-10-02 02:20
At first glance, these appear to be flowers--but look closely: they're actually cross-sections of different varieties, sizes and colors of maíces nativos (native corn), grown continuo… Read More
2016-09-24 15:00
This is a tiny part of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere near the town of Coxcatlán, Puebla. Many huge columnar cardón cactus are visible through the trees and shr… Read More
2016-09-17 15:00
A perfect michelada, rimmed with Tajín and topped with crunchy fresh cucumber. Spicy, salty, beery, umami-rich, and completely refreshing. Here in Mexico--everywhere in Mexico!--the s… Read More
2016-09-10 15:00
Street vendors hawk la bandera nacional (the Mexican flag) in dozens of forms for several weeks during August and right up to September 16, Mexico's Independence Day. In this photo Read More
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