2023-03-04 16:00
Originally published in 2011, it's time to remind ourselves of the lifelong work done by these two men: Yuri de Gortari and Edumundo Escamilla. Their contribution to the culinary history 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.
2023-02-04 16:00
Niños Dios: one Christ Child, many colors: ideal for Mexico's range of skin tones. The sizes range from that of a child approximately two years old (at the top) to Read More
2023-01-06 16:00
Most Mexicans eat traditional rosca de reyes (Three Kings' Bread) on January 6. Its usual accompaniment is chocolate caliente (hot chocolate). The Día de los Reyes Magos (the Feast of… Read More
2022-12-30 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. Red underwear (this Read More
2022-12-10 20:29
Originally published on December 8, 2007, this story of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe) has been one of the most-read articles published since the inception of Mex… Read More
2022-10-29 15:00
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
2022-10-15 15:00
The area around Lake Pátzcuaro, in the state of Michoacán, bursts into wildflower bloom in late September, just as the rainy season is ending here. The flowers are naturalized… Read More
2022-08-27 17:22
Thalía Barrios García, chef and cocinera tradicional (traditional cook) and head of the kitchens at both of her restaurants: Levadura de Olla and La Cocina de Humo, both locate… Read More
2022-08-06 15:00
It's that time of year again: time for chiles en nogada! The photo above is of beautifully home-prepared chiles en nogada, as presented several years ago at a traditional food Read More
2022-06-25 15:00
Roof at Casa Luis Barragán, Calle General Francisco Ramírez 12 and 14, Col. Daniel Garza, Distrito Federal. If you are at all interested in modern Mexican architecture, this mu… Read More
2022-06-18 15:00
In February 2019, Mexico Cooks! returned to live once again in Morelia, Michoacán. It's been a joyful return, to the welcome of wonderful old friends, well-remembered streets and mark… Read More
2022-06-11 15:00
This white pozole from Mexico's state of Guerrero ranks close to the top of Mexico Cooks!' list of best pozoles in Mexico. The pozolería (pozole place) is right here in Read More
2022-06-04 15:00
Mexico's summer always gives us an abundance of flor de calabaza (squash flowers) to be used in the kitchen. Prepared as sopa de guias (squash vine soup), quesadillas, or stuffed Read More
2022-05-28 15:00
A large portion of Mexico City's Templo de Nuestra Señora de la Valvanera, Calle República de Uruguay #36, is given over to the veneration of San Charbel Makhlouf, a 19th Read More
2022-05-21 15:00
Piled high in every town's market, locally grown strawberries sell all year 'round in parts of Michoacán, Guanajuato, and Jalisco. Mexico Cooks! photographed these at a daily outdoor… Read More
2022-05-14 15:00
Seasonal chiles en nogada (stuffed chiles poblanos in walnut sauce) were the most popular item at the Pátzcuaro food show one September quite a few years ago. Pátzcuaro has jus… Read More
2022-05-07 16:13
A late-19th century image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Queen of Mexico and Patroness of the Americas. She's everyone's mother. There's a saying in Mexico: "No todos somos católicos… Read More
2022-04-30 15:00
Morelia's 2009 Festival del Torito de Petate starred "El Michoacano" featuring as its theme Morelia's own Fuente Las Tarascas (the Tarascan fountain on Av. Madero). The huge creations were o… Read More
2022-04-23 15:00
Originally published on May 9, 2009, this article takes us to the annual all-Michoacán Tianguis Artesanal Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday Artisans' Fair) in Uruapan, Michoacán. T… Read More
2022-04-16 15:00
Due to the restrictions of COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021, the procession was shown in a different format via virtual transmission. Like many virtual events during the pandemic, a virtual Read More
2022-04-09 15:00
The Purépecha woman in the foreground pats out tortillas while her companion sorts through a plate of golden, freshly cut flor de calabaza (squash blossoms). The first two mornings of… Read More
2022-04-02 16:00
Here's another wonderful dessert for a Lenten Friday: American-style blackberry cobbler, made with super-delicious blackberries grown in Michoacán, Mexico. When you're shopping, look… Read More
2022-03-26 16:00
Delicious and eaten at any time of the year, rajas de chile poblano con crema, cebolla, y elote (strips of poblano chile with cream, onion, and young tender corn) is Read More
2022-03-19 16:00
Atole de grano, a Michoacán specialty made of tender young corn and wild, licorice-scented anisillo, is a perfect cena (supper) for Lenten Fridays. Tortitas de papa (potato croquettes… Read More
2022-03-12 16:00
Pouring miel de piloncillo (spiced raw brown sugar syrup) over the second layer of capirotada. The cazuela (clay dish) measures about 14" in diameter at the top. Capirotada is the Read More
2022-03-05 16:00
Cuaresma (Lent) started on Ash Wednesday, March 2, 2022. Many people all over the world are searching for something delicious to serve on Lenten Fridays, when abstinence from meat is Read More
2022-02-26 16:00
In late October just a few years ago, Mexico Cooks! went to the Mercado de Jamaica specifically to find flowers and decorative items to build a home altar for the Read More
2022-02-19 16:00
Trio Los Panchos, from the 1950s. They're still playing today and everyone of every age in Mexico knows all the words to all the songs they've sung since their beginning Read More
2022-02-12 16:00
Lots of people are like Mexico Cooks! when it comes to cookbooks. We own hundreds of them, but actually cook from very few. For well over a year, I read Read More
2022-02-05 16:00
I know we're a few days late to celebrate February 2nd, the Feast of La Candelaria, but it's important: in Mexico, this date is the end of the Christmas season! Read More
2022-01-29 16:00
I wrote and first published this article in 2010, in response to inquiries from readers who were confused about other authors' articles about "What is authentic Mexican food?" The subject Read More
2022-01-08 16:00
Back by popular demand! So many Mexico Cooks! fans ask questions about what we eat at mealtimes--and when exactly DO we eat? This week and for the next two weeks Read More
2022-01-01 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. Red underwear (this Read More
2021-12-25 16:16
Mexico's fragrant, delicious ponche navideño--Christmas punch, served hot. Loaded with seasonal fruits and sweet spices, it's a do-not-miss at our Christmas festivities and is often s… Read More
2021-12-18 16:00
The block-long portion of Calle Moctezuma in Colonia Guerrero where the restaurant sits is just off Av. Reforma. It's right there in plain sight, but where? Mexico Cooks!' taxi driver Read More
2021-12-11 16:00
The actual tilma (cape-like garment made of woven maguey cactus fiber) worn by San Juan Diego when he first saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, in December 1531. The framed tilma Read More
2021-12-04 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
2021-11-27 16:00
Here's a young butcher making longaniza in a market in Mexico City. Longaniza is chorizo's first cousin, and you can use either of those sausages in this recipe. I prepare Read More
2021-11-20 16:00
Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz (1915-2003), a proper British woman married to Mexican diplomat César Ortiz Tinoco, learned Mexican cuisine in Mexico City, her husband's home town. She publis… Read More
2021-11-13 17:02
This recipe, initially published in 2008--13 years ago--by Mexico Cooks!, continues to be the most popular of all our articles. Any time of year, but especially in the winter months Read More
2021-11-06 16:49
Sugar hens, each one ready to be placed on an ofrenda (altar) to a deceased relative or friend, or to give to a special person as a token of friendship Read More
2021-10-30 15:00
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
2021-10-23 15:00
The area around Lake Pátzcuaro, in the state of Michoacán, bursts into wildflower bloom in late September, just as the rainy season is ending here. The flowers are naturalized… Read More
2021-10-16 13:00
Pan de muerto! This seasonal bread starts making an appearance in Mexico bakeries as early as the end of August, but the majority is made and sold between mid-October and Read More
2021-10-09 15:20
A drawing from the 16th century Florentine Codex showing the pre-Hispanic making of tortillas. The utensils the woman uses for the preparation of tortillas de maíz (corn tortillas) ar… Read More
2021-10-02 15:00
It occurred to me earlier this week to re-publish this Mexico Cooks! article, originally published in 2007, when I read an article in the New York Times about a beautifully Read More
2021-09-25 15:00
Steaming hot café con leche (expresso coffee mixed with hot milk), served with a basket of Mexico's pan dulce (sweet bread). I took this photo many, many years ago--so long Read More
2021-09-18 15:21
Updated information about Mezcal Uasïsï :: Where to purchase this top-of-the-line mezcal in Mexico! Close to the northern edge of the Tierra Caliente, outside Etúcuaro, Mich… Read More
2021-09-11 15:00
Padre Miguel Hidalgo, whose 1810 cry for freedom from Spain set in motion the fight for what is now Mexico's independence. His original estandarte (banner) bearing a likeness of Nuestra Read More
2021-09-04 15:00
Last week, we talked extensively about sopa seca de arroz--Mexican 'dry soup' made of rice. Today, take a look at this menu from a fonda (a small, family-run restaurant) serving Read More
2021-08-28 15:00
El Portalito, a typical but larger-than-average fonda in Colonia La Condesa, Mexico City. Mexico Cooks! was a frequent customer for the comida corrida it served prior to the massive earthqua… Read More
2021-08-21 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
2021-08-14 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
2021-08-07 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
2021-07-31 15:00
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
2021-07-24 15:00
Several years ago, Mexico Cooks! was thrilled to meet doña Yolanda Rodríguez Orozco. At the time, she was working at a now-defunct buffet restaurant in Morelia, Michoacá… Read More
2021-07-17 15:00
Fresh hierbabuena (mint) growing in a Morelia friend's garden. The cuisines of Mexico--and you know that there are many different regional cuisines--are a fantastic amalgam of indigenous cor… Read More
2021-07-10 15:00
At the Mercado de Sonora in Mexico City, this gigantic freshly cut squash looks more like a huge flower. The squash, an extremely hard-shelled variety known as calabaza de Castilla Read More
2021-07-03 15:00
Three-dimensional flowers made of gelatin, by my friend Irene Martínez. Irene creates these flowers inside a square or circular shape--each petal formed by injecting a gelatin of a di… Read More
2021-06-26 15:00
The facade of the mid-18th Century Jesuit church in Atotonilco is simple. The interior of the church is astonishing. Built between 1740 and 1776, the Santuario is still visited and Read More
2021-06-19 15:00
A big pot of cocido, simmering last week in the Mexico Cooks! kitchen. Nearly 40 years ago, long before the website Mexico Cooks! was a possibility--when I was just beginning Read More
2021-06-12 15:00
Tourism to Mexico is definitely back! After over a year of waiting for tourism to be possible again, Mexico Cooks! has recently booked and completed three tours and has more Read More
2021-06-05 17:04
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
2021-05-29 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
2021-05-22 15:00
If you've been reading Mexico Cooks! for long, you know that I photograph a lot of ripe and colorful fruits, vegetables, and other edibles in Mexico's markets. This gorgeous turkey Read More
2021-05-15 15:00
When you read last week's article, Mexico Cooks! had just boarded a guajolotero (often called 'chicken bus', in English slang, but it actually means 'turkey bus') to go with friends Read More
2021-05-08 15:00
Sign in front of a Mexican welding shop: "We weld everything except a broken heart. For that we have mezcal." In case it hasn't hit your town quite yet, a Read More
2021-05-01 15:00
The agave atrovirens cactus. This enormous gray-green plant, native to the ancient land which became Mexico, continues to provide us with pulque (POOL-keh), a naturally fermented alcoholic b… Read More
2021-04-24 20:50
The major ingredients for Mexico Cooks!' best flan ever--clockwise from the bottom: fresh oranges, cream of coconut, whole milk, real Mexican vanilla, fresh eggs, and sal del mar (sea salt… Read More
2021-04-17 17:03
This delicious recipe for picadillo (pee-kah-DEE-yoh, a kind of Mexican hash) has been a staple in my Mexican home-cooking repertoire for nearly 50 years. A week or so ago, I Read More
2021-04-10 15:00
Back by popular demand! So many Mexico Cooks! fans ask questions about what we eat at mealtimes--and when exactly DO we eat? This is the third week in our three-part Read More
2021-04-03 16:00
Back by popular demand! So many Mexico Cooks! fans ask questions about what we eat at mealtimes--and when exactly DO we eat? Last week, this week and next week, we'll Read More
2021-03-27 16:00
Back by popular demand! So many Mexico Cooks! fans ask questions about what we eat at mealtimes--and when exactly DO we eat? This week and for the next two weeks Read More
2021-03-20 16:00
These and just a few other ingredients for albóndigas de Jalisco (Jalisco-style meatballs) combine to become a simple but delicious meal. The weather was cool during the day today her… Read More
2021-03-13 17:24
On March 8, 2021 (International Women's Day), several women in Michoacán received the designation "maestra cocinera tradicional" (master of traditional cooking), named as such by memb… Read More
2021-03-06 16:00
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
2021-02-27 16:00
Atole de grano, a Michoacán specialty made of tender corn and wild, licorice-scented anisillo, is a perfect cena (supper) for Lenten Fridays. Tortitas de papa (potato croquettes, left… Read More
2021-02-20 16:48
I wrote and first published this article in 2010, in response to inquiries from readers who were confused about other authors' articles about "What is authentic Mexican food?" The subject Read More
2021-02-13 20:56
The inviting entrance to La Casa del Abuelo (Grandpa's House) in the Centro Histórico of Morelia, Michoacán, México. This tiny restaurant is the epitome of Mexico's "3 B… Read More
2021-02-06 16:00
Tamales in the tamalera (the steamer) at Tamalería (tamales stand) Méndez, on the street at the corner of Av. Baja California and Av. Insurgentes, Colonia Condesa, Distrito Fed… Read More
2021-01-23 16:00
Mexico's fragrant, delicious ponche navideño--Christmas punch, served piping hot throughout the winter. What many people don't know is that large parts of Mexico are extremely chilly… Read More
2021-01-16 16:00
Due to the pandemic, it's generally been impossible in 2020 to travel and tour with Mexico Cooks! Here's a look back through 2016 at some of our many fantastic and Read More
2021-01-02 16:00
In Mexico and other Latin American countries, women wear yellow underwear on New Year's Eve to bring good luck and wealth in the year to come. Red underwear (this vendor Read More
2020-12-26 16:00
This article, originally published at Christmastime 2007, has been extremely popular every Christmas since then. We think you will enjoy this slightly updated version... A Seattle Christmas… Read More
2020-12-19 16:00
Huge piñatas ready for sale at a Mexico City market. Among clean ollas de barro (clay pots), plastic receptacles filled with engrudo (flour/water paste), and colorful, neatly stacked… Read More
2020-12-12 16:00
Due to COVID-19, the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Mexico City will remain closed to pilgrimages and individuals from December 10 through December 13 to avoid the… Read More
2020-12-05 16:00
Everywhere in Mexico, so many events and traditions have been cancelled, postponed, or otherwise affected by the on-going worldwide pandemia. This article, originally published in 2010, is a… Read More
2020-11-28 16:00
One of the many, many waterfalls in the Parque Nacional Eduardo Ruíz, Uruapan, Michoacán. I took this photo of the Barranca de Cupatítzio over 20 years ago, and the park… Read More
2020-11-21 16:07
Remember that old saying, "Life is uncertain, eat dessert first,"? Mexico Cooks! is a firm proponent of that--at least for beginning today's report. This sweet, delicious offering is on the… Read More
2020-11-14 16:00
In February 2019, Mexico Cooks! returned to live once again in Morelia, Michoacán. It's been a joyful return, to the welcome of wonderful old friends, well-remembered streets and mark… Read More
2020-11-07 16:00
Looking for something different to serve for Thanksgiving? How about calabaza en tacha--calabaza de Castilla (a winter squash) cooked in a deliciously sweet syrup? As a side dish instead of… Read More
2020-10-31 16:00
Unfortunately, COVID-19, in addition to causing unprecedented worldwide death, has also separated us from publicly receiving the spirits of our departed loved one during the 2020 Day and Nig… Read More
2020-10-24 15:00
The area around Lake Pátzcuaro, in the state of Michoacán, bursts into wildflower bloom in late September, just as the rainy season is ending here. The flowers are naturalized… Read More
2020-10-10 15:00
Due to the pandemia shutdown starting in March 2020, Mexico Cooks! has not been able to travel around in Mexico (or anywhere else) as usual this year. I'd like to Read More
2020-10-03 15:00
Mexico Cooks! published an article about rajas de chile poblano about 6 months ago. This is an updated and revised version of the previous publication, with all-new photos and some Read More
2020-10-03 15:00
Rosalba Morales Bartolo, in her kitchen in San Jerónimo Purenchécuaro, Michoacán Read More
2020-09-26 15:00
Mexico Cooks! is repeating this article (originally published in January 2010) because yesterday while I was coming home from shopping at a downtown food market, a terrific clown (his 'wig'… Read More
2020-09-19 15:00
One view of the exterior of Mexico City's Mercado de Jamaica. As is true in most Mexican markets, you'll find everything from fresh figs to duct tape, from a haircut Read More
2020-09-12 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. It's always fun Read More
2020-08-29 15:00
The facade of the mid-18th Century Jesuit church in Atotonilco is simple. The interior of the church is astonishing. Built between 1740 and 1776, the Santuario is still visited and Read More
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