On Food & Culture
In this wonderfully creamy dish, Papas Con Rajas (Poblano Chile Potatoes), the traditions of Peru and Mexico are brought together, potatoes being native to Peru and the poblano chile native to Mexico. Early archaeological evidence of the potato is found in excavations near the town …
Delicious and nutritious, Nopales or nopalitos are one of the most important Texas Mexican indigenous foods. This nopales recipe is one that I recall my mother making time and time again. It’s straightforward and foregrounds the green herbal flavor of the cactus.Nopal cactus, Opuntia ficus–indica, is …
Pecan makes these stuffed mushrooms a crunchy treat. Pecan stuffed mushrooms are a favorite for parties and, yes, football games. Both the nut and the word, “pecan,” are Native American. European immigrants were not familiar with the pecans, which reminded them of walnuts. In fact, …
The cod that we have in the Texas Mexico Gulf is “Southern Hake” (Urophycis floridana). It doesn’t have the large, firm flakes of Atlantic cod but rather has a tighter texture, and it is fairly soft and delicate. When fried with this featherlight beer batter, …
Food is an aesthetic practice that injects beauty and relationship into our everyday life, into our “Lo Cotidiano.” New Year’s eve was always festive, exciting, and Amá would mark and celebrate every new year by making buñuelos. They are delicious, crisp, light. I recall having …
Make some “Chocolate Caliente” the way that the original inventors of this beverage enjoyed it, with absolutely no lactose. There were no cows roaming about in the Aztec and Mayan empires of Mesoamerica, where chocolate has its origins and was first enjoyed. The earliest use …
Bean tamales are traditional all the way from Texas to Puebla to Oaxaca and other regions of Mexican cuisine. I love them because historically they pre-date the arrival of European immigrants who after 1528 started importing pigs and thus lard. All tamales are the occasion …
Mole Poblano and variations are commonplace in Texas and just south of the Rio Grande for special events like weddings and holiday family celebrations. You eat the mole as the principle dish, and in Texas we serve it mainly with chicken, cut up. But you …
Sacred to the Mayas, and enjoyed at banquets by the Aztecs, the Guajolote (Melagris gallopavo) is our Thanksgiving turkey. It was domesticated in Mexico and the Américas before the arrival of the Spaniards. The name is from the nahuatl word, “huexólotl,” which translates as “big …
One of the recipes that I especially like in my book, “Truly Texas Mexican,” is Chile Con Queso. But you will be surprised to learn that my recipe (page 67 in the book) is not the “Queso” dish that is served in many restaurants that …