On Food & Culture
“Texas Mexican” is the cuisine that has evolved over centuries in the region immediately North and South of the lower Rio Grande River. The cuisine is deeply rooted in the indigenous cultures of what are now northeastern Mexico and the United States central and southern …
If you’ve not tried this I really urge you to take a sip. It’s somewhat tart but but you’ll find it is also wonderfully complex, not at all like a sugary obviously-flavored soft drink. It is one of the standard Mexican aguas frescas and, again, …
Most anthropologists assert that the Karankawas, lean, dark and tall (6 feet), lived on the Texas coast for thousands of years (La Vere, 2004). European explorer documents describe their food and their cooking techniques but we’ve lost much detail because the oral culture and traditions …
I first tasted Crab Louie as a teenager just a few (ahem) years ago. Every time I see it on a menu I order it ’cause I love it. It first appeared on hotel menus around 1915 in Washington State and San Francisco. I use …
It was in Peru where I enjoyed a Pastel de Papa that was earthy, flavorful, no pretensions. A potato (papa) and meat dish that you want to eat all day long! La papa (not the Catholic pope) was first cultivated up in the Andes about …
Pepino is refreshing. My amá swore by it. Picture the sweltering Texas heat. We are wilting, so amá slices some cucumber and shares it among us kids. Cool, soothing. It did relieve heat fatigue and even sometimes nausea from over-exertion. Picking cotton is hell. Pair …
Texas Mexican Picadillo is seasoned with black pepper, cumin and garlic. We add potatoes but not raisins nor olives as is typical farther south and especially in the Caribbean. Thank the maker for diversity. In our home this is how my amá made it. Flavors …
Squash Blossoms abound here in Spring and Summer. Not surprising since the squash is native to Mexico where the flower, Flor de Calabaza, has many delicious uses in tamales, quesadillas and soups. The Europeans fell in love with them and were delighted that this little …
This story is another about delicious foods that evolved when foreign, imported products (pork) encountered the natural terroir (chiles) of Mexico. Chorizo is the creative culinary result of imported pigs meeting the local chiles. It’s famous, of course, as a breakfast treat but it is …
Thought I’d share the menu that I served for a catered party last week. The conversation around the food revolved around history, our place in it and why it is that Texas Native American food is so much like Mexican food. I’ll start uploading the …