Black History Month – Bean’s Old World Sisters

Black History Month – Bean’s Old World Sisters

Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), were cultivated in the Americas with corn and squash, forming the strong agricultural and nutritional "three sisters"; with the influence of West African culture, the common bean adopted its culinary sisters from the Old World: white rice and fried plantain ... click on title for more

Black History Month – Afro-Mexicans

Black History Month – Afro-Mexicans

From the onset of European explorations in the Caribbean islands and Mexican soil in the late 15th century, some African nationals or their descendants in the Iberian peninsula, participated not only as slaves, but also as auxiliaries to Spanish and Portuguese explorers, or as part of the crew.  Once the conquest campaigns begun in the early 16th Century, there is documented evidence of black conquistadores of African descent, such as Juan Garrido ... click on title for more

New Crops 2021

New Crops 2021

The ground is still covered with a white layer of snow in my backyard, but daylight times are getting longer, so I am ready to start some seed indoors.  This year I have found a new-to-me seed and gardening company based in Ontario, Canada, which specializes in herbs, but also has a decent selection of veggies, flowers and garden supplies.  I was blown away by the fact that they carry some Mexican varieties that I have been wanting to grow at home here in Southern Ontario ... click on title for more

Wafer Chocolate Bars – Tin Larín Style

Wafer Chocolate Bars – Tin Larín Style

Chocolate bars with one or more wafer/biscuit layers are very popular all around the World. Tin Larín is a Mexican wafer sandwich with peanut-flavoured filling and covered with milk chocolate; when I realized it now tasted artificial and too sugary, with hardly a trace of peanut flavour, I decided to make my own at home ... click on title for more