Discover and re-discover Mexico’s cuisine, culture and history through the recipes, backyard stories and other interesting findings of an expatriate in Canada
To acknowledge the First Nations as the original inhabitants of Canada, we have to go no further than to remember that even the country’s name has a First Nations origin, coming directly from the Saint-Lawrence Iroquoian word kanata or canada, meaning “settlement”, “village” or simply “land” ... click on title for more
The definite upside of the mestizaje process during Spanish colonial times, was the rich new culture and fusion cuisine which have become the heart and true identity of Modern Mexico, as it may be aptly exemplified by a simple platter of tlacoyos, the most iconic pre- and post-Hispanic street food ... click on title for more
There is no doubt that markets have always been a central part of Mexican society. In pre-Hispanic times, there were small local ones, as well as the large central market of Tlatelolco, with items from all around Mesoamerica. After the Spanish conquest was completed, a long period of adjustment and exchange began, and post-Hispanic markets became a fusion between the Old and the New World ... click on title for more
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
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
