My Slice of Mexico

Chalupas – Small Boats with Great History

July 1, 2019February 25, 2020by Irene16 Comments

A chalupa is a small boat, usually rowed or poled. In the 16th century, when Spanish conquerors arrived to Central Mexico, they admired how the areas surrounding Tenochtitlan (today's Mexico City downtown area) had been developed into a system of gardens and farming parcels, seemingly floating on the lakes, interconnected by numerous small boats that they called chalupas. Around the same time, up North in Canada, another type of chalupa was playing an important role as well … click on title for more

Games and Crafts, Mexican Culture

Mexican Bingo – ¡Lotería!

June 29, 2019January 14, 2026by Irene12 Comments

There is a very popular board game in Mexico called Lotería – Lottery, the literal translation to English, corresponds to its definition, since its outcome is governed by chance. One particular card - # 48 La Chalupa - was so popular, that many Mexican Americans in Texas grew up calling the game “Chalupa”... click on title for more

Ingredients, main course, My Fusion Recipes

Fish Filets in Garlic Scape Pipian

June 27, 2019June 22, 2020by Irene31 Comments

Although many Mexican recipes include garlic, I could not find any recipe at all (pipián or otherwise) calling for garlic scapes; the bright green colour they provide, though, made them an irresistible addition to this recipe … click on title for more

main course, My Fusion Recipes, Regional Cuisine

Garlic Scape Papatzules

June 24, 2019June 22, 2020by Irene20 Comments

Papatzules are a traditional and very popular dish in the Mexican state of Yucatan. They are similar to a basic enchilada, but the ingredients make this preparation unique: the sauce is made from ground pumpkin seed and epazote, and hard-boiled eggs serve as stuffing. It was a natural progression to use the garlic scape with pumpkin seed paste from my previous post to prepare my own version of papatzules … click on title for more

Ingredients, My Fusion Recipes

Garlic Scape Paste – Basic and with Pumpkin Seed

June 21, 2019June 22, 2020by Irene6 Comments

After I collected my harvest of garlic scapes, I proceeded to wash and drain them. The next step was to trim and discard the tough tips, just above the bud; the stems and buds may be kept whole for grilling, or cut into manageable sections to cook in the kitchen, as in these two types of paste … click on title for more