Discover and re-discover Mexico’s cuisine, culture and history through the recipes, backyard stories and other interesting findings of an expatriate in Canada
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
This recipe may be considered as a "standard" contemporary Red Pipián, which could be found in kitchens all around Mexico, but offers a vegan option with the addition of roasted sunchokes, and a different way to process the spices for the sauce ... click on title for more
The Sunchoke, or Jerusalem artichoke, is a perennial plant of the sunflower family; sunchoke tubers were an important part of the native American diet, and continued to be grown by settlers in North America and also after being introduced to Europe, but they were eventually forgotten when potatoes and other New World vegetables became staples. There have been some efforts to bring sunchokes back to the table ... 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
My Slice of Mexico 