There are two different kinds of Adobo Sauce; one is Mexican and the other is Filipino. Both versions have a common base of something acidic such as vinegar, garlic and peppercorns. Mexicans go on to add chiles (often ancho chiles) and herbs; the Filipino version goes on to add soy sauce. Some Filipinos will also…
Agave looks somewhat like a cactus, but is actually a succulent plant related to lilies that reproduces by shoots. There are around 135 different identified varieties in Mexico. The Agave crops are cultivated in fields and don’t need to be irrigated: watering them would produce larger plants, but not a higher overall sugar content in…
Aguamiel is the sweet juice or sap from an agave plant. It is procured from many different varieties of agave plant, though not all yield a juice that is worth getting. Aguamiel can be obtained in two ways: by harvesting the centre cone (“piña”) of the plant, and then baking, in order to increase the…
Añejo is a firm, Mexican cheese. It is actually the cheese called “queso fresco” (which is usually made from both cow and goat milk) that has been allowed to age. As it ages, it becomes solid, dry, salty and crumbly, almost like Romano or Parmesan, though it remains more white than they do, looking somewhat…
Añejo Enchilado is Añejo Cheese (Queso Añejo) that has been that has been pressed into rectangular blocks then rolled in a mildly-spicy coating, usually either paprika, chile powder or a mild chile paste. The blocks of cheese will be bright red or reddish-orange on the outside, depending what they were rolled in, and inside the…
Asadero is an off-white, semi-firm Mexican cheese often sold in a log shape for convenient and easy slicing. It is an excellent cooking cheese: when it melts, it becomes quite creamy without giving off any oil, even at higher temperatures. It has a light, fresh taste with just a bit of tang to it. It…
Atole is a thick, corn based beverage made in Mexico that is served hot, warm or room temperature, at any time of the day. It can be made from cornmeal, cornstarch or masa harina. Some people use rice flour. When made from corn meal, the corn used can be white, yellow or blue. The texture…
Atole Blue Cornmeal is finely-ground corn meal made from blue corn. The corn is dried, roasted, then ground. The meal can be used to make the thick Mexican drinks called “Atole” with. It can be also used to make a breakfast porridge, puddings, desserts, and some flat breads in combination with other flours.
The leaves of the Mexican Avocado (Persea americana var. drymifolia) can be used in cooking. The avocado tree is related to the Bay leaf bush, so it’s really not that far a stretch. Leaves normally remain on avocado trees for two to three years before falling off and being replaced by others. The small, new…
Bacanora is a clear, limited-production alcohol made in Mexico. It is made from agave plants that grow wild in Sonora state. Producers just call the plant “yaquiano” agave, but in fact there are at least four different species of agave that are used: agave yaquiana (aka agave angustifolia or agave pacifical,) agave potatorum, eggers’ century…
Black Sapote © Denzil Green Black Sapote is a tomato-shaped fruit that can be anywhere from 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) wide. The smooth, thick skin of the fruit starts off a shiny bright-green on the trees, ripening to olive-green and then to a brownish, olive-green colour. Inside, the colour of the…
Blue Corn © Denzil Green Blue Corn is a variety of flint corn that is blue. It is also a variety that is harder to grow. It produces a lower yield than other types of corn, and its stalks tend to just fall over in the fields. In compensation, it has more of a “fuller”…
Blue corn flour is ground from blue flint corn (aka Indian corn.) The flour has a greyish-blue colour, turning more blue when cooked. It generally has a coarse texture, and therefore consequently gives a denser finished food product than white or yellow corn flour. It is used for making atole, chaqueque, corn chips, nixtamal, piki…
Burritos © Leclaire & Schenk A Burrito is a taco made with a flour tortilla, instead of a corn one. They are made with large flour tortillas, so they are more of what fast-food places are now calling a “wrap.” Tacos are, instead, made with a corn tortilla that is only folded once. The dish…
Cactus Leaves © Denzil Green Cactus Leaves are used in Mexican and Latin American cooking, but only leaves from one kind of cactus: the Prickly Pear Cactus, the same one that produces the Prickly Pear fruit. Some other species of cactus are poisonous, so don’t decide to start munching on just any old dusty cactus…
Carne Adovada is a dish made in New Mexico, USA, of pork in adobo sauce. The pork is thinly sliced or shredded, then marinated in adobo sauce. The meat can then be pan fried, cooked in the oven, simmered on top the stove, or cooked on a skewer over fire. The meat is used as…
Dry Rub Mix for Carne Asada © Denzil Green Carne Asada is meat (usually beef or pork, but more usually beef), cut into thin diagonal strips, and usually cooked quickly by grilling. It is prepared this way in Mexico, and throughout Central America and the Caribbean. Carne Asada is often used in tacos. Language Notes…
Chayote © Leclaire & Schenk Chayote are sold as “Chayote Squash”, though they are not really a squash — they’re gourds that are treated as Summer Squash in cooking. Chayote are very small squash, only about the size of a large pear, being only about 3 to 4 inches long (7.5 to 10 cm.) They…
Chepil is an herb used as a pot herb in Oaxacan cooking in Mexico. It is, for instance, used in “tamales de chepil.” It has a pungent taste that to some tastes like a green bean, but some people’s taste buds detect it as almost soapy. The deep green leaves come from a shrub that…
Chihuahua Cheese is a Mexican pale yellow, semi-soft cheese with a flavour like that of Chester cheese, or of a mild white cheddar. Whole cow’s milk milk is heated to 149 F (65 C) for half an hour. The temperature is then lowered to 95 F (35 C) and a bacteria is added, along with…
Chile con Queso is a “Mexican” cheese sauce with chiles in it, used as a dip or as a sauce over dishes such as enchiladas and burritos. The sauce is not really Mexican; it is actually more Tex-Mex. Some writers speculate that the inspiration for it may have been asadero cheese, roasted chiles and chorizo…
Chiles are peppers that are very hot, even though that’s a relative term — some people think cayenne peppers are hot, but in general most people wouldn’t consider them hot enough to move them over into the chile category. They’re just hot peppers. Not many European languages have enough words to distinguish between the various…
Mexicans rate Chilhuacle Chiles as amongst the more milder of chiles, along with ancho and poblano. There are several types. Negro Negro Chilhuacle Chiles have a very mild fruity flavour with some anise tones. They are considered by some cooks to be the tastiest chile, and are highly desired, so they are expensive. They are…
Chipotle Chiles (Tipico type) © Denzil GreenChipotles add a rich, smoky flavour to food and a mild bit of heat. They aren’t the most attractive things to look at, but they taste great. If you want to add a smoky taste to your food, but don’t want to use liquid smoke, chipotles may be the…
