Mexican Chorizo is a spicy sausage made with fresh ground meat, garlic, chiles and spices. The meat is normally pork and chunks of fat, but sausages of the same name can be made of any meat, including mixed meats. The sausages are not eaten whole; instead, they are used more like sausagemeat than sausage. They…
Mexican Food
Cinco de Mayo
On the 5th of May, the Cinco de Mayo (known by some as the Drinko de Mayo) commemorates a Mexican victory over the French army in 1862 at the Battle of Puebla.
Citrónge
Citrónge is an orange flavoured liqueur. Peel from sweet oranges from Jamaica and peel from bitter oranges from Haiti are let ferment in neutral grain alcohol along with cane sugar. The alcohol is then filtered and distilled. It is made by Patrón in Mexico (now owned by St. Maarten Spirits, Ltd.) Cooking Tips Citrónge is…
Cobán Chiles
Cobán Chiles are made from Cascabell peppers that are dried and smoked. Once dried, the chiles are red, triangular shaped, and ½ to 1 inch long (1 to 2.5 cm long.) They are very quite hot. They are produced in Cobán, Guatemala and in Southern Mexico.
Comal
A comal is a round, thin griddle pan for baking and toasting foods in Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America. Comals have very low-rimmed edges to allow food to easily be slid off.
Coriander Seeds
Coriander Seeds © Denzil Green If Coriander plants are allow to flower, and pass through a normal life cycle, they produce small, round crunchy seeds that taste totally different from the plant, which is used as an herb. And unlike fresh Coriander, which should be added at the end of cooking as its flavour will…
Corn Husks
Corn Husks © Denzil Green Corn Husks are the outside green leaves on a cob of corn, that we usually peel off and discard. You can use them, fresh or dried, as packages to wrap food in for cooking — usually steaming. They give the food a wonderful corn flavour. Normally the husks are dried…
Corn Smut
Corn Smut is a fungus that grows on corn kernels. It causes them to swell into grey, sometimes black, galls up to a few inches (5 to 7.5 cm) wide. Sweetcorn is more prone to Corn Smut than are cattle corns such as Dent Corn. The Corn Smut has to be harvested while the galls…
Corn Tortillas
Made from Masa Harina (see separate entry), water, and salt, with no leavener, this Latin American version of bread is flattened out into thin circles anywhere from 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 inches) wide, then cooked quickly on a hot surface. Tortillas can be wheat based, or corn based. English-speaking countries are mostly…
Cotija Cheese
Cotija cheese is a Mexican hard cheese good for grating. It is crumbly, with a mild taste but a sharp, salty tang. It does not melt welt.
Crema Agria
Crema Agria is a fresh, pasteurized cream which has bacteria added back into it to ferment until it is thickened and slightly stiff. Its tang adds a tart flavour to dishes. Crema Agria can used as a food garnish or as an ingredient in dishes, particularly sauces. It can also be used in dips, soups,…
Criollo Cheese
Criollo cheese is a pale yellow, semi-firm cheese made around Taxco, Guerrero in Mexico. Good for grating.
Cuban Oregano
Cuban oregano is not actually oregano. It is an herb that is spicier than oregano, with a sweet fragrance. The oregano flavour comes from the essential oil, carvacrol, in the leaves. It has round, thick, fleshy leaves 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) long, with a fuzzy surface and a white border around…
Cumin
Ground Cumin © Denzil Green Cumin is a member of the parsley family. As such, it’s even related to the weeds called Cow’s Parsley and Queen Anne’s Lace that we pass everyday. It’s an annual plant that grows about a foot (30 cm) tall. Cumin seeds are actually the fruits of the plant. Sometimes, is…
Día de los Muertos Day 1
The 1st of November is All Saint’s Day in Mexico, the first of two days to honour the dead focusses on children and babies. Candy and chocolate in the shape of skulls and dead people is a popular food item.
Día de los Muertos Day 2
November 2nd is All Souls Day in Mexico, the second day of Día de los Muertos. This day focusses on dead adults who may have returned to visit.
Empanadas
Empanadas © Denzil Green Empanadas could be described as very small turnovers, the Latin American version of Russian “pyroshki”, which in turn are baked versions of East European “perogy.” Or, you could think of as like a samosa, or very small versions of Cornish Pasties or calzones. Empanadas are most often half-moon shaped, with the…
Enchiladas
Enchiladas © Benny Gradillas In Mexican cooking, Enchiladas are usually small appetizers (“antojitos”); in Tex-Mex cooking, they are made larger and are part of a main course. They are like baked, stuffed crêpes that are covered in a sauce, though sometimes they are not rolled up, but made layered one on top the other with…
Epazote
Epazote is an annual plant that grows 2 to 4 feet high (around 1 metre.) It has large, pointed leaves with serrated edges, and produces flowers that are clusters of tiny green balls. Though considered a weed in North America, it is used in Mexican and Caribbean dishes as an herb. It is typically used…
Flour Tortillas
Made from wheat flour, water, and salt, with no leavener, this Latin American version of bread is flattened out into thin circles anywhere from 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) wide, then cooked on hot surface. They kind of look like crêpes. Anglo-Saxon countries are mostly familiar with them owing to their extensive…
Galletas Marías
Galletas Marías, aka Marie Biscuits, are a plain cookie, similar in taste to animal crackers, and are round with a border around the edge. The word “Maria” or “Marie” is imprinted in the centre. The cookies started as a Peek Freans cookie. On 23 January 1874, Queen Victoria’s second son, Alfred, married the Russian Grand…
Guava Fruit
Guava Fruit © Denzil Green The Guava tree is an evergreen tree (in the tropics, at least.) The tree starts to bear fruit within two years of planting. After 5 years, a tree can bear five to six hundred fruits a year. The tree will live up to 40 years, but it is not very…
Guava Paste
Guava Paste is a very thick, purée of Guava Fruit. It is stiff and dense, almost like a fruit leather, but still soft and easily cut with a knife. It is sold in small and large blocks, or canned, but not in jars. The small blocks are about six inches long, an inch wide, and…
Güero Chiles
A Güero Chile is a yellow chile pepper. Exactly which chile is a Güero, though, depends on where you are. In the north of Mexico, it’s the Caribe chile: in the centre of Mexico, it’s the Caloro chile. Other chiles are also called “Güero Chiles.” What chiles called Güero have in common is that they…