Caarina

No culinary trip to Mexico City would be complete without a visit to the Merced Market, one of the greatest markets in Mexico.

I've been away for the past few months (cross country move), but I did want to give folks an update on Oaxaca restaurants. I have been in touch with Iliana de la Vega from El Naranjo Restaurant in Oaxaca. Unfortunately, due to the political situation there they have closed. Chef Iliana has left the country and there are no plans to reopen in the near future. Caarina

Taking off this evening... just a little disappointed. Los Dos contacted me and cancelled my class due to no available staff. (this is semana santa...ni modo) However, I do still have the Gastronomy & Liqueur tasting confirmed. I'll be doing gastronomic adventures on my own! Will report back with photos and info. Caarina

I think that the large number of cold and pickled dishes are a unique aspect of Yucatecan cuisine-- anything to deal with the HEAT! I have seen some Yucatecan cookbooks in English, but I can't personally recommend any of them. I would use from DK, Essential Cuisines of Mexico and The Art of Mexican Cooking. There are quite a few books in English on the Yucatan which I can find on Amazon, but since I have not personally used them, I cannot vouch for them. You may be able to try them out first at your public library. Yucatan Cookbook : Recipes and Tales (Red Crane Cookbook Series) (Paperback) by Lyman Morton, Michael O'Shaughnessy (Photographer) Mayan Cooking: Recipes from the Sun Kingdoms of Mexico (Hardcover) by Cherry Hamman A Yucatan Kitchen: Regional Recipes from Mexico's Mundo Maya (Paperback) by Loretta Scott Miller Foods of the Maya: A Taste of the Yucatan (Paperback) by Nancy Gerlach, Jeffrey Gerlach

Here are the photos for your viewing pleasure of Citrus Limetta

Limas are commonly called "lima dulce" the Latin name is: Citrus limetta. Link to photo here: http://www.flora-toskana.de/Pflanzensortim...a_patriarca.htm I know it's in Danish, but they had the best photos! Great site in Spanish on Yucatecan cooking with recipes! YUM http://www.yucatan.com.mx/especiales/yucateca/

Clarification-- I forgot when I wrote this above that pure achiote is used in Tuxtepec in Oaxaca as well. The achiote seeds are soaked, strained and then reduced to a paste. It is pure achiote essence. In the Yucatan, the recados are almost used exclusively.

Ricardo's the man! Great Post John! The photos are awesome! I can almost taste the food... mmm another trip to Mexico City in the works? Maybe!

In pre-hispanic times, I would think that possibly duck eggs (muscovy duck was in the new world) turkey or other bird eggs would have been used. Today, it's chicken eggs. However, here's a strange thought--what about turtle or reptile eggs!? They eat iguana in other parts of Mexico... who knows! Turtle was/is very popular but now officially banned due to over exploitation. However, turtle eggs are still illegally harvested and consumed for their supposed viagra like properties.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it can give people an idea of the variety of unique foods available in the Yucatan. Antojitos/Corn based dishes Tacos-- seafood of all sorts (escabeches-- light pickle and fiambres--fish in vinaigrette are very popular) Codzitos-- flautas made from Yucatecan picadillo Pim-- gordita with lard Pibipollo-- Tamal in banana leaves with chicken/achiote/tomato filling Dzotobichay-- chaya leaf tamales filled with egg and pepitas Garnachas Yucatecas--- tiny sopes filled with picadillo and/or frijoles colados Panuchos-- stuffed corn tortilla filled with frijoles colados and egg. Fried and topped with cochinita pibil or pollo en escabeche oriental and pickled red onion Salbutes-- a small tortilla inflada topped with cabbage, yucatecan tomato sauce and meat of choice Muk-bil Pollo-- Tamal de cazuela, yucatecan style-- chicken marinated in achiote/tomato sauce Papadzules-- Tortilla stuffed with hard boiled egg served in a pepita sauce. Traditionally this is topped with hand extracted pepita oil and salsa de jitomate yucateca. A purely prehispanic dish. Tamales colados (apparently very rare and labor intensive)-- strained masa is cooked in like tamal en cazuela and then steamed in banana leaves with chicken marinated in achiote. Served with tomato and pickled red onion Tamales de chaya-- tamales in banana leaves. filling is totally mixed with chopped chaya leaves. Soups/Stews chocolomo--organ meats in broth Sopa de lima-- chicken/lime soup Puchero-- beef based soup Platillos fuertes Pipian-- made with tomato, epazote, spices thickened with masa; Pavo en relleno blanco-- Turkey stuffed with pork, capers and olives in white sauce Pavo en relleno negro-- see above but with black sauce Pulpo a la Yucateca-- octopus in a tomato/green pepper sauce Pescado en Tikin Xik-- grilled fish marinated in achiote and seville orange Sierra en esabeche--fried fish in a light pickle Cochinita Pibil-- pork marinated with achiote and other spices, traditionally cooked in banana leaves in a pit bbq Pastel de Lujo-- Sweet/savory dish. A rice "cake" filled with yucatecan picadillo Salpicon de venado-- shredded deer meat marinated in seville orange juice served with radishes and cilantro Lomitos de Valladolid-- Pork in recado rojo with seville orange/tomato sauce. Pork is then used to make tacos. Pollo en esabeche oriental-- cooked chicken in a light pickle w/ vegetables Bola de queso relleno-- Gouda Cheese (from the trade with Europe!) stuffed with Yucatecan picadillo, then baked. Served in tomato sauce for tacos. (can't wait to try this one!) Pescado Poc Chuc--grilled or sauteed fish served with x-ni-pek sauce and radishes Vegetables and Side Dishes Chayotes en caldillo yucateco-- chayotes in a light broth which includes bell pepper, raisins and almonds) Ensalada de jicama-- jicama, orange and cilantro salad. Frijoles colados-- cooked black beans that are pureed totally smooth. Traditionally these beans are also passed through a sieve (hence colados). Ibis-- small white beans indigenous to the Yucatan. Salsas Salsa picante a la Yucateca-- firey salsa made with habaneros and lime juice. Served often with queso de bola Salsa de jitomate yucateca-- Yucatan tomato sauce. Milder and served with all sorts of antojitos, papadzules, garnachas etc. X-ni-pek-- very hot salsa made with tomato, red onion, cilantro, habanero and bitter orange juice. "hot as a dog's nose" in Mayan. Postres Mazapan de pepita-- Marzipan made with pumpkin seeds Merengues Paseo Montejo-- Lime flavored merenges Queso de napoles-- very solid flan with condensed milk. May be made with or without almonds and caramel Torta del cielo-- almond cake which is sometimes flavored with anise. Caballero pobre-- fritters in piloncillo/canela syrup Breakfast Huevos motulenos-- Fried eggs over a black bean stuffed tortilla. garnished with ham, peas, queso anejo and yucatecan red salsa Huevos malaguenos--baked eggs with shrimp and oysters Unique foods: Longaniza de Valladolid- smoked sausage formed into short skinny lengths. Spicing includes achiote, oregano, vinegar, cloves, allspice, red onion, garlic etc. Kol-- meat based sauce for Queso relleno which is thickened with roux and seasoned with saffron Chile x-cat-ik-- unique yucatecan chile recados-- seasoning pastes used in a wide variety of dishes which are based on achiote Bread-- teleras or birotes are called "franceses"

Whole Foods in San Diego is marketing a product from Aires del Campo (http://www.airesdecampo.com.mx/index.asp), a Mexican organic company. They offer both chocolate and regular alegrias and just had a Mexican chocolate one for a snack. YUM.

Recados (also spelled recaudos) are spice pastes based on achiote (annatto seeds). Achiote comes from the Bixa Orellana tree and was used in prehispanic times for culinary purposes, dye and face paint. I have only seen achiote used in the Yucatan and further south into Central and South America. (for example, it is used extensively in Ecuadorean cuisine as a flavoring agent for lard and oil) There are several types of recados and the spices vary based on ultimate use. (DK has recipes for at least 3 that I can remember off the top of my head-- red, black and all purpose "toda clase") The primary ingredient is achiote. Other spices used are black pepper, yucatecan oregano, cumin, cinnamon, clove, allspice, salt etc. For example, the reason why cochinita pibil has that vibrant red/orange color is achiote from the recado in the marinade. Many families have their own recipes for recados that have been passed down from mother to daughter. Some families have commercialized their recipes as a cottage industry, and from what I understand, you can find small production recados for sale in the markets in the Yucatan peninsula. Ricardo Munoz Zurita (here I am again singing his praises) has a wonderful book co-written with another author on the foods of the Yucatan called La comida en Los Almendros. It's half historical work/memoir/short story combined with recipes. Fun if you can find it! Caarina

I have eaten Yucatecan style food in Mexico City, Cuernavaca and Veracruz. I have also made several of the classic dishes at home, but I have never been to the Yucatan myself. The primary dishes I have had (which deserve their reputation) Cochinita (and Pollo) Pibil, panuchos, Papadzules, and sopa de lima. However, other dishes like Salpicon de venado, Tamales colados, torta del cielo, pollo en escabeche are high on my list of "must haves." From my reading, deer and pheasant are also highly prized in Yucatecan cooking. My friend will have to report on fish and shellfish dishes (I am allergic ) In the next few days, I will be transcribing my notes to indicate the primary dishes to share with the group. The cooking is seems to be an interesting mix of Mayan-Spanish-Lebanese-Cuban traditions. The spicing, with recados being the base, is fundamentally different than the rest of Mexico. The Yucatan developed (or didn't develop in most cases) very separately from the rest of Mexico with their own traditions and history. It apparently is an old running joke in Mexico to call the Peninsula, the "sister republic" (la hermana república de Yucatán) as if it's not really Mexico. You can see the striking differences in the food as well. Caarina

Next month, I will be embarking on a culinary/travel adventure with my best friend in the state of Yucatan. I'll be taking a day course at Los Dos Cooking school and then doing other travel around Merida. Over the years, my cooking has focused on Central Mexico, Oaxaca and Veracruz. My experience with Yucatecan cuisine has been very limited. I have been using my Diccionario Enciclopedico (thanks, Ricardo!) to map out all the primary dishes and referring to my other cookbooks (DK and others) to really find the dishes not to be missed. I have now over 5 pages of handwritten notes! Since I will only be in the Yucatan 1 week, I can't possibly try everything. So here is where I need some guidance. What is your favorite Yucatecan dish? Is it a must try in Yucatan? Any restaurants/fondas in Merida and environs that cannot be missed? I'd love to hear any recommendations/warnings people have. Provecho! Caarina

Great trip notes! I am imagining the flavors as we speak!

Mexico is a huge country with incredible biodiversity. I am sure that there was no lack of things to eat in pre-hispanic times. Mammals we have forgotten which are indigenous: Dog (the hairless esquintle-- i think i spelled that right) Deer rabbit certain varieties of monkey We also have reptiles: iguana, snake etc. Insects/worms maguey worm chicatanas (flying ants) grasshoppers (chapulines) Not really an animal, but also eaten widely in pre-hispanic times and high in protein: spirulina (grown on the lakes around Tenochititlan) In the vegetable kingdom, we also have some of the god's greatest gifts to humans: corn, beans, squash, chiles and chocolate, we also have the avocado, potato, pineapple, zapotes etc. In flavorings we also have the all important vanilla and the lovely allspice. A great book on this subject is America's First Cuisines by Sophie Coe. Excellent reference work. Caarina

Thanks for the link! I guess both are authentic. I prefer Ceylon cinnamon for most foods because it is not so harsh. Cassia can be overpowering to my taste. I used cassia in the Greek recipes I have tried, so now I will experiment with Ceylon. However, I do like cassia in baked goods i.e.... those wonderful quickbreads and cookies made by my mom and grandmas when I was a girl... sigh... Caarina

Recently, I have been cooking a lot of recipes from Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean and cinnamon has been used in several recipes. (Been cooking out of Diane Kochilas' wonderful books) After cooking almost exclusively Latin American, particularly Mexican food over the past 10 years, I almost exclusively use Ceylon Cinnamon as opposed to Cassia in my recipes. However, I'm not sure which is authentic in a Greek context. Anyone know? Caarina

Shelora, I'm glad I'm not the only one with cinnamon on the brain right now. Over the past few days, I have been making a lot of Greek recipes. Cinnamon has been used in several of the recipes. After having the differences between cassia and ceylon cinnamon it drilled into my head bc of my background in Mexican cooking, I'm asking myself which one? The flavor profiles are quite different My books don't tell me, and I don't have a Greek grandma to ask. If anyone knows... please advise! Caarina

I bought this at this the Andres Market on Morena. If they don't have it in stock, they may be able to special order it for you. Caarina

The difference between the Diccionario and Iturriaga's work with CONACULTA/Direccion de Culturas Populares is that that the dicccionario is simply a reference guide. No recipes included. Iturriaga's work is also very important. The amount of works published in such a short time is amazing. I own several of the volumes that were published in the Cocina Indigena series. (I count 33 volumes of varying lengths) These works specificially zero in on certain ethnic groups within Mexico and their unique recipes and food traditions. ie Recetario pame de San Luis Potosi, Recetario huichol, Recitario indigena de Sonora etc. I also own one of the Historical recetarios. Most of these works are available for sale at Mexican Cultural Institutions, but not all volumes are available anymore (once they are out of print... good luck!)

I hope they do serialize it to make the book accessible to the Mexican public. Since the book is 300 MXP, it seriously expensive for the average person on the street. This book is so important that it deserves to have a wider audience in Mexico. It would be a shame that the only people that could afford it are the richest of Mexicans and curious foreigners. Caarina

I didn't eat at any taquerias while I was there. My friend is not as adventurous as I am when it comes to street food. Although I did see some very delicious looking tlacoyos on several different streets that were calling my name. However, we did have some very tasty tortas at a place near the zocalo called "El Torton" However, I don't remember the street name off the top of my head. We went to Xochicalco and Tepoztlan while we were there. RUN do not walk to the original Tepoznieves in Tepoztlan next to the convento. DIVINE. The days we were in Tepoztlan, we ate there twice a day. There are also cooking classes available at Cocinar Mexicano in Tepotzlan, which are very pricey. www.cocinarmexicano.com

Diccionario Enciclopedio de la Gastronomia mexicana Ricardo Munoz Zurita Editorial Clio Mexico DF: 2000 ISBN: 9706630945 624 pages Recently, my DH took a trip to Mexico City for a work obligation and I of course had to send along an "encargo." The only item on my wish list: this Diccionario written by Ricardo Munoz Zurita. Because of the high price of the book in the US (Amazon had it for $90 USD), I asked for my hubby to look for it for me. DH got the book in Coyoacan at Liberia Gandhi for $300 MXP. However, now that I have it in my hands, to me it would have been worth it to pay the $90 USD. I really respect the work of Ricardo, and I had met him once at a book signing here in San Diego where I purchased two of his previous books, Los chiles rellenos en Mexico and La comida en los Almdendros. The book is 624 pages of detail on practically every ingredient, utensil, cooking technique or serving item used in Mexican cooking with color photographs. Every Mexican state has an overview of their cuisine. Each entry comes with detail on the use of the ingredient or object, it's regional uses/variations and most entries have photographs. For example, the section on tamales is very detailed, with charts of the types of fillings identified by culinary region and other graphs charting out the tamal wrappers by geography. 20 pages of descriptive detail with photographs and separate entries for significant regional variations. The Diccionario also covers rarer foods, such as xonequi from Veracruz and the even rarer chorizo de abulon de Ensenada (now not eaten due to overfishing). This book is probably the most valuable reference to my cooking library since I bought Diana Kennedy's books. It is a clear, factual presentation of Mexican cuisine in an easily accessible format. Simply MARVELOUS. I recently heard that the book has been released as a serial and can be purchased at your local newsstand in Mexico. I haven't seen it, but it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. In the preface, it indicates that an English translation is in the works. Caarina

I've been in touch with Los Dos, and I'll give a report after my trip. Both on Merida food finds and the class C