Regional differences in Mexican food.

[theabroma]

A while ago I lost a flip of the coin to my cousin, and instead of going to Veracruz like I wanted to, we went to Vallarta. At the last minute I decided to drive (my first foray into Mx with a Golf). We were to stay 1 month - he had rented a house in Gringo Gulch - and then drive back. When the month was up I very generously drove him to the airport ... and stayed 5 more months.

In PV: Tony Balam's (which I have heard is no longer in business), pescado zarandeado with a vinaigrette of garlic, olive oil and anis de mono.

Rodolfo's Pozoleria around the corner from the Cine Bahia - had red, white, and green. The green was to die for.

Helados Bing - cajeta ice cream.

Munguia's Bakery - bread as well as pastry

Gutierrez Rizo grocery - the mango counter (4-7 varieties at any given time), and the crema mexicana tubs, sweet through sour in 6 steps, generous tastes of each gratis, and enough banana examples to drive a musaologist nuts

The big 24/7 tortilleria next to Gut. Rizos where the guys sat up all night cooking 500 gallon tanks of nixtamal, and playing poker.

Any street corner in PV after 7pm - the tamal ladies appeared. Sweet tamales of strawberry, coconut, or pineapple.

And the place I so would love to take Tony Bourdain: Fonda Las Amapas, 30 kilometers from PV, near the Punta de Mita. The menu was "whatever crawled out of the jungle that day." Iguana in capers and tomatoes - it was exquisite - nothing like that gross iguana segment on Cook's Tour. Also jabali/wild pig, deer, possum, and armadillo. An amazing education on the plate.

And on the coast highway going from PV to San Blas - the marinated, grilled chickens with freshly made corn tortillas, sliced cabbage, radishes, and pickled red onions, and the fire pits where they were roasting whole fish - in little palm thatch palapas all the way up the coast to Mexicaltitan.

Or, you could eat in the hotel ....

Theabroma

[esperanza]

I'm new to eGullet and I've been reading this thread. Many of you are quite knowledgeable about regional food in Mexico. I live here in Mexico's Central Highlands and offer, among other things, a 'Cook's Tour' of at least two regions. There is so much to know--more than you can imagine--about equipment, ingredients, methods, etc. Just last week I was privileged to have a private cooking class with a woman in the town where I live who gave me her great-grandmother's recipe for a mole dulce that includes ingredients I've never heard included any other mole.

By the way, the name of the city in Michoacán that's mentioned here (the one with the great market food) is spelled Uruapan. That is a great market for food--but the street food in other places in Michoacán is even better, IMHO. The corundas rellenas con queso y rajas , the uchepos con salsa verde y crema, the enchiladas placeras, the diablitos--ay ay ay. Michoacán has the greatest cuisines in Mexico: the traditional recipes of the Purhépecha will knock your socks off. Soups you never heard of: atapakua, for example.

As a bilingual, bicultural food professional, I'm glad to be on board here at eGullet.

[Jason Perlow]

Bienvenidos al nuestro sitio, esperanza!

[Richard Kilgore]

Welcome to eGullet and the Mexico Forum, esperanza. I hope you will come often and post frequently.

[esperanza]

Muchísimas gracias por haberme dado la bienvenida. Me da mucho gusto estar aquí con todos ustedes. Quisiera aprender lo más que se pueda--y compartir lo que también se pueda con ustedes.

Les agradezco mucho a todos.

[ExtraMSG]

and stayed 5 more months

I was really impressed with PV. I think it's in a tasty nexus, close enough to Michoacan, in Jalisco, and on the ocean. I liked the food in PV better than in Guadalajara. They had great upscale and regional non-hotel Mexican actually owned and cheffed by Mexicans. They had clean and consistent comida corrida places. They had a variety of street foods, including seafoods. And they had a lot of specialty places. btw, I have a pic of pescado zarandeado from Mazatlan that was exquisite. The photo doesn't do it justice, but here it is nonetheless (I really should scan in a bigger version):

Muchísimas gracias por haberme dado la bienvenida. Me da mucho gusto estar aquí con todos ustedes. Quisiera aprender lo más que se pueda--y compartir lo que también se pueda con ustedes.

Creo que mas tiene ensenar que aprender. Podemos empezar con mi espanol feo.

[shelora]

Well, this is very exciting. Now I can possibly return to P.V. - always flight deals to be had - and explore some food options. Thanks a million for the suggestions on where to eat. I'm filled with hope.

And thanks Esperanza for the spelling corrections on Uruapan.

s

[shelora]

Okay now I'm curious, what is Atapakua, Esperanza?

S

[esperanza]

Atapakua is a soup, made with cilantro, tomate (what you in the English-speaking world call tomatillo), mushrooms, and chile, among other ingredients.

[Jaymes]

Esperanza, exactly where are you? I'm planning an extensive driving trip through Mexico sometime during the coming year and would love to meet you!

[LarsTheo]

Oaxaca in the south is by far my favorito.  Birthplace of mole, nectar of the Mayan gods.

I can't remember who said this, but I don't think the Mayans made it back to Oaxaca. I associate mole with Zapotecs and Chichimecs - not Mayans. I love Mayan food and the food from Yucatan, but I seldom find a mole I can stomach. I've travelled to Oaxaca more than any other state (for business), and I often had a very hard time finding a restaurant that I could stand. Of course when I first started going to Oaxaca (Jan 1978, I believe), they were having guerilla warfare and soldiers filled the zocalo, causing me to have to dodge bayonets crossing the street. In those days, I did not bother to read newspapers or keep up with the news (I had no TV), and so I was unaware of the war that was going on. I did notice that there were lots and lots of soldiers, but I just assumed that Oaxaca City was a military town/post. The hotels were very cheap and always had plenty of rooms, and I could buy tapetes at a good price, which I then sold in San Francisco (where I lived at the time). I continued to return to Oaxaca for shopping (not the food), and absolutely loved the scenery and the ruins, etc, and then one year when I returned, the soldiers were gone. I asked someone what had happened to all the soldiers, and they told me, "The guerilla warfare is over." Of course I said, "What gurerilla warfare??" and that's how I learned about the war. Anyway, they weren't at war with me, and so I didn't feel that I needed to be concerned. When I travelled from Belize to Guatemala (also in 1978, I think), there was a border dispute between the two countries, and there were thousands of Guatemalan soldiers at the Belize border. However, since I did not have a British passport (no British people were allowed in), I did not consider that a problem either.

I've done extensive travelling on trains throughout Mexico - unfortunately that is no longer an option, and I really miss the overnight train that used to run between D.F. and Oaxaca. The last time I went, I had to take a bus , and it was not as much fun, although they tried to make the bus like an airplane or train, with drinks in the back and on-board movies. When I travelled during the day by train, I made a point to travel second class because the windows would not open in first class, and I wanted to be able to buy food through the windows. I got some great snacks that way, and I remember getting pineapple empanadas travelling through the state of Tabasco. Also, on Segunda Classe, vendors would be allowed to board the train, and I could buy food directly from them. On the train between Guadalajara and Tepic, Nayarit, we went through a Tequila producing area, and vendors came on board selling quarts of tequila for 60 cents. Then troubadors got on and serenaded everyone and collected change. It was definitely a party train, but this activity was not allowed in first class. Actually, in some cases, first class was stifling hot because the windows would not work, and air conditioning was available only in Primera Especial. However, I did like the Dormitorios, which functioned as a moving hotel for me.

Once I stayed at a remote town in Chiapas on the coast called Puerto Arista, I think in 1979. I was travelling with friends from D.F. that I had met in Guatemala. They wanted to go to San Cristobal, but I convinced them that we needed to go to the beach instead. To get to Puerto Arista, we had to take a taxi from Tonola because there was only one bus a day, and it had already run. To select a hotel, we went all the way down the beach to the last hotel because the price got lower and lower the further we went. When we got to the last one, the price was $1.60 per day, and so we decided to stay for a week. There were almost no tourists in town, as this was a resort for Mexican tourists who went there primarily on Mexican holidays only. My friend José decided to occupy his time by helping some of the fishermen, and they rewarded him by giving him a large fish, which we took to a woman's house (she had a makeshift restaurant in her yard), and she cooked it for us. The fish was excellent, and cost practially nothing. Unforunately, at night we only had Mescal to drink that tasted like gasoline. For some reason, we drank it anyway.

I was invited to a wedding reception in San Blas in 1976 - actually everyone who happened to be in town that evening was invited, and for drinks, we had ginevra with coconut water from freshly picked coconuts. That was a lovely drink, but I found the local girls were too shy to dance with me, and so I had to sit out the dancing part.

Picture of me in Vera Cruz circa 1979

[theabroma]

Oaxaca in the south is by far my favorito.  Birthplace of mole, nectar of the Mayan gods.

I can't remember who said this, but I don't think the Mayans made it back to Oaxaca. I associate mole with Zapotecs and Chichimecs - not Mayans. I love Mayan food and the food from Yucatan, but I seldom find a mole I can stomach.

The Mayan kitchen is rather different - heavily based on recados, or spice pastes, that are diluted with a liquid - typically the juice of sour or Seville oranges - and then rubbed on the meat in question. Typically the meat is wrapped in banana leaves and cooked over coals in a pib or pit.

There is, however, one notable Yucatecan mole. A black mole, where every ingredient in the mix is, ah, toasted ... beyone recognition. It is blacker and far more acrid than the mole negro oaxaqueno ... and it is definitely an acquired taste. Scary stuff.

Theabroma

[Pan]

[...]Typically the meat is wrapped in banana leaves and cooked over coals in a pib or pit.[...]

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What's a pib? Web searched turned up "Press Information Bureau," "Processor-In-a-Box," "Philosophy-in-Business," and "El Producto Interno Bruto" (=Gross National Product). www.m-w.com found no such word. I'm very curious.

[sladeums]

[...]Typically the meat is wrapped in banana leaves and cooked over coals in a pib or pit.[...]

←

What's a pib? Web searched turned up "Press Information Bureau," "Processor-In-a-Box," "Philosophy-in-Business," and "El Producto Interno Bruto" (=Gross National Product). www.m-w.com found no such word. I'm very curious.

←

Pib = pibil

An earthen pit dug to cook meats.

Usually has a layer of leaves (avocado, bannana, maguey) to insulate and flavor the meat.

Frequently either wood-fired or fired from heated stones.

that's my understanding at least.

[LarsTheo]

I think I posted this link to Mexican food glossary, but I'll include it again because it has a definition of pibil: "Word for the barbacoa pit used in the Yucatan."

I guess one of the reasons I liked Yucatecan food was that it was not sweet, like the moles of Oaxaca. I also don't like any barbeque sauce that is sweet, and perhaps the sour Seville oranges used in Yucatan cut some of the sweetness. Unfortunely, the orange tree I have in my back yard is a Valencia variety and now makes very sweet oranges, although when I first planted it, the fruit was tart. I read in one book that you can mix lemon juice with orange juice if it is too sweet in order to get the necessary tart effect of Seville oranges. I have a Meyer lemon tree, however, and the lemons are almost sweet, but my lime tree makes very tart limes, which I may have to use instead of lemons. I doubt I could find Seville oranges in the market.

[fiftydollars]

I think I posted this link to Mexican food glossary, but I'll include it again because it has a definition of pibil: "Word for the barbacoa pit used in the Yucatan." 

I guess one of the reasons I liked Yucatecan food was that it was not sweet, like the moles of Oaxaca.  I also don't like any barbeque sauce that is sweet, and perhaps the sour Seville oranges used in Yucatan cut some of the sweetness.  Unfortunely, the orange tree I have in my back yard is a Valencia variety and now makes very sweet oranges, although when I first planted it, the fruit was tart.  I read in one book that you can mix lemon juice with orange juice if it is too sweet in order to get the necessary tart effect of Seville oranges.  I have a Meyer lemon tree, however, and the lemons are almost sweet, but my lime tree makes very tart limes, which I may have to use instead of lemons.  I doubt I could find Seville oranges in the market.

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Speaking of pibil...

I need achiote to make a cochinita pibil. I haven't been able to find any good achiote in my area, but I can get annato seeds. So I have been thinking it would be a good idea to learn to make an achiote paste. Any recipes or tips?

[ludja]

I read in one book that you can mix lemon juice with orange juice if it is too sweet in order to get the necessary tart effect of Seville oranges.  I have a Meyer lemon tree, however, and the lemons are almost sweet, but my lime tree makes very tart limes, which I may have to use instead of lemons.  I doubt I could find Seville oranges in the market.

←

True about Meyer lemons, as great as they are they wouldn't help for adding much tartness...

Here's Bayless' rec for approximating sour orange juice:

3/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice

6 Tbs fresh lime juice

1 tsp orange zest (i.e. orange part only)

Steep for several hours, strain to remove zest and use w/in one day.

I can't compare it with true sour orange but it does have a nice tart taste. As above it would depend on the type of grapefruit as well; i.e. to find 'regular' grapefruit rather than super sweet Texas red...

[LarsTheo]

Someone else recommended grapefruit to me, and I think that might be a good idea for getting the tartness.

As for achiote paste, you can buy it on line from mexgrocer.com. If you have the annatto seeds and want to make your own paste, here is a recipe from allrecipes.com: http://sidedish.allrecipes.com/az/70629.asp

[Jaymes]

Speaking of pibil...

I need achiote to make a cochinita pibil. I haven't been able to find any good achiote in my area, but I can get annato seeds. So I have been thinking it would be a good idea to learn to make an achiote paste. Any recipes or tips?

I belong to another food website and we're doing a Mexican cooking project wherein we undertake a different dish each week. This week happens to be cochinita pibil. Several of the posters did indeed make their own achiote paste, and seemed to have great success with it, so it well might be something you'd enjoy trying.

[LarsTheo]

I love cochinita pibil!

I have a quesadilla question. If you make a quesadilla with fresh masa and have a filling with only huitlacoche or only meat and no cheese, is it still a quesadilla? I've been calling them empanadas, even though they are made with masa instead of flour. I always deep fry them, whereas quesadillas I generally sauté in very little oil.

[fifi]

This may be a Texas influenced paradigm but I always think of a quesadilla as a tortilla based grilled "sandwich" with cheese and other stuff. (Is that the "quesa" part of the term?) The masa "fried pies" say empanada to me and don't necessarily have cheese. But then, my definitions may be warped.