MEXICO Project: Happy 2013 from Mexico!

Thank you for following my blog – I wish you a prosperous Happy 2013 and greetings from Mexico!

This ‘Happy 2013’ typographical card consists of food ingredients, all of which are staple foods and native to Mexico. It starts and ends with the essential ingredients of Mexican cuisine – beans as in beans and beans as in chocolate. The ‘typo card’ is my idea of Como agua para chocolate (transl. Like Water for Chocolate), a famous novel published in 1989 by the Mexican novelist and screenwriter Laura Esquivel. If you have not read the book or seen the movie, read or see it in 2013! Only then you can understand Mexican ‘love affair’ with their food!

Feliz 2013! Srečno 2013! Glücklich 2013! Felice 2013!

H – Frijol (bean) – One of the Three Sisters that were the three main native crop plants that originated in Mexico: the other two are maize (corn) and squash. These tasty beans come in or with just about anything. I am hooked!

A – Chayote (pear squash) – It is a delicious salad ingredient. Definitely absolutely hooked!

P – Catarina chile – It is related to the Cascabel chile (rattle chile) group that originates in Mexico. All other chillies, when dried, looked at first quite similar to me, while I fell under the spell of these two species almost immediately as they look so different, interesting and recognisable with their teardrop shape. They are also quite musical – their rattling sound of the seeds inside when shaken surpasses all the maracas on the market, a traditional Mexican toy that has unfortunately almost disappeared (thanks to China!) and therefore hard to find. The chilli is used to make tamales, marinades, stews and soups. Tamales are a must when in Mexico!

P – Tomatillo ( Mexican tomato) – It is an essential ingredient to prepare green moles (sauces) together with the poblano chile peppers. One of my favourite dishes – Angela’s Espagueti con chile poblano, our chef at Arquetopia. I was spoiled rotten!

Y – Chile de arbol – This species of chilli literally translates as a ‘tree chilli‘, as the bush on which it grows resembles a small tree. The chilli is a very narrow and curved that starts out green and matures to bright red colour. Unlike many chillies, this one remains bright red even after drying. The fresh version has the same name. So, definitely another chilli pepper that I can easily recognise – and I better as it is so so so hot! They are tiny – and the smaller the chilli pepper grows to, the hotter is its burning sensation. I managed to get them into my eyes when taking photos – of course, naturally, I ‘cried’! FYI, wash your eyes with warm water as soon as you can.

2 – Habañero chile – These chillies – the hottest chilli peppers found in Mexico – are the dreaded and deadly Yucatán killer, known to the Mayas as the ‘crying tongue’. They are very small (2–6 cms long) and lantern-shaped. They range from light green when unripe to bright orange when ripe. They are grown on the Yucatán peninsula only and are thus an essential ingredient of Yucatán food. When researching this chilli, I found the following warning:

The peppers are actually so hot and dangerous that precautionary measures should be taken when handling them, including nylon or latex gloves and goggles to prevent getting capsaicin in your eyes. Capsaicin is the chemical used in Pepper Spray. When cooking with these, be conservative in the amounts used. Habanero chilies are rated 100,000–350,000 on the Scoville scale.

Another account tells me that some chillies [habañero are part of it] are so pungent that a farmer needs to wear gloves to avoid the skin on their hands from blistering. Blimey! An exaggeration or what! But I only now understand my agony of 10 years ago when I was in Yucatán – my food must have contained this chilli! I am now absolutely sure. The sensation of the heat in my mouth felt as if I was burning in hell! I had to drink 5 bottles of cccerveza afterwards, and yet I was still in agony! The only positive outcome of that experience is that I now feel I am a true veteran, as I can eat anything containing chillies, but nothing will ever surpass that unique experience of Tolumn!

0 – Aguacate (avocado) – Well, do I need to say more…! Our favourite party dish of all generations – guacamole dip – with tortilla chips, accompanied by a bottle of cerveza! Scrummy! I will never forget the experience of the best-flavoured avocado I ever tasted in my life – the very last one and freshly picked from a tree by the mother of my Spanish teacher in her garden in Tlacolula. The most generous and delicious gift ever given to me, as the experience of that avocado melting on my tongue like butter, made me feel I was double in heaven!

1 – Calabacín (squash or courgette) – Leaving in a boring land of northern Europe where exotic fruits and vegetables have a long way to travel to, to my pleasure, squash can grow quite well in our climate, so no wonder why courgettes find their way on my plate quite often (yeah, I am a bit of a courgette addict!).

3 – Maíz (maize or corn) – A daily staple food to make tortillas, the Mexican ‘bread’. It comes in three colours: white, yellow and blue.

! – Granos de cacao (cocoa beans) – Essential: CHOCOLATE, yes, with capital letters! ‘I can resist everything but ???‘ Perhaps my new year’s resolution, but I shall say no more!

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