Limes Everywhere In Mexican Food

Limes are insanely popular in authentic Mexican recipes, and this entertaining and informative article by Karen Hursh Graber about limónes discusses this very thing!  Turns out limes are not only tasty, they're very healthy, too.

Many years ago, when I first had cocktails with new friends here in Mexico, I was somewhat surprised when the waiter brought lime wedges with the peanuts, and even more surprised when one of the group squeezed liberally, dousing the peanuts, skin and all, with the aromatic juice. He didn't ask whether anybody didn't want lime, because apparently everyone did.

Limes Everywhere In Mexico

Patience Is A Virtue With Authentic Mexican Recipes

Usually when you think of cooking food, your instinct tells you the spoils of your efforts will taste best if you eat them right away after cooking while they're still fresh.  But, as many chefs know, with some ingredients in particular, and many of the ones comprising authentic Mexican recipes, it's best to let your cooked goodies sit for a while so their ingredients can marinate further and draw out flavor into each other.  As a Mexican cook, I see this theme quite a lot, actually, and was reminded of this when I read a random sentence from a new Mexican food site I was browsing:

The salsa will become hotter and robust if you let it set for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

from: Marquez Family Salsa Recipe 

 

So the next time you're about to cook Mexican, first ask yourself if you know if the recipe will be enhanced if you let it sit for a few extra hours after cooking, and give yourself enough time to do this if that is the case!  Happy cooking, Mexican food lovers!  -Carlos Lima

Authentic Mexican Recipes Cooked With Lard

It may surprise some but lard is used all the time when cooking authentic Mexican recipes.  Butter is used in the Mexico a lot, but as Mexican cuisine author Maya Pillai plainly explains, if you're eating butter, you aren't eating authentic Mexican:

Though today people use refined vegetable oil as fat for cooking, the ancient Mexicans used lard. Butter is never used in a traditional Mexican cuisine. Lard adds aroma and favor to the masa used for making tamales.

Read her interesting article about some of the history of Mexican cuisine.

Salsa Everywhere in Authentic Mexican Recipes

Mexican cuisine is incredibly diverse, and when you start taking a look at authentic Mexican recipes, you can't help but notice the massive role salsas have in shaping the cuisine's flavors.  I liked this little article from the Food Network that takes a peek into the major corners of the cuisine and provides a good description of how "salsa" has a much deeper meaning in Mexico than many other countries.

The spicy sauce we buy in jars on supermarket shelves used to taste all the same, but now, at least, there are choices beyond mild, medium and hot. There is green salsa, and salsa punched up with chipotle. You can find habanero-smacked salsa, garlic-heavy salsa and roasted tomatillo salsa. And in Mexico, of course, there are more salsas than could fit in an entire aisle of one of our grocery stores. But then again, in Mexico most of them aren't things you buy in jars; they are things you make.

a good overview of Mexican cuisine

Authentic Mexican Recipes From Dia de Muertos

I was lucky enough to spend Dia de Muertos in what you might consider the capital of the celebration: Mexico City.  Here's some photos of the authentic Mexican recipes from around the city on November 2nd, of pan de muerto, chocolate calaveras, and the food in offerings for Day of The Dead.  Enjoy!

See and download the full gallery on posterous