I went to visit my mother and grandmother in Mexico. I am from a very rural town in a southern state of Mexico called Guerrero. My flight took off at 5:30am and I got to my town at around 7:00pm on that same day. I stayed there for about a week. I will mention just a few of the highlightsJ.
As always, the place is jaw-dropping gorgeous! I love the ponds, lakes, trees, animals etc. It’s quite a difference from the city life. The air is much fresher. The pace of life, the people, the culture, the music, the food, the language, everything changes over there.
On the food topic… As soon as I got there I began to eat everything in sight. Guerrero is a haven for all types of Mexican food some strictly regional (because I have NEVER seen them outside of the state) and some that are more Mexican-typical dishes. So I (of course) began with tamales. I had the more well-known meat (chicken AND pork) tamales, some with red sauce and the others with green sauce. The next day my mom gave me equally delicious (but less well-known) “Tamales de Nejo”. These tamales have a flat shape to them and are made with banana and avocado leaves and are a side dish to “Mole verde” (green mole made out of seeds, chillies, and other spices plus chicken). THEN! I had something called “atole de panili”. I don’t exactly know how to explain atole de panili. It’s a drink made of cornflour ( not cream of wheat) and corn and it’s eaten with salsa… After that! I moved on to atole de elote which is my personal favorite. I actually learned how to make it as well.
I also ate “pozole” which is like a stew with hominy and pork/chicken. It is eaten with avocado, lemon, chili, oregano, lettuce, onions and some people also add radish but not me. Next on the list was the ever so famous “menudo” dish. On my birthday ( December 27th) my mom, aunts and friends made mole, beans and rice. I hadn’t eaten mole in ages! Guerrero has a special type of mole and I have been unable to find it anywhere in Philadelphia so I was more than happy to satisfy my almost 6 month craving of Guerrero’s mole. I was eating day and night (literally) and so the list of dishes that I ate and that I just didn’t have time to eat ( next trip!) can go on and on for pages. But I just want to mention a very rare dish that does not exist in the United States. It’s basically a salsa. The main ingredient is a type of bug that I guess lives in the state of Guerrero and probably in other states of Mexico as well.
The bug is called “Jumil”. It’s a spicy little bug. Every time I ate them I couldn’t help but think of Timon and Pumba and their eating habits. I hadn’t eaten these bugs in years. I’m lucky to have visited when they were in season. I will later post a picture of me and the salsa that I made with “jumiles”. I don’t think that you can tell that there are bugs grinded in the salsa. But alas there are! And they make the salsa 500 times enjoyable!
I had a blast in Mexico! I’m so happy that I went. If it wasn’t for all of the cartel activity (and the scorpions and snakes) I would have probably stayed a little longer plus I would have been living with a less tense mother. lol
Mexican food is a cuisine originating from Mexico. It is known for its heavy use of spices and flavorings. Mexican cuisine is a general counterpart to food, circulating around the history and other things. Mexican desserts are served after main meals. Mexican restaurants are the places that prepare the food and serve the dishes to customers. In addition, there are various Mexican food recipes that one can follow to try replicating what the restaurants prepare. There are many Mexican drinks to consider, many of them alcoholic, because those are widely viewed as irreplaceable to the whole dining experience with this cuisine.
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