Indoor markets

HIDALGO MARKET, GUANAJUATO
Located in the city of Guanajuato, a UNESCO World Heritage city, this market is a national treasure; originally planned as a railway station, this building was designed by architects Ernesto Brunel and Antonio Rivas Mercado on the site once occupied by a Plaza de Toros or bullfighting ring.
Boiling with activity since early morning, this market offers an infinite variety of fruits, vegetables and spices, Mexican pastries and regional sweets such as charamuscas, all sorts of regional crafts and clothing as well as souvenirs. It is a visual delight as well.
Support your regional market, places like these need to be preserved!

The real salsa

THE PRE-COLUMBIAN MORTAR AND PESTLE
MOLCAJETE, from Nahuatl mulcazitl, is one of the traditional Mexican grinding tools; carved out of a single block of basalt stone, it was used by the Aztecs and the Mayans to crush small quantities of spices, corn and dried chiles.
Electric blenders have little by little displaced the molcajete, but the texture and flavor of a salsa molcajeteada are unique and cannot be achieved with a blender.
In this picture, MEZQUITE's roasted Salsa Molcajeteada Mexicana.

A quiet, warm night in Veracruz..

FLAVORS FROM MEXICO, EUROPE AND AFRICA
Ever since the Spaniards arrival in 1518 and because it is Mexico's principal Caribbean and Atlantic sea port, Veracruz has been a place of cultural mixtures, particularly native Mexican and Spanish but also African, as slaves were brought to work in the fields and shipyards.
The Spanish introduced herbs such as parsley, thyme, marjoram, bay laurel and cilantro as well as rice, almonds, olive oil, garlic and capers. The Africans brought pineapples, sugar cane, yucca, sweet potatoes and peanuts..all of which have shaped the centennial Veracruz Cuisine.
Many a recipe I gathered while traveling around this exhuberant state; this image pictures Veracruz city's main square by night..

New entry!

BLOWN-UP CORN FRITTERS
A classic antojito or Mexican street-food snack, the fresh corn dough fritter is topped with reduced salsas and a bit of queso fresco. It reminds me of the Italian "Montanara" or fried pizza.

Acuérdate de Acapulco..

MEXICAN-STYLE SHRIMP COCKTAIL
Nothing makes me think more of being on the Mexican seaside as this chilled cocktail; tomato passata, orange & lime juice, scallions. cucumber and a touch of hot sauce, topped with avocado and cilantro.. salud!

Ice cream old-style

CRAFTED ICE CREAM - OLD-STYLE
I was really impressed and fascinated by the fact that in México there is still ice cream made with the old pot-freezer method.
It consists of a pail with a lid placed inside a tub filled with ice and salt; the temperature of the ingredients is reduced by the mixture of the two elements. The salt water is cooled by the ice, and the action of the salt on the ice causes it to (partially) melt, absorbing latent heat and bringing the mixture below the freezing point of pure water.
I remember as a child watching "el de las nieves" or streeet ice cream vendor, turning that pail endlessly to speed up the process..

It's time to cool down

Orxata arrived in México during the Spanish colonization, originally made from barley, it can also be made with rice, almonds, tigernuts or cantaloupe seeds!
Any reputable taquerìa will serve it.
MEZQUITE's dairy-free version of this traditional drink: Rice, almond milk, Mexican cinnamon or canela, a few drops of vanilla extract and sugar.

Welcome!

WELCOME TO MEZQUITE CATERING'S NEW BLOG
This is my first post ever, and I am very excited to share my vision of authentic Mexican flavors with you. I will be posting images of dishes in our menu, recipes, new entries, stories and anything else I think will help broaden your view of the Mexican culinary tradition.
Enjoy.