Sweet tamales

These sweet tamales are flavored with sugar, cinnamon, a hint of anise and filled with raisins and almonds.
I am sure every Mexican person has fond memories of "tamales de dulce", as children are always given these in alternative to the spicier tamales.

Traditional hot drink

ATOLE, from the nahuatl word atolli = "watered down" - is a pre-hispanic origin hot drink; it consists of corn masa that is diluted with water and sweetened with piloncillo or unrefined sugar, it has a very smooth texture and it's quite invigorating.

There are infinite variations such as adding milk, flavoring with fruits, and sweetening with honey or syrups. Among the classic flavors: Cinnamon, vanilla, strawberry, guava, pecan, rice, prune, and in this case blackberries.

A great caffeine-free option to warm up in cold weather!

Happy New Year!

During the month of December, as the year comes to an end, street stands in Oaxaca serve "buñuelos" - fried fritters the size of a medium-sized plate and soaked in piloncillo and cinnamon syrup - the tradition says that when you are finished eating, you have to smash the plate against the floor as you make a wish for the new year.

I took this picture on Christmas eve; it is quite a unique experience to walk around the streets and every now and then hear and see plates being smashed all over the place!

Chicken with Mole

The Spanish word Mole comes from the Nahuatl dialect word "molli" and it means sauce or concoction - the latter is a better word to describe Mole.
This concoction involves many hours of toasting, roasting, grinding and mixing a number of ingredients that ranges from 20 to 30 or more, including dried chiles, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices and of course, in some varieties, Mexican chocolate .

Mole is native to central and south México; Puebla, México state and Oaxaca are the areas where it's production and consumption are well rooted in the culinary tradition.
Among the most popular Moles: Poblano, Oaxaqueño, black, red, green, yellow and pepiàn; other varieties exist as recipes vary from region to region and Mole is flavoured with different herbs, nuts and seeds.

Chicken with Mole in a mini brioche roll makes perfect cocktail-party food!

Following: Another great traditional dish in which chicken with Mole is used as a filling..

Mexican-style crudités

Who can think of México's culinary tradition without thinking of street-food?
All sorts of food-vending carts populate streets, corners and alleys, even at traffic lights street vendors approach cars with all kinds of food, fresh fruit, junk food, tacos, tortas, etc..

MEZQUITE's version is very simple, fresh jìcama and cucumber sticks, with a dash of lime juice and a sprinkle of chile piquìn - chili powder.

Green, red & white salad

MEZQUITE's tribute to the Mexican colours: watercress, a julienne of jìcama, pomegranate seeds, hearts of palm and a cilantro & lime dressing.

Tasty appetizers

Yucatàn-style pulled pork - Cochinita Pibil is marinated in achiote - the “Mexican saffron” - and bitter orange juice, wrapped in banana-tree leaves and slowly oven-roasted.

This tasty appetizer is a mini crispy tortilla topped with frijoles negros refritos - refried black beans, Cochinita Pibil and fresh chile habanero and red onion salsa.