For Mexican food lovers,the border town of Brownsville, Texas is heaven. There you can buy different , fresh made varieties , full of a wide spectrum of spices and fillings.It is one of the best places in all the US to eat the best of the spiciest best.
Regular contributor, Priya Krishna, wrote about this Texas border town in yesterday's New York Times Food section.Brownsville is not an easy town to get to, yet it's attracting all sorts of attention.The town is a relatively poor one, despite its' proximity to the chichi Texas resort South Padre Island. Things are looking up, thanks, in part to Elon Musk, breaking ground for the world's first commercial orbital launching site and the darker Casa Padre, a detention center for immigrant boys. The city's Southmost section, is the place for delicious and famed Mexican dishes. It is supported by Brownsville's robust population of Mexican immigrants, many who arrived thanks to the Bracero Project. This was a collaboration between the US and Mexico that allowed millions of guest workers between the years 1942 to 1964. This brought in skilled cooks whose taquerias served as models for the ones we eat at today.One of the oldest is Vera's, opened in 1955 by Armindo Vera. His is the most traditional, with him smoking cow heads for barbacoa, until it's tender and falling off the bone. He serves it with corn tortillas, onions, cilantro and several different kinds of salsa.
The good food isn't limited to just the US side. The town across the border, Matamoros hosts Marcelos, a family owned restaurant. It, too, is extremely popular, drawing guests as far away as China and Germany. The reason for it's worldwide popularity is the way its' food is cooked. These are family recipes created by Evangelina Rocha and her husband, Abel Mondragon. They and their sons , Adan and Isai create their famed chicharrones verdes, pork skins bathed in tomatillos,green chilies and cilantro, then served inside plush corn tortillas.Their tacos are famed, thanks to the tender loving care put into them. The meat has to be cleaned. The dried beans have to be high quality while the salsa should be made exactly to the recipe.Back in Brownsville there is competition with Sylvia's and Easy To Go Tacos, the last serving flautas, fried rolled tacos stuffed with meat. They also serve tostadas and fajitas too along with borrachos, spicy tamales. Has politics affected the restaurants in this border town? ICE agents do eat at these places. There is the wall being built yet there have been tension between Mexico and Texas for decades, long before Trump came in.
Politics aside , Brownsville will always be the taco capital of the world. It has the best taquerias that serve family recipes , full of good ingredients. This border town knows there are no sides when it comes to delicious Mexican food.
Showing posts with label barbacoa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label barbacoa. Show all posts
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Monday, October 14, 2019
Native Influences
Ask anyone what is American food and they'll say hot dogs, hamburgers and, of course French fries. Except they're not. The first two are as German as schnitzel, the last as Belgian as mussels and a frosty mug of Stella Artois. What is American food? Squash and popcorn. They are as American as the First Peoples.
The indigenous tribes have contributed much to the American diet - namely healthy good for you food . We also have them to thank for helping our struggling colonists at the Plymouth Plantation. The Wampanoag Tribe taught them how to plant The Three Sisters - corn - squash - and beans which sustained the English during the harsh Massachusetts winters. They also taught the colonists how to work and till the area's rocky soil. Another food that came into the diet is maple syrup. The indigenous showed how to tap the trees and collects the sap used for everything from syrup to candy.Its' sugar was crucial in sweetening cakes along with tea and coffee. The Lenni Lennape, a division of the Delaware Indians, showed colonists the local clam,oyster and eel beds in the Raritan Bay area , just outside of New York City. They also harvested the wild strawberries, blueberries and blackberries that grow throughout the state. These were in heavy rotation in many an early New York or New Jersey's housewife's pantry, being used for jams and pie fillings.
The indigenous are also responsible for introducing corn pone and hominy grits to the American diet. The Roanoke and Neusick tribes, along with many from Southeastern Native American ones developed the process of nixtamalization - in which corn is soaked and cooked in lime water or some other alkaline solution to remove the hulls.. This helped in creating the Southern staples hominy and cornbread. The mash was also important in creating whiskey too. The West Coast tribes brought salmon to settlers' diets along with native deer, duck and rabbit. The Caribbean indigenous tribes also contributed a lot to the way we modern nativists eat. Thanks to them we have barbecue , first known as barbacoa. The Taino tribe of the various islands that include Cuba and Puerto Rico gave us the method of roasting various meats such as goat and sheep over open air fires. The fiery and delicious pepperpot stew is also one of their contributions to our cuisine as is the ever popular jerk. Another gift is Mama Juana , from the Dominican Republic branch of the Tainos.It's a wild punch with the kick of rum and red wine mixed with different tree barks and herbs.
Today we should celebrate all the contributions of the indigenous peoples of this hemisphere. They have been vital in creating new countries and new cultures. They have been responsible for our dietary success for five centuries now. It's time we honor them properly.
The indigenous tribes have contributed much to the American diet - namely healthy good for you food . We also have them to thank for helping our struggling colonists at the Plymouth Plantation. The Wampanoag Tribe taught them how to plant The Three Sisters - corn - squash - and beans which sustained the English during the harsh Massachusetts winters. They also taught the colonists how to work and till the area's rocky soil. Another food that came into the diet is maple syrup. The indigenous showed how to tap the trees and collects the sap used for everything from syrup to candy.Its' sugar was crucial in sweetening cakes along with tea and coffee. The Lenni Lennape, a division of the Delaware Indians, showed colonists the local clam,oyster and eel beds in the Raritan Bay area , just outside of New York City. They also harvested the wild strawberries, blueberries and blackberries that grow throughout the state. These were in heavy rotation in many an early New York or New Jersey's housewife's pantry, being used for jams and pie fillings.
The indigenous are also responsible for introducing corn pone and hominy grits to the American diet. The Roanoke and Neusick tribes, along with many from Southeastern Native American ones developed the process of nixtamalization - in which corn is soaked and cooked in lime water or some other alkaline solution to remove the hulls.. This helped in creating the Southern staples hominy and cornbread. The mash was also important in creating whiskey too. The West Coast tribes brought salmon to settlers' diets along with native deer, duck and rabbit. The Caribbean indigenous tribes also contributed a lot to the way we modern nativists eat. Thanks to them we have barbecue , first known as barbacoa. The Taino tribe of the various islands that include Cuba and Puerto Rico gave us the method of roasting various meats such as goat and sheep over open air fires. The fiery and delicious pepperpot stew is also one of their contributions to our cuisine as is the ever popular jerk. Another gift is Mama Juana , from the Dominican Republic branch of the Tainos.It's a wild punch with the kick of rum and red wine mixed with different tree barks and herbs.
Today we should celebrate all the contributions of the indigenous peoples of this hemisphere. They have been vital in creating new countries and new cultures. They have been responsible for our dietary success for five centuries now. It's time we honor them properly.
Friday, March 8, 2019
LA's Oaxacan Vibe
Los Angeles has always had a Mexican vibe and connections to the mother country, Mexico.It is also the hub of Oaxacan American life, with restaurants featuring the delicious foods of this Mexican state.Here , everyone can have a taste of true Mexican cuisine.
Tejal Rao wrote about the Oaxacan dining scene in Wednesday's New York Times Food section.Ms Rao, an accomplished chef and cookbook author in her own right is now the Los Angeles restaurant critic for the NYT. She was able to get into the kitchens, learning about Oaxacan's migration and establishment in LA. The Oaxacan's have always been drawn to southern California for decades, shaping the city and influencing its' history and businesses. They are the ones running the food industry, owning specialty markets, restaurants and food trucks. There was a big influx in the 1990's , just before the country's devaluation of the peso threw the country in turmoil.It was easy to set up restaurants because Oaxacan cuisine is what everyone wants - freshly made with all natural ingredients. .Also immigrants want the exact same dishes that they grew up on. Unlike dishes from other Mexican states which have subbed in ingredients, Oaxacan ones have items such as tortillas known as tlayudas, grasshoppers (!) known as chaplunes and dark chocolate. Sausages called moronga that are made fresh, daily ,using herbs and every part of the pig are also part of the restaurants' daily fare.
Oaxacan restaurants throughout LA would not open without these. Diners can enjoy true southern Mexican fare such as the airy and diaphanous tortilla drizzled with the golden dregs of homemade lard and then spread with layers of black beans, quesillo,cheese and shredded cabbage.Moronga is also served, a kind of homemade blood sausage where there's not only pork but also tomatoes, jalapenos along with fatback and pork skins. Flour and herbs such as oregano and mint are added for substance and flavor. It is scored and pressed against the grill until it turns crisp. .The restaurant , Gish Bac is known for another Mexican dish , barbacoa. One of the owners, Maria Ramos learned to make it as a child from her parents. It is different from the Caribbean version, which came from the indigenous Taino tribes that grilled meat on spits.. The Mexican version is usually beef, goat or sheep steam cooked in an underground oven until its' juicy and succulent. She and her husband, David Padilla,as immigrants in 1993 made it just for quincianeras and weddings. They became so successful that they opened up a restaurant that featured the slow roasted ,goat meat , basted in its' own restorative juices.
Oaxacan food is one of the strongest influences in Angelino cuisine. It's is classic Mexican ingredients cooked into flavorful dishes with recipes.They make for some of the best meals in this ever changing city.
Tejal Rao wrote about the Oaxacan dining scene in Wednesday's New York Times Food section.Ms Rao, an accomplished chef and cookbook author in her own right is now the Los Angeles restaurant critic for the NYT. She was able to get into the kitchens, learning about Oaxacan's migration and establishment in LA. The Oaxacan's have always been drawn to southern California for decades, shaping the city and influencing its' history and businesses. They are the ones running the food industry, owning specialty markets, restaurants and food trucks. There was a big influx in the 1990's , just before the country's devaluation of the peso threw the country in turmoil.It was easy to set up restaurants because Oaxacan cuisine is what everyone wants - freshly made with all natural ingredients. .Also immigrants want the exact same dishes that they grew up on. Unlike dishes from other Mexican states which have subbed in ingredients, Oaxacan ones have items such as tortillas known as tlayudas, grasshoppers (!) known as chaplunes and dark chocolate. Sausages called moronga that are made fresh, daily ,using herbs and every part of the pig are also part of the restaurants' daily fare.
Oaxacan restaurants throughout LA would not open without these. Diners can enjoy true southern Mexican fare such as the airy and diaphanous tortilla drizzled with the golden dregs of homemade lard and then spread with layers of black beans, quesillo,cheese and shredded cabbage.Moronga is also served, a kind of homemade blood sausage where there's not only pork but also tomatoes, jalapenos along with fatback and pork skins. Flour and herbs such as oregano and mint are added for substance and flavor. It is scored and pressed against the grill until it turns crisp. .The restaurant , Gish Bac is known for another Mexican dish , barbacoa. One of the owners, Maria Ramos learned to make it as a child from her parents. It is different from the Caribbean version, which came from the indigenous Taino tribes that grilled meat on spits.. The Mexican version is usually beef, goat or sheep steam cooked in an underground oven until its' juicy and succulent. She and her husband, David Padilla,as immigrants in 1993 made it just for quincianeras and weddings. They became so successful that they opened up a restaurant that featured the slow roasted ,goat meat , basted in its' own restorative juices.
Oaxacan food is one of the strongest influences in Angelino cuisine. It's is classic Mexican ingredients cooked into flavorful dishes with recipes.They make for some of the best meals in this ever changing city.
Saturday, May 5, 2018
The Other Mexican Food
People are probably downing fajitas and margaritas like crazy today , thanks to it being Cinco de Mayo. Yet there's a side of Mexican food that hasn't been turned into American fast food.It's the true cuisine, both indigenous and European influenced, and equally as delicious as its' more popularized sibling dishes.
Mexican cuisine is one of the oldest in the world. The ancient Mayans lived in an agricultural society where they cultivated corn but also foods seen on the modern table such as tomatoes , squash, sweet potatoes and even turkey. Like the US, a variety of different nationalities arrived, mostly, the Spanish but also French ,German, Chinese,African and Lebanese. They left their mark on various dishes and influenced many a recipe. Also like the US, true Mexican cuisine is also swayed by the regions or states. A popular dish in Mexico City is the torta, a kind of hero chock full of shredded chicken or beef along with avocados and, beans.It's drowned in queso or cheese sauce and chili sauce. Some bolder Mexican City foodies hang out at restaurants featuring pre-Columbian cuisine such as insects.Barbacoa, taken from the Taino tribes of the Caribbean is also popular. This is slow cooked beef or sheep highly flavored with onions and cilantro.This is also popular in northern Mexico where most of the dishes are meat dominated. Northern Mexicans can enjoy arrechara or skirt steak along with cabrito, roasted goat. A favorite meal is machaca, spiced shredded brisket served in flautas or smaller tortillas.
Central Mexico also has its' own cuisine. The state of Oaxaca, located on the Pacific coast and was the first area to have different cuisines mix and fuse.Still western Mexican cuisine is also influenced by the indigenous groups of Mixtecs and Zapotecs.Its' cooking is mostly pork and chicken , highlighted with their adaptation of mozzarella cheese (brought in by the Spanish) also called Oaxaca cheese. Mole is big here and there are seven variations of this tasty chocolate infused sauce. Cocoa is big here and it's also made into a hot drink spiked with almonds and cinnamon. The state of Veracruz is perched on Mexico's Caribbean coast and the area's influence is clearly seen in the food. Papayas and other tropical fruits are turned into milkshakes called licuados. Seafood is also big here, especially shrimp along with Spanish influenced fish dishes.One of the most distinct cuisines of the country is from the Yucatan peninsula. There is a strong French and Middle Eastern sway here although the Mayan culture is present in many dishes. More so than any other cuisine, fruit figures prominently in many recipes. Spanish bitter oranges and tamarinds plums are popular ingredients.
Mexican food isn't just overstuffed tacos and cheese soaked nachos. Like any country's cuisine, it is full of complex flavors and textures. There are native and foreign influences marrying together to create interesting food and drink. This is Mexican food.
Mexican cuisine is one of the oldest in the world. The ancient Mayans lived in an agricultural society where they cultivated corn but also foods seen on the modern table such as tomatoes , squash, sweet potatoes and even turkey. Like the US, a variety of different nationalities arrived, mostly, the Spanish but also French ,German, Chinese,African and Lebanese. They left their mark on various dishes and influenced many a recipe. Also like the US, true Mexican cuisine is also swayed by the regions or states. A popular dish in Mexico City is the torta, a kind of hero chock full of shredded chicken or beef along with avocados and, beans.It's drowned in queso or cheese sauce and chili sauce. Some bolder Mexican City foodies hang out at restaurants featuring pre-Columbian cuisine such as insects.Barbacoa, taken from the Taino tribes of the Caribbean is also popular. This is slow cooked beef or sheep highly flavored with onions and cilantro.This is also popular in northern Mexico where most of the dishes are meat dominated. Northern Mexicans can enjoy arrechara or skirt steak along with cabrito, roasted goat. A favorite meal is machaca, spiced shredded brisket served in flautas or smaller tortillas.
Central Mexico also has its' own cuisine. The state of Oaxaca, located on the Pacific coast and was the first area to have different cuisines mix and fuse.Still western Mexican cuisine is also influenced by the indigenous groups of Mixtecs and Zapotecs.Its' cooking is mostly pork and chicken , highlighted with their adaptation of mozzarella cheese (brought in by the Spanish) also called Oaxaca cheese. Mole is big here and there are seven variations of this tasty chocolate infused sauce. Cocoa is big here and it's also made into a hot drink spiked with almonds and cinnamon. The state of Veracruz is perched on Mexico's Caribbean coast and the area's influence is clearly seen in the food. Papayas and other tropical fruits are turned into milkshakes called licuados. Seafood is also big here, especially shrimp along with Spanish influenced fish dishes.One of the most distinct cuisines of the country is from the Yucatan peninsula. There is a strong French and Middle Eastern sway here although the Mayan culture is present in many dishes. More so than any other cuisine, fruit figures prominently in many recipes. Spanish bitter oranges and tamarinds plums are popular ingredients.
Mexican food isn't just overstuffed tacos and cheese soaked nachos. Like any country's cuisine, it is full of complex flavors and textures. There are native and foreign influences marrying together to create interesting food and drink. This is Mexican food.
Monday, June 13, 2016
Cuisine Of The Sunshine State
Florida is known for many things, sugar white sands, the mysterious Everglades and a fascinating history.Yet it also has some interesting dishes, influenced by the South and the many people who have immigrated there. It is not only a snowbird's retreat,it is a foodie's one too.
Many forget that the state is also part of the South and with that comes Southern cooking The northernmost counties border Georgia and Alabama.Grits are a staple but the grunt fish , popular i n the area is added in. People from Jacksonville to Pensacola also enjoy barbecue along Brunswick stew. That true southern dessert chess pie ,a custardy treat rich with sugar, cream and eggs is found in many bakeries along with being made by many home bakers.Georgia's pecan pie drifted south and is also enjoyed in northern Florida. The indigenous people, the Seminoles also contributed to the table. They showed settlers how to cook boiled swamp cabbage or the nicer name heart of cabbage palmIt's cooked with water salt and a little sugar. The greens can also be bought, already soaked in a vinaigrette and relabeled hearts of palm.The tribe also contributed a fried bread made only of flour water and oil along with softkee a kind of hominy made with wild rice, baking soda and cornstarch.It can be served with meat or just plain. Some of the indigenous meats from alligator to deer are served with skillet corn stuffing, possibly influenced by intermarriage with former enslaved Africans.Cajun and Creole influences have also impacted the cuisine too
The southern part of the state has been so richly influenced by the Caribbean that the cuisine is now called Floribbean.One of the main influences is Cuban, thanks to many migrating from Castro's Cuba for almost sixty years. The hallmarks are an emphasis on fresh ingredients, namely chicken and fish and ,a melange of spices.especially strong flavors offset by milder ones. Also the cuisine uses a lot of fresh fruit juice, namely citrus such as lemon and orange. This is the Cuban and Haitian influence wit their love of sweet and tangy. However unlike some Cuban and Jamaican, the heat is less intense.It's not as eye watering as Jamaican jerk. The fieriness is almost always mitigated by the addition of mango,papaya, rum, almond , key lime or honey. A typical Miami dinner might be paella, with fresh caught fish or pernil, roast pig accompanied by arroz con gandule -rice and peas. Barbacoa, the original barbecue is also featured and done in many backyard cookouts.What makes it different from regular grilled meats is the use of fresh juice as a marinade for the meats. Of course the most famed Southern Florida dessert is the drool worthy Key Lime pie. It comes from the Florida Keys, Papa Hemingway's hangout. This is a tart, yet rich and custardy pie thanks to the limes and eggs used along with condensed milk and topped with whipped cream The crust is almost alwaysnmade of graham crackers.
Florida gives us a panorama of different scenes, from ritzy beaches to gator filled swamps. It also gives us a variety of different dishes, each as unique as the people who make them. They are diverse and tasty, exciting and flavorful,
Stay strong, my Orlando readers. Show bravery and heart. Show love when others want hate, courage when others want fear. We're behind you.
Many forget that the state is also part of the South and with that comes Southern cooking The northernmost counties border Georgia and Alabama.Grits are a staple but the grunt fish , popular i n the area is added in. People from Jacksonville to Pensacola also enjoy barbecue along Brunswick stew. That true southern dessert chess pie ,a custardy treat rich with sugar, cream and eggs is found in many bakeries along with being made by many home bakers.Georgia's pecan pie drifted south and is also enjoyed in northern Florida. The indigenous people, the Seminoles also contributed to the table. They showed settlers how to cook boiled swamp cabbage or the nicer name heart of cabbage palmIt's cooked with water salt and a little sugar. The greens can also be bought, already soaked in a vinaigrette and relabeled hearts of palm.The tribe also contributed a fried bread made only of flour water and oil along with softkee a kind of hominy made with wild rice, baking soda and cornstarch.It can be served with meat or just plain. Some of the indigenous meats from alligator to deer are served with skillet corn stuffing, possibly influenced by intermarriage with former enslaved Africans.Cajun and Creole influences have also impacted the cuisine too
The southern part of the state has been so richly influenced by the Caribbean that the cuisine is now called Floribbean.One of the main influences is Cuban, thanks to many migrating from Castro's Cuba for almost sixty years. The hallmarks are an emphasis on fresh ingredients, namely chicken and fish and ,a melange of spices.especially strong flavors offset by milder ones. Also the cuisine uses a lot of fresh fruit juice, namely citrus such as lemon and orange. This is the Cuban and Haitian influence wit their love of sweet and tangy. However unlike some Cuban and Jamaican, the heat is less intense.It's not as eye watering as Jamaican jerk. The fieriness is almost always mitigated by the addition of mango,papaya, rum, almond , key lime or honey. A typical Miami dinner might be paella, with fresh caught fish or pernil, roast pig accompanied by arroz con gandule -rice and peas. Barbacoa, the original barbecue is also featured and done in many backyard cookouts.What makes it different from regular grilled meats is the use of fresh juice as a marinade for the meats. Of course the most famed Southern Florida dessert is the drool worthy Key Lime pie. It comes from the Florida Keys, Papa Hemingway's hangout. This is a tart, yet rich and custardy pie thanks to the limes and eggs used along with condensed milk and topped with whipped cream The crust is almost alwaysnmade of graham crackers.
Florida gives us a panorama of different scenes, from ritzy beaches to gator filled swamps. It also gives us a variety of different dishes, each as unique as the people who make them. They are diverse and tasty, exciting and flavorful,
Stay strong, my Orlando readers. Show bravery and heart. Show love when others want hate, courage when others want fear. We're behind you.
Friday, May 10, 2013
True Caribbean Barbacue
The Caribbean gave us so much food wise including barbecue. Barbacoa is one of the most traditional and earliest forms of West Indian cooking , evolving into our national summer culinary pastime.Celebrate the season then, with a traditional Caribbean barbecue, complete with the same flavors and meats that have been used for decades.
Originally barbacoa was a fire pit with large fig leaves over it. Meat was cooked in this. You can still do this or just opt for the grill with hot coals. The meat you choose can have a definitive Caribbean flavor thanks to jerk Cooking jerk style means having a spicy rub or marinade over the meat. A tasty one is chicken This is super popular in Jamaica and is served both in restaurants and at backyard barbecues/ You do need the fiery Scotch bonnet peppers along with the sweeter spices of cumin and ginger . along with cinnamon and nutmeg.. You can have this as a marinade or a dry rub.(although be warned Scotch Bonnet peppers are extremely dangerous when they come into contact with your eyes. Wear rubber gloves when preparing the jerk).
Jerk can also be made for ribs as well as steaks too. If you want to go truly traditional you can also buy an entire goat (available at most hallal butchers although lamb will work just as well too
) or a suckling pig. Jerk goat has the extra kick of curry to flavor the meat along with other spices and ketchup.Caribbean barbecues also serve grilled fish and shrimp. These are usually heavily spiced , although not as much as the land meats and poultry Most dishes are usually served with a cooling mango salsa or a coconut rice. Both are easy to make and a perfect foil for those fiery meats/
Try a true Caribbean barbacoa for a tasty barbecue. It is spicy yet delicious, harking back to original outings of the region.It is a nice change from the average fair, exotic and fun..
Originally barbacoa was a fire pit with large fig leaves over it. Meat was cooked in this. You can still do this or just opt for the grill with hot coals. The meat you choose can have a definitive Caribbean flavor thanks to jerk Cooking jerk style means having a spicy rub or marinade over the meat. A tasty one is chicken This is super popular in Jamaica and is served both in restaurants and at backyard barbecues/ You do need the fiery Scotch bonnet peppers along with the sweeter spices of cumin and ginger . along with cinnamon and nutmeg.. You can have this as a marinade or a dry rub.(although be warned Scotch Bonnet peppers are extremely dangerous when they come into contact with your eyes. Wear rubber gloves when preparing the jerk).
Jerk can also be made for ribs as well as steaks too. If you want to go truly traditional you can also buy an entire goat (available at most hallal butchers although lamb will work just as well too
) or a suckling pig. Jerk goat has the extra kick of curry to flavor the meat along with other spices and ketchup.Caribbean barbecues also serve grilled fish and shrimp. These are usually heavily spiced , although not as much as the land meats and poultry Most dishes are usually served with a cooling mango salsa or a coconut rice. Both are easy to make and a perfect foil for those fiery meats/
Try a true Caribbean barbacoa for a tasty barbecue. It is spicy yet delicious, harking back to original outings of the region.It is a nice change from the average fair, exotic and fun..
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