Animal Free Mexican Chocolate Drinks, Hot and Cold

Dear bloggeritos, I was unable to post for the month of January due to a busy schedule and a spotty internet connection. I'm still around and ready to share some information and ideas for chocolate drinks! It is amazing to think that almost a third of the US is blanketed in snow right now...Here in San Francisco we've been having almost Summer like weather! What could be better than a cool licuado for hot day? Or a cup of hot cocoa, for chilly weather? Read on!

Cool Chocolate Licuados.
I used to drink a heavenly chocolate licuado sold at the Tapachula market when I was a kid. It was advertised as "Choco 1000" (choco mil). It was a play on words on the popular powdered drink called Choco Milk. This drink was cleverly marketed by the super healthy and butch little Mexican boy known as Pancho Pantera. Here's Pancho, courtesy of -U! (Uriel Duran).

This licuado of my childhood was made using fresh non-pausterised milk and a raw egg. It made it really thick and rich, but it would be considered dangerous by today's standards! See the advertising? It was recommended kids drank it three times a day in order to tame tigers, stop trains on its tracks and...Garden.


Amazingly enough, ancient Mexicans blended cocoa water and spices for a chocolate drink that was naturally animal free. The word Chocolate is actually a derivative of the ancient Nahuatl for Xoco Atl, meaning bitter water, a drink that was sacred. The Spaniards turned the word "Xocolatl" into "Chocolate", the term encompassing both cocoa solids and the original frothy drink. Of course, the Aztecs didn't have electric blenders but here's some ideas for making chocolate drinks in the ancient Mexican tradition. I use unsweetened powdered cocoa by Ghirardelli.

• Almendrado. Use two cups of almond milk, a handful of peeled slivered toasted almonds and two heaping tablespoons of powdered cocoa. Add ice cubes, sweetener of your choice and blend.
• Azteca. Two cups of almond milk, a handful of peeled slivered toasted almonds, two tablespoons of chia seeds, and two heaping tablespoons of powdered cocoa. Add ice cubes, sweetener of your choice and blend.
• Chango Marango. Two cups of coconut milk, a very ripe banana, berries of your choice, two heaping tablespoons of powdered cocoa. Add ice cubes, sweetener of your choice and blend.
• Abuelita's. Two cups of almond milk, a handful of peeled slivered toasted almonds, two heaping tablespoons of powdered cocoa, powdered cinnamon, and a tablespoon of Mexican Vanilla (I use Xanath's). Add ice cubes, sweetener of your choice and blend.
• Manicero. Use two cups of rice milk, a ripe pear, two heaping tablespoons of peanut butter, and two heaping tablespoons of powdered cocoa. Add ice cubes, sweetener of your choice and blend.
• Choco Chispas. Use two cups of almond milk, a scoop of soy based frozen dessert (I use the one made by So Delicous), two heaping tablespoons of powdered cocoa and fresh chopped mint. Add ice cubes, sweetener of your choice and blend. The mint will create refreshing little "chips".

History of Hot Mexican Chocolate
The image above comes from Peaton, it shows a chocolate pyramid created for a competition in Germany. Emperor Moctezuma would finish his meal with a frothy gourd full of "Xocolatl" and a nice smoke perfumed with liquidamber resin. The drink was traditionally served cold. During colonial times the original bitter drink of the Aztecs became fermented, sweetened and seasoned with vanilla, sugar, almonds and cinnamon - what it is now known as "Mexican Chocolate" immediately caught on in Europe and became very popular. Certain convents in colonial Mexico experimented with chocolate, creating famous recipes like Mole Poblano, yet the church forbid nuns from drinking chocolate because it was considered too voluptuous for them. Here's a recipe for animal free Champurrado, a hot chocolate drink that can be enjoyed by everyone!

Champurrado
4 cups of Almond Milk
4 tablespoons of cocoa powder
2 small lumps of piloncillo (Mexican Raw Sugar)
2 sticks of Canela (Mexican Cinnamon)
1 cup of corn masa (corn dough used to make tortillas)

Heat the milk, add the cinnamon and the sugar until the lumps dissolve completely. Remove the cinnamon sticks. Add the masa and the cocoa and stir often. Use a blender to combine everything and to make sure your champurrado is nice and frothy. Process in small batches, at the slowest setting. Place a thick cloth napkin on top of the blender so you don't burn yourself. Serve in individual cups and enjoy.


Spicy Hot Chocolate
Finally, if you want your hot chocolate to be hot in more ways than one try adding some dry chiles to it. The picture above is from a spicy Venezuelan hot chocolate taken at Christopher Elbow, in San Francisco. They use a nice blend of chiles, spices and Venezuelan chocolate for this delicious drink. I've used all kinds of chiles in hot chocolate, but I think the best tasting are the raising like pasilla, robust ancho, or smoky chipotle. If you use chipotle use the dry variety - the canned chiles have added spices and salt that won't add much to the chocolate. Here's some notes on spicy Mexican hot chocolate that I served during a recent chocolatada party:

"No chocolatada can be complete without some hot chocolate. I used tablets of Chocolate Ibarra and Chocolate Abuelita and mixed them with hot low fat milk or soy milk. A little bit of the pasilla and negro chiles was added to the blender in order to make a delicious spicy and sweet drink. A little bit of Mexican vanilla also gives the chocolate a wonderful scent. Please make sure you get authentic Mexican vanilla, it really makes a big difference. One of my guests said it was the best hot chocolate she had ever tasted! You can get Ibarra and Abuelita hot chocolate tablets at MexGrocer, I get my vanilla from Xanath in San Francisco."

One last note: Most processed chocolate has milk added to it. If you want your drinks to be animal free, use powdered cocoa, and make sure to read labels carefully for commercially bought blends. Generally, the darker the chocolate, the less likely it is to contain milk. Enjoy your chocolate, and stay cool...Or warm!!

Fear, Gifts and Sacrifice: When The Coconut Cracks

Do you know the name in Spanish for the bogeyman, the legendary monster of childhood nightmares? South of the border the bogeyman is known as "El Coco". This nondescript creature used to scare children is also known as "El Cuco", the same name given to the devil. The word "coco" also alludes to the head. In Mexico, the saying "Le patina el coco" (his coconut slides) roughly translates as someone that has a few loose crews. A good knock to the head is also known as a coco or coscorron. "Dale de coco" means to use your brain, to put some effort into something. When the Spaniards saw coconuts they believed them to resemble little heads - so "Coco" is also the name in Spanish for delicious coconut fruits. Yes, botanically coconuts are fruits, not nuts. How nuts is that? And have you ever noticed how coconuts have "eyes" and a "mouth"?

Coconuts as Offerings and Sacred Guardians
For many cultures, the effort it takes to open a coconut is a symbol of overcoming difficulty and obstacles. It also teaches humility. Have you ever met a person that is never wrong? Their heads are hard as coconuts! Many cultures use coconuts as divine offerings. The picture below comes via Sri Karunamayi's page. It shows fresh coconut water used as an offering during a ritual. Sri Karunamayi (also known as Amma) is a spiritual leader that is also known as "the hugging saint". During Thaipusan , a festival in India, people also perform a coconut smashing ritual.


In Santeria, coconut shells are used for divination. Coconuts are also offered to Elegua, the deity that resides between crossroads. Elegua (also known as Eshu) is a mysterious fellow that is congruent to Hermes and Loki from Greek and Norse mythologies. He is the messenger of the gods, a trickster, and a road opener. In the Santeria tradition Elegua controls both fortune and misfortune. In her book Jambalaya, author and ritualist Luisah Teish describes the preparation of a coconut that serves as a protective guardian to be kept behind a person's front door. Writer Migene Gonzalez-Whippler also narrates a ritual that prepares a coconut ebbo (a gift) for Elegua, that also serves as a love spell. Five different liquors and candies are used to stuff a dry coconut. It serves as a symbol for making a person's head "drunk" with love for the one preparing the coconut. The following image of a coconut offering to Eleggua comes via Year in White, a site about news and general discussions about the Santeria faith.


Not too long ago, while visiting the big Island of Hawaii I was lucky enough to visit Kalapana, what once was a famous and beautiful black sand beach called Kaimu. The eruption of the Kilauea volcano in 1990 and 2008 destroyed most of the Hawaiian village and buried the beach under petrified lava. A local woman mobilized the community to create a new coconut grove. New coconut plantings will replace the ones destroyed by the lava. In a way, her efforts served as coconut gifts for future generations to enjoy. At the new Kaimu beach I took a photo of a simple offering that was left on the beach. It was a coconut and a flower lei, possibly for Kali, Goddess of the volcanoes. The lava flow has not stopped. That night me and my boyfriend hiked to see the lava flow at Kalapana. The stars shone bright, and the red river of lava was both creation and destruction. It was an experience I'll cherish for the rest of my life.



The Challenging Art of Opening a Coconut
Coconut is one of those foods that people either love or hate. I get a feeling that if people really dislike the sandy, extremely sweet and dry coconut bought out of bags - or they are reminded of the smell of the chemical synthetic coconut used in lotions. Fresh young coconut is really delicious, and coconut water is clean and refreshing. I'm not going to lie to you - opening a coconut is hard work. It is better to do it at your leisure, not while you have guests waiting for cocktails. See is a challenge - anyone can open a can, but opening a fresh coconut is a ritual, a metaphor for overcoming obstacles. You'll need the following materials:

• One dry coconut, clean of mold or other impurities
• A large clean napkin
• A clever or a large knife
• A mat or towel
• A canvas bag (for an alternate method)
  

So, going back to the "little head" I described at the beginning of this post: The "mouth" of the coconut is the softest part, it is located right at the seam below the "eyes" of the fruit. You need to locate that seam and crack it open by hitting it really hard with the cleaver. In order to not hit your hand by accident, wrap the napkin around the coconut and create a "handle" as shown in the picture.


Now, follow the seam you located earlier to the equator of the coconut. Using your cleaver, start hitting the seam all around. If you don't have a cleaver, use the blunt side of a large knife.


Place a mat or towel on your counter, for stability. You can also work on the floor, outside. Continue hitting the coconut choosing the weakest part - the "mouth", located right below the "eyes" and following the seams all around. This may take time, but you will eventually weaken the seam. Start hitting the coconut with harder blows using the clever, you could also use a hammer. After several vigorous blows, the coconut will crack.

A word of caution: If you have absolutely no practice in the kitchen (or using tools like hammers) don't do this! For an alternative method place the coconut inside a sturdy canvas bag, go outside, and smash the coconut against the floor (or a wall or a rock) until it cracks open. You may loose the coconut juice, but you'll be less likely to hurt yourself.

Usually fresh young coconuts have lots of clear juice. This juice is combined with oil and flesh from the coconut to create what is often considered "coconut milk". Dry coconuts may have some juice left before all the water has fully been absorbed into the flesh. You can use this water for drinks and for cooking. Be careful - if the coconut smells sour, don't drink the juice! Once the shell has cracked, you can drain it as shown in the picture and save the coconut water for later. You can also drill a hole in one of the "eyes" and drain the coconut beforehand.


Enjoy your reward - using a spoon separate the white flesh from the shell using a spoon or a knife. Bake the coconut halves for 15 minutes If you are having a hard time taking the flesh out. Clean the coconut flesh by separating the brown spots from the shell with paring knife.


So, don't be afraid of El Coco. With some planning, patience and practice, you'll overcome obstacles in no time.

Chile Wreaths and Etymology

I was in Seattle recently for work and I got a chance to eat lunch at the famous Pike Place Market. After walking around I made my way to Post Alley and El Mercado Latino. This is rainy Seattle not New Mexico so I was surprised to see many gorgeous chile ristras and wreaths in so many shapes and colors! I took some photos for your enjoyment. All these chiles inspired me to write on the origins of the word "chile".




Chile or Pepper?
Christopher Columbus was the first European to encounter plants from the genus Capsicum in the Americas. In Spanish these plants came to be known as chiles (from their original Nahuatl name, chil). Columbus tried to pass these plants as the same spice known to Europeans as pepper. At the time pepper was highly priced in Europe, known as a spice, a preservative and a medicine. Black pepper (Piper Nigrum) is however from the family Piperacea, a spice native of South India. Columbus may have thought Capsicum and Piperacea were the same, since confused Europeans believed to be in India when the "new" word was first "discovered". This is the reason Native Americans are erroneously called "Indians", and why in English we are stuck with the same word (pepper) for two different plants.


Chile or Ají?
The South American country of Chile is long and skinny...but it is NOT named after a chile.
The name of the country has different roots than those of the chile pepper, originating from the Quechua chilli, a combination of the words "Chi", meaning trascendental and "Levu" (shortened to "Le"), meaning river. Loosely translated it means "The River of the Ancestors". Curiously, in South America the Spanish word for hot pepper is Ají picante, as opposed to chile, as it is known in Mexico and other North American Spanish speaking countries. However in all Spanish speaking countries black pepper is called pimienta a word similar to the Spanish word for bell pepper: Pimiento.


Chili or Chile?
"Chili" is the anglicisation of the word Chile, and it is used only in the US. It is also the name of the popular Chili stew made with meat, chiles and some times beans. The dish has its roots on food eaten in Mexico for centuries, basically meat seasoned with chiles, or "carne con chile", by its name in Spanish (literally it means "meat with chiles"). In the American Southwest the name of the dish (and the dish itself) went trough a reincarnation and became "Chili con Carne", or the powdered spice blend used to season this dish. The good folks of ChileTraditions mention that in 1983 New Mexico Senator Pete Dominici made an official congressional record on the correct way of spelling Chili: With an "E" at the end.


More fastidious chile grammar and slang
English speaking folks usually say "chile rellenos" or simply "rellenos" when referring to the dish consisting of battered stuffed peppers. The plural of the Spanish word would be "ChileS rellenos", if there is more than one.

So, rellenos or not, how HOT are chiles really? The chemical called capsaicin in the chile stimulates the papillary glands and dermis and produces a "burning" sensation, and make you release endorphins, creating a reaction similar to heat exposure. The chile itself doesn't produce heat. Eating chiles while in the middle of a snowstorm won't save you from hypothermia.

The spiciest chile is probably the Habanero. It is spelled HabaNero, not Habañero, since it is named after the city of La Habana, where the chile was traded. The origin of this chile, however, was the Yucatan peninsula and it is featured in many delicious Yucatecan recipes.

In Spanish when something is spicy it is called "picante", from the word "picar", meaning something that pierces like a needle or stings like a mosquito. In Mexico the word chile also has sexual connotations, it alludes to the penis.

So my friends...Al Chile (A slang saying, meaning: To the point!)

If you go to Mexico don't ask for chile "caliente", if you are expecting something spicy - you'll just get something warm. If you are a guy, don't ask for someone to heat your chile, unless you are expecting...Oh, never mind. If you go to Seattle, make sure you visit Pike Place Market.

Happy eating!

Sacred Fluids: The Real History of Chia Pets

Chia Pets! They are impossible to miss during the holiday season, and they may be some of the least known cases of cultural appropriation. Widely available at chain drugstores, they are the kind of last minute generic gift you'll give someone out of obligation or... lack of shopping time! It is no surprise that the manufacturers of Chia Pets are San Francisco based Joseph Enterprises, Inc. creators of the "Clapper", the practical, yet impersonal gift that turns your lights on and off when you clap. But the curious pottery animals have an interesting beginning, that takes place (like many other things I blog about) in Mexico.

Whimsical Clay in the Southern Mexican Garden
Mexicans have a long tradition of ornamental gardening, its aesthetics are often shadowed by popular gardening styles of Europe, and by the erroneous belief that Mexico is mostly arid and desert like. The lush terrain of southern Mexico allows for green gardens with a variety of plants. My parents home state of Chiapas has a diverse topography that includes sierras, beaches, lakes, rivers and waterfalls. The lush Lacandon jungle and the heat of the Soconusco region contrasts with the cool highlands of San Cristobal and Union Juarez. The garden styles includes local species of vegetation as well as many local handicrafts.

There are many types of vessels used to propagate seeds and spores in Southern Mexico. My maternal grandmother, a native of the town of Tapachula, used to give me humble gifts of hens made out of peat and bark when I was little. You were supposed to plant ferns in them, once the spores propagated, the hens would have lush green "plumage". Before someone thinks they could make millions with the proper marketing and a catchy jingle they should know that it is hard to make the ferns grow outside of the right climate. In Mexico City my hen pots never reached full vegetable maturity.

Other very popular hanging planters in Chiapas are called pichanchas, they are also used for growing ferns and other plants. The large round clay pots have many little holes in them, and designers have taking a liking for creating light fixtures with them, because of the pretty shadows they cast. Just call it a Chiapas style "disco ball". Thanks to La Camara de Akutzin for the photo of the hanging pichancha and the light fixture on the back.


Other garden ornaments include aerial orchids grown attached to boards, that are often hanged on walls like art, ornate pots shaped like doves in a variety of sizes and many other pots shaped like animals. Animals themselves are part of the garden, usually pet bids like parrots and some times peacocks, and little bids in decorated cages. But why animals in pottery? Zoomorphic vessels abound in the Americas. From birds to dogs, the decoration and shape vary greatly according to region, but clay is a common material used to create these vessels. According to the University of Richmond Museums, animal shaped vessels were often associated with Shamanism in pre-Columbian cultures: "because a shaman was believed to be able to transform into different animals during specific rituals." The image below comes from the book "Frida's Fiestas". It illustrates a clay maceta in the shape of a deer.

But back to chia, as it relates to animal pottery. Salvia hispanica is the Latin name for this plant, but the name "Chia" is a derivative of the Nahuatl words Chi and Atl, meaning something close to, or under water. The Mexica (or "Aztecs" as they are often called) were imperialists. They gave names in their native Nahuatl language to regions they conquered, in this case, the name of the state of Chiapas is probably a derivative of the word Chiapan. It means "Place near the river where chia abounds". Folks in the US are some times surprised to learn that there is an entire Mexican state named after chia! Curiously, in Chiapas, pottery decorated with chia sprouts was not very popular as garden ornamentation. Chia "pets" were originally grown out of religious fervor.

A Virgin's Tears and The Altar of Sorrows
Folks north of the border may also be more familiar with the Day of the Dead holiday and the elaborate altars created for the deceased. There are many traditions in Mexico that involve the creation of altars and Ofrendas, or offerings, for a variety of purposes and holidays. One of them is the Altar of Sorrows, created on the days leading to Good Friday, before Easter. The altar is created in honor of the Mater Dolorosa, or Our Lady of Sorrows. Prominently featured on the altar of sorrows are sprouted seeds, and pottery animals decorated with chia seed sprouts. Altar creators prepare chia, oats and other seeds in containers and sprout them weeks before the altar is created.


So, are these the original Chia Pets? Well, yes and no. Not all pottery with sprouts is a Chia Pet. Sprouts were grown in containers in a variety of shapes, not only animals. However, the idea for "Chia Pets" definitely originated in Mexico. The tradition of the Altar of Sorrows is not exclusive to Chiapas. The folks of Joseph Enterprises had the original "Chia Ram" made by craftsmen in Oaxaca, they were identical to the ones used for the Altar of Sorrows. Now "Chia Pets" are made in China and are considered "American", and have quickly sprouted (yeah, sue me!) a peculiar humorous culture of its own. Websites now have "chia cams", "Improbable Research" proving the evolution of plants into animals, and hoax articles citing ecological disaster due to illegal chia dumping.

Pottery animals are still made in Mexico for the Altar of Dolors, but to this day, some of the reasons for creating the altar are disappearing into obscurity. For example, for some mysterious reasons some pottery figurines used in altars are some times sprouted while grown in the dark, while others are grown outside. This makes some of the sprouts yellow, while others are bright green. I have no idea why this is done, maybe just for the purpose of having different shades of green to beautify the altar, or for symbolic meaning. I knew about some of the symbolic significance via oral traditions I learned from my grandmother, and also did some research about these meanings on my own. Here's some of the items placed on The Altar of Sorrows:

Candles, papel picado (lacy paper cutouts), oranges decorated with little banners, reflective round glass spheres, fruit decorated with gold and silver leaf, carafes full of colorful agua fresca (fruit drinks) and white lilies are some of the items always used in the altar. All of these items allude to Mary's attributes and sorrow: The oranges are bitter, the lilies are white to represent purity and the purple color of the banners represents mourning. Chia is used for practical reasons, it sprouts fast and when soaked, the seeds create a gel-like coating called mucilago. It is this gel-like substance what helps the seeds adhere to the moist pottery and some times even bricks are used to sprout the seeds. There is also symbolic meaning to chia. When added to agua fresca, traditionally lemonade, the little seeds covered in gel are said to resemble the virgin's tears. The shiny glass spheres placed on the altar also allude to Mary's tears. Mexico is a land of syncretism, so these symbolic meanings are very likely to predate Catholic religious zeal.


Sacred Fluids, Ixtel and The Moon Cycle
The devotion for Mary is powerful in Mexico. The Altar of Sorrows is created in the Spring, but the feast of the Lady of Sorrows actually falls on the third Sunday on September. There are many holidays that honor The Virgin Mary in the month of September. This period between Summer and Fall is a time for the completion of the harvest, when the light of the full moon allowed farmers to work at night. Many holidays worldwide have festivals associated with the moon cycle during this time, the moon itself being called "The Harvest Moon". It is a time for completion and reflection, like the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur which start after the new moon of September. It is also the time when Ramadan ends - all holidays of atonement and reflection. Curiously, the second week of September, between the full moon and the new moon, has become a time for people in the US for remembrance and sorrow. Holidays during this period for many cultures mark the Autumnal Equinox, the beginning of darkness, often associated with "female" qualities.

The particular fervor for the Lady of Sorrows in Mexico may be guised in the ancient cult of the moon goddess. The mysterious goddess of fertility for the Mayans was named Ix Chel, also known as Ixtel. She was also the goddess of the moon, the rainbow and textiles. Many of her followers used to take perilous journey to her island sanctuaries near Can Cun, today the resort islands of Cozumel and Isla Mujeres, the Island of Women. Offerings for Ix Chel included pottery and atole, a gruel made out of corn and water. According to Maya myth, corn was the basic ingredient for the creation of mankind. The gooeyness of the atole probably had symbolic meanings as well.

To the Mayas, the word "Itz" meant life force. Maya scholars David Friedel and Linda Schele describe the concept of Itz in their book, Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path. Itz is also a physical gooey or watery matter that appears in nature. Rain, morning dew, the water that drips from stalactites in caves, the underground "cenotes" or pools that were sacred to the Maya were believed to be full of Itz. The Mayas also knew that humans were composed mainly of water, so blood, sweat, mother's milk, sperm and tears were also manifestations of Itz.

To ancient Mexicans, chia may have appeared to be magic. After all, it is one of the few seeds that creates "Itz" when soaked in water. It could be the reason that chia became a prominent component of the altar of sorrows, because in a case of syncretism, the gel-like seeds were not only alluding to Mary's tears, but to ovaries, cells, sperm, fertility, human preservation in a time of sorrow and the primordial cosmic goo of life force itself.



Nutritious, hydrating Chia
Lately there has been a lot of talk about chia and its nutritious properties, mainly its uses as a dietary supplement due to its high content of fiber, nutrients and fatty acids like omega 3's. Chia also has more calcium than milk, and none of the cholesterol. But the most powerful property of chia is its gylycemic factor, in part due to the mucilago it produces. When ingested, chia releases a constant stream of glucose into the bloodstream, and it keeps the body hydrated. What does that mean? A secret well known to Mexica warrios as well as present time jornaleros: If you consume chia you won't feel hungry or thirsty for many hours. Maybe ancient Mexicans knew that the most sacred of fluids are the ones that help us stay alive.

Refreshing Chia Limeade - Limonada de Chia
This drink is some times called Agua Fresca de Chia, and it is made with small Mexican limes. It can also be made with lemons or other citrus fruits. When I make this, I use my aluminum Mexican juicer, it really squeezes the juice out of the limes! You can find similar ones on-line. For each 8 ounces of water, you'll need the following ingredients:

• Juice of one lime
• One heaping tablespoon of chia seeds
• Two tablespoons agave nectar, sugar, or flavored Torani syrup
• (optional) fresh mint, cucumber slices, or lime slices to garnish

Combine all the ingredients in a glass with the 8 ounces of water and shake well. You can also make several servings in a pitcher or carafe. Let the limeade rest for several hours in the refrigerator, this will make the seeds swell up and absorb the citrus flavors. Serve and garnish if desired. Stir the limeade often with a spoon, since some of the seeds will sink to the bottom of the glass. Enjoy!


I leave you with this image of soaked chia seeds. To me, it resembles a galaxy, and makes me think of bigger issues that go beyond a silly fad.


Links:
Altar of Sorrows. Here is a link to Alberto Rosher's photos on flickr. He is a papel picado artist and altar maker, creator of some of the beautiful altars pictured. Another great collection of Altares de Dolores can be found here, courtesy of Casti_go. A global journal for responsible tourism, Planeta explains more about the tradition of Altares de Dolores in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Moon Folkore. Visit Keith's Moon Page, for moon facts photos and folklore related to the moon.
Mexican Gardening. This article talks about the history of ornamental gardening in Mexico, and a botanical garden in Xalapa, Veracruz. It is called Francisco Jardin Botanico Javier Clavijero
Chia. The folks of chia power have an entire blog dedicated to chia. It includes categories like the history of chia, chia in current events and chia humor - including the imfamous "Chia Obama".

Gazpacho con fruta - fruity gazpacho

This soup is only as good as the ingredients you use. Choose summer fresh, ripe juicy fruits and tomatoes, the best you can find. I chose my fruit and veggies at the farmer's market, the supermarket produce pales by comparison. I used ripe nectarines and pears, but you can also use peaches, strawberries and other seasonal fruits. For tomatoes I chose early girls and zebra green varieties.


Tomatoes are absolutely fascinating! The word "Tomato" comes from the original "Xitomatl", a combination of Nahuatl words alluding to the fruit's roundness, Tomatl, and the fruit's round marking resembling a belly button, Xictli. In some ancient American cultures the word for belly button also alludes to round, universal "centers", like the center of the earth or the center of the universe. I'm sure the ancient people of the Americas really thought highly of this fruit! The Nahuatl word Xitomatl later evolved to Jitomate (pronounced Hee-Toh-Mah-Teh in Spanish) and finally to Tomato, in English.

Gazpacho, the original Spanish chilled soup didn't contain tomatoes. This wonderful fruit was first cultivated in Mexico, and didn't make it to Europe until the 1500's, where it was originally believed to be poisonous. My version of this delicious summer soup is reminiscent of gazpacho and Mexican "salsa cruda", or a raw vegetable sauce that uses a variety of raw vegetables, and some times fruit. This soup recipe makes two servings and it can be doubled. You'll need the following ingredients:

• Two cups of roughly chopped tomatoes, previously peeled and seeded
• One cup of cubed cucumber, previously peeled and seeded
• One ripe nectarine, sliced
  
• One ripe pear, sliced
  
• One cup of sliced red bell pepper
• One tablespoon of chopped red onion
• One quarter cup of seasoned Japanese rice vinegar, or more, as needed
  
• Two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, or more, to emulsify
• About two tablespoons of chopped fruit and veggies, to garnish

Prepare the tomatoes by scoring the skin with a knife in the shape of an "X". Dunk them in rapildy boiling water, then in iced water. Start removing the skins where you scored them. Squeeze the tomatoes on a strainer, save the juice but discard the seeds. Blend the tomatoes with the remaining ingredients, adding the vinegar and oil slowly. You may need to process all the fruits and veggies in batches, adding more oil and vinegar as you blend. Chill your gazpacho for a few minutes, then serve and garnish as desired. The fruits and veggies in this soup are so sweet and lucious it doesn't need any other seasoning!