(Published in Pacific Pearl magazine February 2023)

You may have heard the phrase “Eat the seasons”, referring to consuming vegetables and fruits in the season that they are plentiful. But have you thought about applying this wisdom to other seasons, like Thanksgiving or Christmas season? We all know what food is traditionally served around those dates. In Mexico we also celebrate many religious festivities combined with a typical dish, like for instance Pan de Muertos around Day of the Dead on November 1st and 2nd or Chiles en Nogada (stuffed poblano pepper in walnut sauce) served in the weeks leading up to Mexico’s Independence Day on September 16th.

In February we celebrate a lesser known religious holiday called Dia de la Candelaria. Now don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard about it. You could call it National Mexican Tamales Day. It’s celebrated on February 2nd, remembering the biblical story where baby Jesus was presented in the temple. Traditionally people would go to church with a baby Jesus figure to get it blessed. And then you would eat tamales. Nowadays few people keep up the religious part of the celebration, but many locals will buy tamales to share with their family. On Dia de la Candelaria the local tamales shops will sell 10 times more than their regular sales. A piece of advice: order your tamales a few days earlier. So what if you’re reading this after February 2nd? Don’t worry, no pasa nada! Any day is a good time to eat tamales. And there is a whole world of tamales that you can explore. Here are a few scrumptious options that you can find around Mazatlan.

Tamal de elote
Mazatlan’s best-selling tamales are sweet corn tamales. They are made with fresh corn grated off the cob, passed through a grinder and wrapped in corn husk. It’s a popular side dish on a traditional Sinaloa-style breakfast with Machaca shredded beef and poblano peppers in cream sauce.

Tamal de camaron
Do you prefer savory flavors? Then shrimp tamales are a local must-try. The corn dough or masa is mixed with a shrimp tomato broth to enhance the taste and the filling is typically peeled shrimp, potato and carrot. You might be able to find Tamales barbudos or ‘bearded’ tamales which are stuffed with unpeeled shrimp, resulting in a richer shrimp taste. You will have to get hands-on to peel and eat the shrimp. It’s all part of the food fun!

Tamal Colorado or Nixcoco
This is the legacy of indigenous tribes who roamed these regions before the arrival of the Spanish. Tamal Colorado is different from other tamales in two ways. First of all, it’s not prepared the same way. It’s cooked with a tree bark which gives it its bright-red color. And secondly it’s a tamal without a filling. It has a unique corn dough flavor. This is the rarest of all tamales around town. Keep your eyes peeled for these small red-colored tamales around the market and give them a try.
 
Tamales oaxaqueños
The world of tamales doesn’t end at the borders of Sinaloa. Every state in Mexico has their own regional varieties, like Corundas from Michoacan or Zacahuil from San Luis Potosí. In Mazatlan you can buy Oaxaca-style tamales which are wrapped in banana leaves instead of corn husk. The filling might be similar, but the banana leaves give a totally different flavor. You can find these tamales sold on street corners around the market.

Now let’s commit to eating the seasons in Mexican foodie style! If you’re ready to learn more about Mazatlan’s culinary scene, make sure to book your seats for one of the Flavor Teller food tours.

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(Published in Pacific Pearl magazine January 2023)

Have you heard about Coricos? I have to confess that if I buy Coricos cookies, I can’t just eat one. It’s either the whole box or nothing. So what are Coricos? Mexican coricos cookies look like a mini donut, have a nice crumbly texture, subtle spiced aroma and are sweetened with piloncillo or brown sugar. They are naturally gluten-free and perfect to serve with a coffee in the morning or your favorite tea in the afternoon. Coricos are available in Sinaloa, as well as Sonora and Baja California. They are also known as Tacuarines.

Corico comes from Coricochis in the indigenous Cahita language. The Cahíta were a native tribe living in the northwest of Mexico. The only two surviving Cahita-speaking tribes nowadays are the Yaqui and the Mayo-Yoreme. Tacuarines comes from the word Tacuarinero, the nickname of the South Pacific railway between Altata, Culiacan and Durango. During the late 19th and early 20th century it was common for women to get on the train to sell these cookies to hungry passengers.
So if you have a chance, get a box of Coricos at candy stores in or near the market or try your hand at making them at home. Provecho!

Ingredients (makes 30 Coricos):
300 gr. (10 oz.) piloncillo or Brown sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon anise seed
½ kg (1 lb) lard or butter
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
4 cups Masa harina
2 tsp baking powder
 
Preparation:
Bring to the water, piloncillo sugar and anise seed to a boil, set the heat to low and simmer, while stirring from time to time until piloncillo is dissolved and has become an aromatic and light syrup (about 10 minutes).

Place lard or butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add salt and, using the wire whip, mix at high speed until light and fluffy (about 7 minutes). Add the eggs and mix until fully incorporated. Add masa harina, and baking powder. Use the paddles and start kneading the dough at low speed while pouring the piloncillo syrup until everything is fully incorporated. In the end, the dough should have a texture like play dough and shouldn’t stick to your hands.

Now shape the cookies: Pinch a bit of the dough and roll it into a ball with your hands. Place the ball on a surface and with the palm of your hands roll it into a rope about 5-6 inches (13 cm) long. Take both ends of a rope and overlap them, pressing a little bit to make a ring shape. Repeat until all dough is used and transfer the unbaked coricos to a baking sheet lightly floured with masa harina.

Preheat your oven to 360°F/180°C and bake the cookies between 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove the sheet from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes, then with a spatula remove the cookies and place them in a cooling rack.

Allow the coricos cookies to cool down completely, then transfer them into an airtight container or a zip bag and store them at room temperature for up to one week.

If you’re ready to learn more about Mazatlan’s culinary scene, make sure to book your seats for one of the Flavor Teller food tours.

#flavortellerfoodtour
#flavorteller
#mazatlanfoodtour
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(Published in Pacific Pearl magazine december 2022)

Winter has finally arrived to Mazatlán. Yes, it’s true! It might not feel like ‘winter’ to those of you who come from cooler climates, but as a full-time local resident you can definitely feel the temperature shift from sizzling hot to pleasantly warm.

There is another way how locals know that the winter season has started. It doesn’t have to do with falling leaves or changing tides. The ultimate proof of winter in Mazatlán is the appearance of Atole vendors on street corners around town. It might sound like the weirdest way to declare wintertime, but this local specialty is only served during the colder months of the year.

You will ask: what is Atole (pronounced: ah-TOH-leh)? It’s a hot corn-based beverage sweetened with raw cane sugar. The ancient civilizations of Mexico already prepared this hot corn pudding and called it ‘atolli’.  It is known to give you lots of energy. Nowadays, you can find Atole flavored with cinnamon, tamarind, guava or other fruits. In Mazatlan the most common flavor is Atole de Pinole, which is roasted ground corn. Its taste can be compared to salted caramel.

Las Atoleras (female atole vendors) always sell their hot atole with sweet fried corn Gorditas. Don’t confuse these gorditas with their savory counterpart from central Mexico. Mazatlan’s gorditas are made with corn flour, wheat flour, baking soda and sugar. It’s fascinating and mouth-watering to see the preparation. The gorditas look like regular tortillas, but once they are dropped into the hot oil they puff up to triple their size. The atoleras skillfully flip them over and make the process look effortless. Getting hot atole with a freshly made gordita will keep you satiated for several hours.

Are you curious to give this local specialty a try? It’s important to know that Atole de Pinole is only available early in the morning (5 - 9 a.m.) or after sunset (6 – 9 p.m.). You can get your Atole per cup or liter, the gorditas are sold per piece. Most customers get their Atole to go on their way to work or back home. But if you want to catch the latest neighborhood gossip or brush up on your Spanish, get a seat at the stand. You can find the Atoleras on the curb of Gutierrez Najera Street close to the Juan Carrasco market or on Aleman Street near the petrol station.

If you’re ready to learn more about Mazatlan’s culinary scene, make sure to book your seats for one of the Flavor Teller food tours.

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What are your favorite beach activities in Mazatlan? Surfing, parasailing or sipping margaritas? How about hunting sea-side petroglyphs? It might not be the first thing that comes to mind when visiting Mazatlan. But at a 45-minute drive north you can find Las Labradas petroglyphs. This location was recognized as an archeological site in 2012.

So why is Las Labradas so special? It is one of the few sites in the northwest of Mexico, where you can find remnants of Prehispanic cultures. In Mexico there are other civilizations like the Olmecs, Aztecs and Mayans that left pyramids and other constructions. However in the northwest of Mexico, most civilizations were semi-nomadic that moved around throughout the year. Las Labradas petroglyphs has over 600 rock carvings on volcanic rock on a remote beach.  It's located close to the Tropic of Cancer or Northern Tropic and it's believed to have been a ceremonial site.

Las Labradas is a popular spot for locals twice a year, at spring (March 20-21) and autumn (September 20-21) Equinox. The word 'equinox' comes from the Greeks words 'euqus' equal and 'nox' night, which means that day and night last the same time. In Prehispanice civilizations these dates were celebrated with special festivals. Nowadays it's a tradition to visit archeological sites to recharge your energy. You will find lots of people dressed in white, ceremonial dancers and seasonal specialty food. 

Las Labradas is the perfect spot for a beach day, while soaking up history. The location has a small museum with a bi-lingual explanation about the 'Aztatlan' culture who lived in the area between 700-1250 AD. The walking route to the rock carvings is well indicated and it's fun to search the petroglyphs while climbing over the rocks. The site also has bathrooms and showers. 

Las Labradas petroglyphs are open from Monday through Thursday from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. Entree fee is $ 85 pesos per person. You can drive Las Labradas by taking the tollroad Mazatlan -Culiacan. At kilometer 51 there is a distinct turn to Las Labradas. From the highway it's a three kilometer drive on a dirt road, with signs indicating Las Labradas. 

For more things to do in Mazatlan, visit www.flavorteller.com and eat like a local.
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There are many reasons to visit every corner of Mexico. For me the most important reason is to eat local food. Talking about must-try flavors in the Sinaloa’s cuisine, Chilorio is a very popular pork dish that you can only find in the northwest of Mexico. Its bright red color may remind you of Chorizo, but the flavor is very different. The origins of Chilorio go back hundreds of years, when stewing meat with a chili mixture was the best way to preserve it. In former days it was prepared with wild boar or armadillo.

On the Barrio Bites tour we explore the breakfast delicacies around downtown Mazatlan. Breakfast in Mexico is often protein-based; eggs, beans, cheese or meat. No cereal and milk to be seen! One of the favorite flavors on the tour is ‘Chilorio’. One guest was so inspired after trying it, that he named it ‘Glorious’ chilorio, which stuck with me ever since. A few weeks ago a repeat customer and Flavor Teller ambassador (Hi Sheila McD.!) asked me if I could share the Chilorio recipe online, so she could recreate her flavor-filled experience at home. A promise is a promise: so here it is!

Chilorio is usually available ready-made at the market or in cans at the supermarket. Each vendor has their own secret recipe which is passed on from generation to generation. I will be sharing the recipe featured in Mrs. Cuca Cardenas (the godmother of Sinaloa cuisine) cookbook “Mis recetas de cocina”.
 
CHILORIO RECIPE
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INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ kilo (3 lbs.) pork, diced in small cubes
½ cup water
2 tbsp salt, or to taste
2 large pasilla chilies
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp cilantro seeds
¼ tsp cumin seeds
6 cloves garlic
1/3 cup pork lard, only if the meat does not have fat
 
PREPARATION:
Place the pork in a cast-iron skillet or heavy pan, add the water and salt, cover with a lid and bring to a boil. While the pork is cooking, remove the foam and prepare the following.
Remove the stem and seeds from the pasilla chilies. Soak in boiling water for 15 minutes and drain. Toast the oregano, cumin and cilantro seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant. Then puree the chilies, spices and garlic in a blender with a cup of water. Set aside until the meat is cooked.
Keep an eye on the pork and wait until the water has evaporated. Then the meat has to fry in its own fat, otherwise add lard. Once the pork cubes are well fried, add the chili mixture and fry until the sauce gets a thick consistency and the pork is tender.

How do you eat chilorio? I love to enjoy it with flour tortillas or on a bread roll or baguette with some avocado, onion and lettuce. You can also prepare it ‘a la mexicana’ with onion, tomato and serrano chili.

Buen Provecho! Enjoy your meal!

(Preparation time: 1 ½ hours)

Did you know that mountains of Sinaloa are brimming with precious minerals? For centuries hardworking miners have extracted gold, silver, lead, copper and zinc from these mountains. It boosted prosperity in towns like Concordia, Pánuco and El Rosario and drove the creation of the port of Mazatlan in the 19th century. Nowadays mining is still an important industry in Sinaloa, but fisheries, agriculture and tourism have taken over. Many residents of former mining towns have moved away, leaving few jobs in the logging industry and small-scale farming. It isn’t only doom and gloom: there are traditions, long-gone in the cities, are proudly preserved here. Flavor Teller obtained rare access to the seasonal sugarcane harvest, also known as La Zafra, and the preparation of artisanal cane sugar or piloncillo.

So what is piloncillo and how do you use it? It’s a natural sweetener made by reducing raw cane sugar juice into a thick syrup and then pressing it into dense bricks or cones. You have probably seen it at the market. Piloncillo has a smoky, caramelized, sometimes fudgy flavor. It is used in desserts like arroz con leche or capirotada bread pudding or hot beverages like café de olla or atole.

What struck me most about artisanal piloncillo, is the knowledge and dedication that goes into making it. During the lengthy process there were lots of hands available to grind or stir, but it was the sugarcane elder that decided when the syrup was ready. Of course it was only his voice that counted: who could beat 70 years of experience!

The process starts by manually harvesting the sugar cane. Contrary to big sugar cane plantations, the fields aren’t burnt to eliminate excess foliage. This creates a fudge color, compared to the darker commercial piloncillo. The sugar cane stalks are stacked up next to a horse-powered (or man-powered) mill and the juice is extracted. By the time enough juice is collected, they light up the fire pit and hang two huge cauldrons over it. The mixture has to boil down to a thick syrup, which can take up to eight hours. As you can imagine, the heat of a wood fire isn’t exactly a precise temperature all the time. That’s why there are always two people supervising the sugar mixture to avoid spills. With big metal strainers they stir and cool down the concoction, spreading a magic waft of sweetness. Meanwhile the wooden molds are pre-soaked with water, so the piloncillo can be easily removed afterwards. Once the sugarcane elder gives the thumbs-up, the cauldrons are removed from the fire pit. It is a race against the clock to cool down the syrup. A spoon, the size of an oar, is used to whip the boiling blend. It’s a grueling heavy job (talk about a core workout!), so they takes turns. The movement creates a deep African drum-like sound in the cauldron, which slowly turns into a lighter sound as the syrup cools down. Finally the piloncillo is poured into the molds.
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The piloncillo blocks almost look like gold ingots, with their golden fudge color. And it’s a product with a high demand. Most of the yearly production is already sold ahead of time to residents of neighboring villages. While we were there, many people came down to pitch in. I asked where they came from and most people said: “We’re part of the family”. So this small settlement of four families increases its population during La Zafra sugar harvest. It’s a wonderful example of how communal work and dedication can have such a sweet outcome.
 

Published in Pacific Pearl february 2021

In Mexico you need essential vocabulary to get around, like ‘Por favor’ and ‘Gracias’. Or how about ‘Una cerveza más’ or ‘La cuenta por favor’? Those who love food, learn additional words like ‘sin chile’ or ‘con cilantro’. Many of you will recognize the Spanish words restaurant or taqueria, but how about ‘cocina economica’?

Last month I read a request on a Mazatlan Facebook group about where to get frozen meals for a sick friend who couldn’t leave the house. It made me realize that there are certain things that don’t translate well from one culture to the other. You see, in Mexico we are not used to frozen meals. We would rather order ‘comida corrida’ or day menu at a ‘cocina economica’.

The cocina economica loosely translates to ‘affordable kitchen’. It’s the homey place where you go for an affordable and complete meal. The concept is simple: every day there is a fixed menu with an entrance, a main course and a beverage. If you’re lucky, it even includes a dessert. A cocina economica is usually open from 11 a.m. until 3.00 p.m. making it the perfect place to enjoy Mexican lunch or ‘comida’.

The roots of the cocinas economicas go back to colonial Mexico, when taverns and inns offered food and refreshments to hungry travelers. These places were referred to as fondas. In the 19th century the French word restaurante became fashionable and menus started to include imported products from Europe, in an intent to distinguish themselves from the common fondas. Nowadays there is still a perceived class difference between a restaurant and a cocina economica or fonda, although the quality of the food isn’t any less at the latter. The majority of Mexican cocinas econonomicas are run by one or several women, usually of the same family.

What type of food do they offer at a cocina economica? It’s mostly traditional Mexican dishes like marlin, meatball soup, ‘milanesa’ (breaded beef) or ‘chiles rellenos’ (stuffed poblanos chillies), almost always with refried beans as a side. If you want to try home-cooked local food, this is the place to go.

There is one dish that might cause confusion. If you see ‘sopa’ on the menu, you might easily translate it as soup. You would think type vegetable soup or tomato soup. Here’s the catch: there are two types of sopa:  ‘sopa aguada’ and ‘sopa seca’. I can see some are rolling your eyes, reading this last term. How come there is such a thing like ‘dry soup’?!? Sopa aguada or watery soup is served as first dish (primer tiempo) and could be a chicken or beef broth sometimes with pasta. Sopa seca or dry soup is served as second dish (segundo tiempo) and it could be macaroni with a cream tomato sauce or cooked red rice.  

Feeling hungry and ready to order? The majority of the cocinas econonomicas offer take-away and some even do deliveries. The order sizes can be charged per portion (‘orden’), per volume (‘litro/medio litro’) or sometimes per weight. There are plenty of options around Mazatlan. Just use Google maps to find the one that’s close to you.
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Buen Provecho! Enjoy your meal!
 

Published in Pacific Pearl January 2021 issue

Who agrees with me that 2020 was the year that we look back on and think “Thank goodness it’s over”? Onward and upward we go into 2021 with positive energy. The best way to cope with tough times is a smile and good food (hello corona pounds!). So let’s talk about something that makes us smile: say ‘cheese’!
Talking about countries that are famous for their cheeses, you might say France or Holland. But what if I told you that Mexico also produces a large variety of cheeses. A visit to a ‘cremeria’ or cheese shop shows you that there is a world beyond Cheddar. Mexican cheeses can be divided in two type: the fresh cheeses and the aged cheeses. Fresh cheese is cheese in its youngest, purest form and it’s sold a one or two days after it was produced. Aged cheese has a longer shelf life and can be transported across the country.

Did you know that there is a traditional cheese town about 15 minutes outside Mazatlan? The town El Quemado produces the majority of fresh cheeses sold in the city. Many cheese makers are small-scale artisans that have a limited production. The cheeses that they make are panela and queso fresco. Panela has a mild flavor similar to ricotta and a texture that softens but does not melt when heated. Queso fresco has a slightly saltier flavor with a crumbly texture. It goes well on top of refried beans.

Flavor Teller was invited by Don Modesto Insunza in El Quemado to see the action up close. He has been in cheese production for decades. As the granddaughter of a Dutch cheese maker, this was an invitation I couldn’t turn down.

The process starts early when the pasteurized milk is brought in by local ranchers, who supply them with 1000 liters or 265 gallons daily. This will make a total of 250 kilos or 550 pounds of cheese. “The quality of the milk is key for our products”, says Don Modesto, “we can spot bad milk immediately, because it doesn’t give the same yield.”

The milk is curdled with rennet for about half an hour, after which the whey is manually strained out. The curds are salted, mixed and divided in cheesecloth covered rings. All in all the whole process takes a good two hours. Running into his seventies, Don Modesto has one employee and a teenage apprentice. “The boy is still in school, but with the pandemic he has been helping me out. Good thing he is a quick learner, you need dedication to be a good quesero”, he says.

Ready to try local queso fresco or panela? You can find them at the Pino Suarez market or at the cheese section of the supermarket.
 
 
 

Mother Teresa once said: “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one”. The COVID-19 pandemic might leave us wondering what we can do as individuals, with so much hardship happening around us. Street food vendor Francisco Gastelum, better known as “El Veneno” (the Venom), didn’t give it too much thought and gave back to the community that has helped his food stand grow.

Last Saturday and the week before he went out with his wife Alma and two sons to buy food. After finishing their day at the food stand and with help of some suppliers, they carried out their plan. Between the four they cooked up a healthy fish stew, served with tortillas. In the afternoon they drove out in the family’s “Pulmonia” taxi to start the drop-off. They first stopped at the fisheries docks, then headed to La Juarez neighborhood and finished at the poorer periphery. They gave away over 300 meals, without any charge. Mister Venom told me he couldn’t believe how positive everybody’s response was. “It really fills my heart with joy that I can share my blessings.”
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The Veneno food stand is open from Tuesday through Saturday from 7.00-11.00 a.m. serving crunchy breakfast tacos (take-away only).