mmm... fiber!

speaking of refreshments, here are some others i've tried recently.

few sundays ago, laura and i went on a day trip with some Mexican friends of ours. after few hours of pondering prehistoric agricultural systems, we needed a break from the sun and translating.

so we went to nearby Guachamontones and stopped by what seemed like someone's house.

we walked into the couryard, and along with some cacti, grass and random plastic chairs, there was a table all set up under the thatched grass roof with trinkets and interesting refreshments.



in the Coronoa bowl, there sits the pina (heart) of agave. the agave plant looks like an aloe vera plant gone mad, and is what is used to make the streotype Mexican liquor - yes, you've guess it, tequila.

this agave plant, however, was not destined to make someone drunk but to work their colon. it's like eating a sweet potato, but very fiberous. you chew strips of this product (sorry i don't remember the name at the moment) and get some of the subtle, sweet, slightly-fermented 'meat' out of it. most of us will have to discard 90% of it as it's too tough, unless you like to chew and churn, not unlike our hooved friends who were hanging out nearby.



and here's me spitting out the stuff after a taste. mmm... fiber!

stay tuned for part II of "gastronomic adventures in the Guachamontones hut": pulque and tequino (sorry but i gotta stop procrastinating and get some work done!)

snow of the carafe

it's been awhile since i updated the blog. where did February go?

all in all, it's been a good month of good eating.

the rain clouds have moved on and it's been getting hot, so i've been eating a lot of nieve de garrafa (it's a plausible excuse, is it not?). homemade ice cream, churned with old-fashioned ice cream maker, nieve de garrafa is not unlike the one i make at the museum to demonstrate the art (and the pain) of making ice cream. as these are commercial versions, however, they use larger metal tins, also lined with salt and ice on the outside layer to bring down the temperature of the ice cream mixture down. instead of cranking a handle though, the mixture is plunged in vertical motion to churn the ingredients. there are a number of flavours, and so far, i've tried:

• lime (which is like the lime sorbet we get at home minus the incredible hulk green food dye, a perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. as esther says, 'you can't go wrong with lime/lemon flavours.')
• pinon con cerise (pinenuts with marachino cherries that is thickened with condensed milk)
• mamey (a fruit that looks like an avocado, but with a brown skin and orange flesh with black seeds; tastes like a watery persimmon)
• yoghurt (it takes like what you'd expect it to)
• vanilla (yellower in colour but good none the less)
• etole (it's a frozen, sweeter version of the corn snack i described earlier)
• coco (with chunks of coconut and yes, more condensed milk flavour)
• tequilla (yes, you heard it right - it's sorbet without milk products, so has a clean, sweet taste with a hint of the liquor which it's made with).

the texture is very smooth, so you can't pick out the grains of ice for the most part. nieve can be found on the street carts, markets, and nieve shops. they are sold for about 12 pesoes for chico (a mini cup that holds about 200-300ml) but i always regret not getting a grande instead as it disappears much too quickly.