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Puebla
Most of all this is a town of baked sweets, they use sugar and milk as well as in Calcutta. Sweet milky creme thingies with walnuts, camotes, amaranth with honey, flan, fried coconut cookies, fresh potato chips with tamarind and chili and many other delights. There is a whole book Dulceria in Puebla, they weren't kidding. Mole poblano almost seems like an afterthought. The produce is also superb; I never had tasted real cucumber before today. The city is much more beautiful than I had expected and Arabic influences are seen all over, there is even Jerusalem Tortilleria and Beyrut Tacos to add to your dining delights, not to mention the Arabic influence on the baking and of course the architecture. I used to tell people I don't like sweet things, but due to globalization that fiction is becoming increasing difficult to maintain.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on December 22, 2007 at 05:37 PM in Travels | Permalink
Comments
Have you tried taco de ojo?
Posted by: Floccina at Dec 22, 2007 9:41:39 PM
Where does the Arabic influence come from?
Posted by: Varangy at Dec 22, 2007 10:34:59 PM
I love the picture with symmetrical volcano in the background. Is that the "Popocatepetl" volcano, and is it still active?
P.S.: I love Hugh Thomas's masterful book "The Conquest of Mexico" - it is a thick tome but an excellent read.
Posted by: enrique at Dec 22, 2007 11:11:36 PM
There has been Arab migration ever since the 1500, several moors sailed with Christopher Columbus. In the 1800's there was a huge Lebanese diaspora which ended up in the Americas, specifically in Brazil, Chile and Mexico. Most Arabic names however, were changed because of negligence of migration officers who could not understand the last name "Farez" and instead registered "Perez", or to integrate into society easier. In the first and second world war another big Arabic diaspora came to Mexico and brought some of the most influential families in the country, such as the Marcos, Vidal and of course, the Slim and the Helú Families, made famous by Mr. Carlos Slim, the second richest (or is it the richest?) man in the world. In the north of mexico, for example, Nuevo León there is also a huge sephardic jew influence, also caused by historical diasporas.
Posted by: none at Dec 23, 2007 3:18:20 AM
Varangy,
The Arab influence comes from two main channels:
1- The most important is Arab migration to the Americas. This was mainly Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian. This will be the reason you see the Beirut Tacos and Jerusalem Tortillas.
2- The Arab influence on Spain that was transmitted through colonial Spaniards to the new world. This, I presume, is where Puebla gets its Arab-influenced Architecture.
Posted by: saifedean at Dec 23, 2007 3:27:32 AM
Tyler,
Bienvenido a México. It is great to have you and your family back among us. I am glad you are enjoying poblano cuisine, particularly its many sweet delights. Traditional Puebla desserts are a by-product of the proliferation of convents in the colonial and early independent eras. For a city in the Iberian catholic world, having lots of nuns in your past translates into complex, time-consuming, labor-intensive cuisine (Arequipa in Perú is another example of the same phenomenon). Reading your post, I started wondering whether that is something of a general rule: can you find examples of convent/monastery- centered cuisine in, say, Buddhist countries (e.g., Thailand, Myanmar)?
Best regards.
Posted by: Alejandro Hope at Dec 23, 2007 8:54:24 AM
Tyler,
Bienvenido a México. It is great to have you and your family back among us. I am glad you are enjoying poblano cuisine, particularly its many sweet delights. Traditional Puebla desserts are a by-product of the proliferation of convents in the colonial and early independent eras. For a city in the Iberian catholic world, having lots of nuns in your past translates into complex, time-consuming, labor-intensive cuisine (Arequipa in Perú is another example of the same phenomenon). Reading your post, I started wondering whether that is something of a general rule: can you find examples of convent/monastery- centered cuisine in, say, Buddhist countries (e.g., Thailand, Myanmar)?
Best regards.
Posted by: Alejandro Hope at Dec 23, 2007 8:55:44 AM
Ah yes, two of the best things about Mexico: El Popo, and tacos al pastor. well done T!!!
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So how the Cowan family decide where to travel?
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