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Steve, just a note about chiles chilacas (which are grown near Morelia, where I live): they are called chilacas and are deep green, nearly black, when fresh and are dark mahogany/reddish brown when allowed to mature on the bush and then dried--at which point they are called chiles negros. These chiles negros are called chiles capones when the seeds have been removed. Fresh and green, they taste much like a fresh chile poblano. Mature and mahogany-color, they taste more...well...more mature.

Te invito a probarlos acá en su tierra natal.

Cristina
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@Southern: the wheat flour tortilla is a whole other thing, whether you make it with whole wheat or white flour. It's made with lard, to start with (yes, real pork lard, recently rendered if possible but *definitely* not that nasty white block of stuff sold at most supermarkets). I think it would be a great follow-up post to this one about the corn tortilla.

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@jkenji lopez-alt:
I don't even know where to start here. Most of the erroneous information in your post has already been addressed, but I notice that you continue to stick by your blazing but badly aimed guns.

Most crucial: Greenpeace, after substantial private investigation, has turned up urgently important information that Maseca will not even divulge in a just-between-us whisper. Maseca is made at least in part with GMO corn, corn that has been imported from the USA to the tune of more than 54 THOUSAND TONS A YEAR. This GMO corn has not been approved in Mexico for human consumption. GMO corn, strongly promoted and strongly contested, is NOT the same as Mexico's traditional corn and is in imminent danger of making traditional Mexican corn extinct. Don't believe me? Here's a link (article in Spanish):
http://www.organicconsumers.org/espanol/mexico.html

So what's the big deal, you might ask. Nixtamal-ized corn is nixtamal-ized corn, right? What's good for General Bullmoose is good for Mexico, right? What's the difference and why should we care?

Here's the big deal: Mexico is a country born of the milpa--the individual cornfield. For thousands of years prior to the New World-arrival of the Spanish, Mexico has grown, harvested, and lived on corn. The kinds of corn grown here were unique in the known world; corn was unknown in Europe. Five thousand years after the first maíz was harvested in Mexico, Monsanto is trying to force Mexico to grow GMO corn that bears no resemblance to the criollo corn that has always, unto the present moment been the country's staple food. GMO corn strips the nutrients from criollo corn in the interest of tall and abundant growth. It strips the flavor from corn in the interest of turning it into a fast food. It strips the individuality from corn in the interest of turning it into a pseudo-food.

And it does not make nutritious tortillas. The purpose of a tortilla is not to accompany the meal. The tortilla IS the meal. In many Mexican homes, the guisado of the day is the accompaniment of the tortillas, not vice versa. A family of five will eat as many as 9 kilos of tortillas per day: the tortilla is the major source of nutrition. A stack of honest made-from-real-nixtamal-ized cacahuatzintle corn tortillas plus a bowl of beans equals a complete protein. A stack of Maseca tortillas, with the nutrients stripped out and 'replaced' by man-made vitamins, is just a stack of carbohydrate which will fill the stomach without nourishing the body. The analogy of baguette and Wonder Bread holds up: Maseca is not made from the same corn as real tortillas.

In Mexico, we have a saying: Sin maíz, no hay país. Without corn, there is no country.

Read more: "http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2008/06/sin-ma%C3%ADz-no-hay-pa%C3%ADs-without-corn-there-is-no-country.html"

Your 'take' on tortillas strongly reminds me of the elitist foodie movement that I shall not name, but which smacks of "let them eat cake". Masa harina made by Maseca is not the same as nixtamal-ized, metate(or even machine)-ground corn.

Least crucial: I have lived and cooked in Mexico for the last 30 years and trust me, I have yet to see a comal (in a traditional kitchen) made of nonstick material. The comales I see in homes and restaurants (and for sale in markets and tianguis) are made of clay, tin, or steel.

Cristina
http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

What a really thorough and excellent article--and great photos, too. It does my heart good to see such generally accurate information about Mexican food.

Want more, straight from the heart of Mexico? Take a look here: http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com.

All over Mexico, a favorite supper dish is pozole, a superbly delicious thick pork and corn soup. Originally from the state of Jalisco, pozole traditionally starts with a pig's head.

Read all about it here:
Mexico Cooks! makes pozole.

You might be interested to see what some of the traditional Lenten foods are in Mexico. Take a look here: link.

Want to know about the real deal? You'll like this:
http://mexicocooks.typepad.com/mexico_cooks/2008/06/mexico-cooks-and-el-mural-at-taco-fish-la-paz-in-guadalajara.html

Anita, does your Mom really use a square of dark chocolate, or does she use a tableta de chocolate amargo (or semi-amargo)? Does she really use olive oil, or does she use manteca? And does she really use shallots?

A banana is great, and ajonjoli and peanut butter. Her mole casero must be fantastic! Next time I'm passing through Reynosa, maybe I can try it.

You're so fortunate to have your mother with you to share her recipes and her love.

Cristina
http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Scallions are okay, but try this the real Mexican way, with knob onions. Swipe them with a little oil and then grill them over hot coals, along with your chicken.

Cristina
http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Absolutely! Visiting foreign supermarkets and street markets is a big MUST when I'm traveling.

For a virtual look at some of Mexico's many food markets, look here: http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com. You'll find everything from the sublime to the what-the-heck-do-you-do-with-THIS items, plus cultural tidbits and off-the-beaten-track travel destinations.

Enjoy!

Mexico Cooks!