Puebla: Mexico’s culinary jewel
Presented by: Rocio Carvajal Food history writer, cook and author.
Episode 72
Located in central Mexico and framed by majestic volcanoes, the UNESCO listed city of Angels sits in a vast valley where beautiful colonial buildings tell the 500-year-old story of a metropolis envisioned as an aspiring model for all Spanish territories in the Americas. The famous 5 de mayo battle is one of the many historical events that have occurred in Puebla, but what consistently brings visitors to the city is its delicious cuisine that has gifted the world dishes like: chiles en nogada, mole poblano, pipianes, a huge confectionary catalogue, craft drinks and the world-famous Arab and pastor tacos. This episode celebrates the culinary traditions and history of my hometown that is indeed Mexico’s gastronomic jewel.
With this episode, I also want to make the case that culinary traditions are a reflection of deeper, wider and long-lasting cultural phenomena and historical circumstances and getting to know these factors will help us make sense of how and why we have come to traduce our ideas, aspirations and creativity into incredible food knowledge and traditions that have endured the test of time.
Links mentioned on this episode:
Book a food tour in Puebla! https://tinyurl.com/ydkthwfu
Ep.36 Central High plains https://tinyurl.com/yet7rldd
Ep.51 Cultural Staples: Chilies https://tinyurl.com/yhfabtll
Ep.56 Interview with Rafael Mier https://tinyurl.com/yk68jxrc
Ep.63 Immigrant foods in Mexico https://tinyurl.com/ygxyvxa2
Ep.68 Interview with ethnohistorian Dr Alberto Peralta de Legarreta https://tinyurl.com/yggkc3vq
Ep.69 Cultural Staples: Pulque https://tinyurl.com/yhj3fk4e
Ep.70 The history of 5 de Mayo https://tinyurl.com/yht2ctcn
Interested in finding more about food studies? check these great materials:
English:
Que vivan los tamales!: Food and the Making of Mexican Identity. By Jeffrey M. Pilcher
Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food. By Jeffrey M. Pilcher
Voices in the Kitchen: Views of Food and the World from Working-Class Mexican and Mexican American Women. By Meredith E. Abarca
Latin@s’ Presence in the Food Industry: Changing How We Think about Food (Food and Foodways) by Meredith E. Abarca & Consuelo Carr Salas
Sephardi: Cooking the History. Recipes of the Jews of Spain and the Diaspora. By Hélène Jawhara Piñer
Español:
Patrimonios Alimentarios: Entre consensos y tensiones. By Sarah Bak-Geller Corona & Charles-Édouard de Suremain.
La colonialidad del saber: eurocentrismo y ciencias sociales. Perspectivas latinoamericanas. Edgardo Lander (Comp.)
http://biblioteca.clacso.edu.ar/clacso/sur-sur/20100708034410/lander.pdf
La cocina musulmana de Occidente. Historia de la gastronomía arabigoandaluza. By Juan Antonio Molina
