Native Cuisine

The professional cooks use our wild mushrooms, local blue corn, squash blossoms, nopal cactus leaf, and other local produce in preparing our meals. This area of Mexico is well known for its sauces, but my personal favorites are Crema de Flores de Calabaza (Cream of Squash Blossom Soup), flavored with chiles and goat cheese, and Puerco Almendrado con Hongos (Almond Pork with Mushrooms), combining flavors of almonds, chiles, mushrooms and cinnamon. The recipes for these two dishes follow.

On the fifth day, base camp moves to the northern limits of the state to a picturesque rustic mountain resort, Al Final de La Senda (literally: "the end of the trail"). We foray on the lodge's hilly 80-acre fungi-rich property and find one of the most unusual specimens of our trip, a Sparassis crispa, whose shape and size closely resemble a bouquet of wide egg noodles about the size of a full grown cauliflower. A small piece is trimmed from the bottom for further study while the rest is cooked for our appreciation that evening. This particular mushroom, it seems, is best stewed in chicken broth and has a very delicate flavor.

One of the most interesting culinary experiences we had was a savory Mixote luncheon. Mixote is complex to prepare. Lamb pieces and flavoring are wrapped together in a special paper that resembles the skin of the Maguay cactus—which was originally used to prepare this dish until it became too scarce. The packages are then buried with heated stones, and cooked under the ground for many hours. The result is tender, succulent and tasty. The region's famous Pulque, femented Maguay cactus juice, is served with this traditiional meal. Our mycologists consume glass after glass of this healthful drink but one small taste and I am back to red wine.

The final day, was R & R (rest & relaxation), at the elegant downtown hotel, the Posada San Francisco in Tlaxcala. Right on the main square, the hotel is a few blocks from the overwhelming, Saturday market. Shopping, at last! The stalls are colorful, the area crowded with families eating, shopping and relaxing. I manage to snag a great pair of silver and brass earrings, my only purchase.

The farewell dinner at la Cacerola, one of the top restaurants in the city, is a short walk from the hotel. For the first time in a week I dress up. Everyone is splendid in their finest. We eat, drink, joke, take pictures, visit, and listen to pre-Hispanic music (Peruvian) as we say goodbye to each other.

Looking back, the trip was more than I expected.It was challenging, exposed me to interesting people, gave me deeper cultural understanding and I know oh, so much more about mushrooms. The next Mexican mushroom adventure may be Copper Canyon. If this sounds like fun to you, come on along!

Mary's Favorite Recipes

Crema de Flor de Calabacitas
Courtesy Mexican Mushroom Tours

(Click on recipe in Other Great Links to get recipe)

Puerco Almendrado con Hongos
Courtesy Rogelio Salas Silva

(Click on recipe in Other Great Links to get recipe)

Other Great Links:

Foraging for Mushrooms in Mexico Recipes

Crema de Flor de Calabacita

Puerco Almendrado con Hongos

Related Articles:

Trail Food

Who's Who in Mexican Mushroom Tours