Provenance · Volume V · In progress
The Mexican Canon
Five hundred and eighteen entries
Contents
I17
II11
III61
IV57
V277
VI32
VII28
VIII16
IX12
X7
Overview & Cultural Context
Why this cuisine is its own thing — roots, history, the living movement.
The Land & Sea
Terroir — geography, climate, what grows and swims here.
The Pantry
The defining ingredients, named to species.
The Method
The foundational techniques the cuisine is built on.
The Canonical Dishes
The dishes a serious practitioner is expected to know.
The Beverage Tradition
Wines, spirits, ferments, tea and coffee, ceremonial drinks.
The Table & Service
How the food is served and eaten — the order, the rituals, the hospitality.
The Thread
Where this book connects to others — migration, trade, diaspora.
The Lineage & Authorities
The masters, the literature, the sources an entry is anchored to.
The Network
The producers and purveyors who carry the real ingredients.
← The LibraryVolume V · contents
Mexican · III The Pantry
The Pantry
Thirty-four entries
The pantry of Mexican cooking rests on a set of preparations made before the dish begins. Dried chillies reconstituted into pastes, cultured creams, rendered fats, and aged spice compounds form the structural layer beneath every recipe. Native ingredients — from cactus pads to corn fungus to grasshoppers — and the regional spice pastes of Yucatán complete a pantry that is both ancient and precise.
Crema mexicana (Mexican cultured cream)Quesillo / Oaxacan string cheese (pasta filata)Requeson (Mexican fresh curd cheese)Adobo SauceMexicoRecado negro (Yucatecan charred chile paste)Epazote — identification and usageMorita chile usage and applicationsMole Base (The Dried Chilli Paste — Before Adding Chocolate)Nopales preparation and cooking (cactus pads)Chayote preparation and cookingFlor de calabaza (squash blossom preparation)Huitlacoche preparation (corn fungus)Chapulines (toasted grasshoppers)Piloncillo syrup preparationChorro de aceite (chile oil finish)Asiento / Zorrapa (Chicharrón Lard)ChiltatisChimeco (Bean Paste)ChintesleCommercial Recado RojoCorn-Husk Tamales of Achiote-Stewed Chicken (Cháamchamitos de jolo'och)Garbanzos (Chick-Peas) — Mexican Pantry PreparationJocoqueRecado BlancoRecado para BistecRecado para EscabecheRecado para PapadzulRecado para PastorRecado para PucheroRecado para Todo — All-Purpose Yucatecan Seasoning PasteRecados / Xa'ak' / Seasoning BlendsRendered Chicken Fat (Grasa de Pollo)To'biholoch — Tamales of Achiote-Stewed Pork Wrapped in Corn HusksWhole Hominy for Soups (Maíz Cacahuazintle Preparado)
III · The Pantry · 2 of 2Next chapter → The Method
The pantry of Mexican cooking rests on a set of preparations made before the dish begins. Dried chillies reconstituted into pastes, cultured creams, rendered fats, and aged spice compounds form the structural layer beneath every recipe. Native ingredients — from cactus pads to corn fungus to grasshoppers — and the regional spice pastes of Yucatán complete a pantry that is both ancient and precise.
The pantry, ingredient by ingredient
Origin and where to buy each one
Also in this chapter
34 entries
Crema mexicana (Mexican cultured cream)Quesillo / Oaxacan string cheese (pasta filata)Requeson (Mexican fresh curd cheese)Adobo Sauce RecipeRecado negro (Yucatecan charred chile paste)Epazote — identification and usageMorita chile usage and applicationsMole Base (The Dried Chilli Paste — Before Adding Chocolate) RecipeNopales preparation and cooking (cactus pads)Chayote preparation and cookingFlor de calabaza (squash blossom preparation)Huitlacoche preparation (corn fungus)Chapulines (toasted grasshoppers)Piloncillo syrup preparationChorro de aceite (chile oil finish)Asiento / Zorrapa (Chicharrón Lard) RecipeChiltatisChimeco (Bean Paste) RecipeChintesleCommercial Recado Rojo RecipeCorn-Husk Tamales of Achiote-Stewed Chicken (Cháamchamitos de jolo'och) RecipeGarbanzos (Chick-Peas) — Mexican Pantry Preparation RecipeJocoqueRecado Blanco RecipeRecado para Bistec RecipeRecado para Escabeche RecipeRecado para Papadzul RecipeRecado para Pastor RecipeRecado para Puchero RecipeRecado para Todo — All-Purpose Yucatecan Seasoning Paste RecipeRecados / Xa'ak' / Seasoning Blends RecipeRendered Chicken Fat (Grasa de Pollo) RecipeTo'biholoch — Tamales of Achiote-Stewed Pork Wrapped in Corn Husks RecipeWhole Hominy for Soups (Maíz Cacahuazintle Preparado) Recipe