Wahaca

by Tommi : Thursday, 29 July 2010

Photos from an Oaxacan

Last week we were lucky enough to get a visit from Daniel Molina, who came in to sample our wares. He’s a potographer from Mexico, Oaxaca to be precise.

Keen to support those from the area that has supported us so well, we thought we’d share some of the brilliant work he’s done, with you good people.

The selection below is taken from his gallery of pictures entitled, “This is not London”. Now, not wanting to be pedantic, but I’ve had a hard look, and I’m pretty sure it is, I guess that’s just the Mexican sense of humour. Anyway, we’ll let you decide.

This is Not London

If you like this small foray into Daniel’s work, then be sure to check out his website for more of the same. And indeed if you know of any other up and coming Mexican photographers or artists, please let us know by commenting below. We’d love to make it a regular feature on the blog.

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by wahaca : Thursday, 22 July 2010

Maya art lecture at The British Museum

If, like us, you’re a fan of the British Museum, and especially the Rulership and Ritual: Maya relief of royal blood-letting display, then here’s something to float your boat: As part of the BBC’s History of the world in 100 objects, Historian Simon Martin is leading a lecture about Maya art, and the unique window it gives on ancient American culture.

Limestone lintel relief from Yaxchilán, Mexico.

A queen pulls a thorny rope through her tongue as part of a sacred ceremony

The lecture kicks off on Thursday 8th July (That’s tomorrow, if you’re reading this today) at 18.30 in the Stevenson lecture theatre and tickets are £5. Check out www.britishmuseum.org for more details and to book your place.

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by wahaca : Wednesday, 7 July 2010

Mexican football dreams!

We’re all getting excited about the friendly match tonight between England and Mexico. A few of the Wahaca team are all heading down with a mixture of Mexican and English supporters.. luckily its a friendly match.

This made Julio, our Wahaca football captain, give his insight on the big games and chances Mexico will have this summer in South Africa.

With the world cup around the corner, Mexico smells like a safari, our black warriors are sharpening their boots, to achieve the dream of a nation, to play the fifth game in the southafrican land.

“La seleccion” are ready with their new striking black uniform to fly to the southern hemisphere, the hope of a country with 200 years of Independence placed in the feet of the 23 players. Preperations have been intense since the last world cup in Germany, exporting players to some of the most important leagues in the world like the Premier League where Carlos Vela plays at Arsenal, after being champion in the sub-17 and Guillermo Franco star of West-Ham Utd.

With a very solid defence and players that belong in the Bundes Ligas and la Eredivisie, our captain Rafael Márquez leads a formidable team. The creative midfield have a couple of young promises from TRI, with the likes of Andrés Guardo and Giovani Dos Santos, the star of the local league Cuauhtemoc Blanco and the terrific unstoppable duo that is Vela and “El Chicharito Hernández”, recently named by F.I.F.A. in the top six attacking duos in the world cup. The blacks are ready to get some leon tacos in the inaugural match against the host nation and intend to start on the right foot, and why not maybe they will play the final in the same Stadium?

Mexico is ready for the challenge that this presents them, and to show off a true Mexican wave to the opposing teams this world cup. Viva Mexico!

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by cecilia : Monday, 24 May 2010

Photo from Askabir on Flickr via Creative Commons

Mexican Morsels: Edible Flowers

Whilst Spring has forgotten about us in London, Mexico is blooming. Which is great news visually but also gastronomically. Using flowers in cooking has become quite trendy in Europe with restaurants like Roussillon, Bras and Wild Garlic using them in imaginative ways. So we were fascinated when we unearthed an incredible article about the edible flowers of Mexico which is accompanied by an MP3 interview (from a radio broadcast) and an awesome collection of photographs.

So, if you’re at all interested in Mexican, food, and flowers click on this link and drink it all in.

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by wahaca : Monday, 17 May 2010

Mexconnect articles about Semana Santa
Go Mexico
Semana Santa photos on Flickr
Semana Santa Celebrations in Oaxaca

Semana Santa & Exploding Judas Effigies

Easter is a big deal in Mexico where over 90% of the population is Catholic. The Easter period, known as Semana Santa, starts on Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) and comes to an end on Easter Sunday (Domingo de Pascua). But unlike in the UK, where Easter is mainly about chocolate eggs, roast lamb and school holidays, Mexicans approach Semana Santa with the explosive zeal that you’ll also see in Día de los Muertos. You can read more about the ins and outs of the celebrations and the culture of passion plays on Go Mexico.

But the most fun part about Easter in Mexico is the ritual explosion of Judas effigies. It takes place on Holy Saturday and is supposed to represent revenge for the betrayal of Jesus. Apparently the ritual was banned in Guadalajara after a few people died. Just have a look at the video of a witch being blown up below to get a flavour!

Semana Santa is also a riotously vibrant time for Mexican food. For wonderful stories about ice cream made from the ice from Mount Popocatépetl as well as recipes for the likes of Horchata, Agua de Chia and Pambazos head over to this article on Mexconnect by Karen Hursh Graber.

Further Semana Santa reading:

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by wahaca : Thursday, 1 April 2010

UK in Mexico Video featuring Julio

UK in Mexico is a YouTube channel dedicated to showcasing the lives of Mexicans living in London. We are very excited to see none other than our very own Julio being featured in their latest video, talking about his life working at Wahaca. Now that he’s a major star of the big screen we’re preparing ourselves to beat off offers from Hollywood agents once they recover from the Oscars.

To see their other videos take a look at the UK in Mexico YouTube channel. And feel free to congratulate Julio or ask him any questions by leaving a comment.

by wahaca : Monday, 15 March 2010

Day of the Dead

Image from Paul and Jill on Flickr

Every year, on November 1st (All Saints Day) and 2nd (All Souls Day), something unique takes place in many areas of Mexico: Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. This eerie sounding festival is Mexico’s celebration for when dead relatives, both young and old, are allowed to return to the mortal world for two days. Spirits come down and walk among the living, sampling earthly treats and joining in the festival.

Its similar to our Halloween, however instead of scary goblins and blood curdling monsters, the Mexicans welcome back the spirits of their families with the delicious smell of food in the air, tasty candies decorated like skulls, and lighted candles to guide them home again. Day of the dead is symbolised by skulls and skeletons (the Nahua speaking peoples of pre-columbian Mexico saw the skull as a symbol of life – not death.) which appear in abundance around this time in both shops and homes. Families and friends will gather together at the gravestones of loved ones where they will tell stories remembering them and engage in sprucing up the gravesite, decorating it with flowers, setting out and enjoying a picnic whilst paying respects to the deceased whenever they arrive! The meals prepared for these picnics are sumptuous, usually featuring meat dishes in spicy sauces and chocolate beverages. Because of this warm social environment, the colorful setting, and the abundance of food, drink and good company, the festival continues to be one of the most important in the Mexican calendar and is warmly embraced around the world.

The original celebration can be traced to the many Mesoamerican native traditions such as the Aztec festival presided over by the “Lady of the Dead” which was dedicated to children and the dead. In the Aztec calendar, this ritual fell roughly at the end of the Gregorian month of July and the beginning of August, but after the Spanish failed to eradicate the tradition post conquering Mexico the Spanish priests moved the event so that it coincided with the Christian holiday of All Saints Day (Halloween) This was a vain effort to transform the observance from a non-religious event to a Christian celebration. The result is that Mexicans now celebrate the day of the dead during the first two days of November, rather than at the beginning of summer.

Mexicans do not fear death they recognize it, embrace it, mock it and even defy it through this tradition!

Watch this space for some of our special Day of the Dead recipes leading up to our celebrations for this festival.

by cecilia : Monday, 19 October 2009

Inspired by Mexico – Malcolm Lowry

malcolm

Our friend Jimena Gorraez – Belmar who works for the cultural minister for Mexico in London, is going to be updating us on Mexican culture in London and around the world with a few guest blogs. Mexican culture is taking over the London scene with so many exciting things to look forward to… Moctezuma at the British Museum now open, The Latin Film Festival, Gabriel Orozco exhibition at Tate Modern (coming soon apparently), and visits from some legendary Mexican chefs such as Monica Patino and Diana Kennedy.

Today Jimena is talking about Malcolm Lowry, the British poet and novelist most famous for his novel, Under the Volcano that he wrote while living in Mexico.

Little is known about the fascination that Mexico caused on some of Britain’s most important 20th century writers. The country was a magnet for those seeking a little bit more than an adventure but somehow ended finding a piece of heaven on earth.

This is precisely what happened to Malcolm Lowry whose centenary is celebrated from 24 September at the BlueCoat Arts Centre (www.thebluecoat.org.uk) in Liverpool. The programme will include a special section on his Mexico years which proved crucial in his life and literary career.

Malcolm Lowry went to Mexico in 1936 after spending some time the psychiatric ward of Bellevue Hospital in New York City. In an attempt to save his marriage to the famous French actress Jan Gabrial, the couple moved to the city of Cuernavaca. The marriage did not last long and Lowry was left alone in Mexico.

However, the city became the setting of his masterpiece Under the Volcano, also considered one of the greatest novels of the 20-century. In Cuernavaca, Lowry found the perfect landscapes for his groundbreaking novel.

Under the Volcano tells the story of Geoffrey Firmin, a British Consul posted to the small town of Quauhnauhuac (easily recognised as Cuernavaca) and his experiences during the Day of the Dead in 1938.

Later on, he moved to the beautiful city of Oaxaca where his alcohol problems aggravated to the point that rumour has it that Lowry forgot the first draft of his manuscript in bar. Luckily for us readers he got it back pretty quick.

Although living a turbulent and difficult life, it is undeniable that Lowry’s years in Mexico proved to be the most creative of his career. An author that did not published much in life but who left an invaluable legacy for literature lovers and who saw in Mexico a true source of inspiration.

Malcolm Lowry

www.thebluecoat.org.uk

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by cecilia : Tuesday, 6 October 2009

Wine Training at Bibendum (Guest post)

We went to Bibendum Wine to enjoy one of the many perks of our job – wine training! Dan from Bibendum has written a post about the day, including a video where our very own Pedro and Robin describe a fantastic addition to our list:

It’s probably not your average common or garden wine. “Oh yeah, I’ll have your Cabernet/Zin/Barbera/Petite Sirah blend from Baja California please” is not a phrase you’re likely to hear down the local pub. But that is the point of it – this wine is so unique! Estapor Venir is a voluptuous, sinful and downright sexy wine that burst all over your tastebuds like spicy, fruity depth charge. But it’s not something that many diners will have heard about before they sit down so education is key.

Last week Bibendum was very excited to welcome Wahaca staff into our office for a day of wine training. Amanda and Liz took the guys through all the wines on the list, with one eye on the menu and possible food matches. The Estapor Venir has just gone onto the Wahaca wine list and is rich and packed with red and black fruit and hints of chocolate. I think it would work well with a hearty, meaty dish like Pork Pibil or Mole. It has good fruit sweetness which means that it can stand up to chilli and spicier dishes. But don’t listen to me! Why don’t you listen to what the Wahaca guys thought?

Not only is it a great wine that celebrates Mexican produce, but it also has a great story. Produced using sustainable viticulture in the Guadalupe Valley in Baja California, Winemaker Hugo d’Acosta favours Zinfandel and Grenache which are particularly well adapted to the climate and need little intervention. With minimum use of chemicals and only natural fertilisers the vines are encouraged to form long roots and in some vineyards no irrigation is needed at all.

At the “Escuelita” winery, where Estapor is produced, Hugo has set up a non-profit winemaking school. His aim is to promote small-scale winemaking in the area by educating local people about winemaking traditions and teaching them winemaking skills, thereby providing a means of supporting themselves. Built on the site of a former olive oil production plant Hugo and Alejandro have tried to set an example by their own recycling. They have made extensive use of old bed and boxsprings, barrels, wine bottles, vineyard poles, irrigation hoses and plastic bottles by turning these into an art form. Old PET bottles are heated and pressed into layers to use as insulation in the walls and ceilings of new buildings. In time there are plans to make use of solar energy.

And if you’d like to hear what one of the wine trade’s most respected tasters had to say about it, here’s a quick interview with Steven Spurrier (of Decanter Magazine) at our Winestock Festival last year.

Thanks Dan, we’re looking forward to the next training already and look out for Estapor Venir on the menu.