The Authentic and delectable cuisine of the Páramo (moor)
Mexico
A story told by the Guerrero Torres sisters though their passion for local cuisine.
A project by: María Guerrero Torres
With help of: Raquel Arena Aricó, Nora Muntañola Thornberg, Irmgard Schultz
Introduction
Maria Guerrero Torres, locally and lovingly known as Doña Mari, has a dream of sharing her knowledge about the cuisine of the páramo (moor), a combination of nourishing and delectable dishes from the bounty of her garden/farm accompanied by wild herbs and vegetables. Her culinary book serves as a tapestry interwoven with recipes and tales, a testament to her culinary prowess and the local produce. Throughout her life, she‘s steadfastly upheld the dual pillars that define her existence: cherishing the knowledge passed down by her parents and providing support for her village, Guadalupe.
The village of Guadalupe (Francisco I. Madero) is a small village in Hidalgo state, 200 kilometres from Mexico City. Situated high up in the mountains, at an altitude of 1 800 meters, this place has seen better days. Started as a settlement of miners, and after years of heavy exploitation, the production started to dwindle, with it the jobs available and consequently, the population of the village. These days the habitants are surviving thanks to consignments received from the USA.
In spite of everything Doña Mari stayed committed to her land and through hard work, she managed to create a living out of her passion for her and her family: it is never late or too late to work the land, collect the fruits of your labour, cook and savour the dishes you love.
Objectives
Embarking on a purposeful journey, our adventure unfolds a clear objective: to unveil a sequence of Doña Mari’s recipes that unlock the secrets of the pre-Columbian cuisine, all within the framework of the Otomi people’s perception of nature and community. These recipes, steeped in a blend of humour and tradition, serve as the essential seasoning of Guadelope’s everyday existence. They take us back to a more unhurried era, where the flavours of mole, tamales, bean gorditas, and rabbit with chile reign supreme.
A decade ago, our endeavour began meticulously curating an anthology of recipes and life stories from Mary and her sisters. Now, in this new phase of the project, we are poised to delve deeper. Our focus extends to the vital role that a healthy diet and the utilisation of healing plants and herbs play in the safeguarding well-being. Concurrently, we emphasise the ecological significance of maintaining equilibrium in resource utilisation – a principle deeply ingrained in the consciousness of indigenous communities throughout history.
Recognition
How about cooking a mole with chile rayado, a unique heirloom of Hidalgo state?
Doña Mari
We are convinced that the knowledge and wisdom culinary art passed down to Doña Mari by her parents should not be lost. Therefore, we will be travelling to Mexico in October 2023 to complete our research so that her dream can be relized.
Doña Mari and her sisters Senorina and Nacho have created a captivating collection of recipes and stories of their lives. These readings not only provide you with excellent recipes, they also transmit a sensation of being there, in the fields around Doña Mari’s house, surrounded by prickly pears and purslane.
In spite of her old age, Doña Mari is 87 years old, she and her sisters still maintain a small organic farm. Their sheep, chickens and ducks are fed with natural plants: succulents, different cactuses, for example Mexican fencepost cactus (órgano), and agave are among them. Guerrero sisters share with ancestral wisdom with a personal touch.
Doña Mari’s stews contain her mother’s and her ant’s seasoning that are blended together following the rhythms of violin and flute, to be combine later with the flavours derived from her experience working as a cook in Mexico City.
There she worked with Juan Ibáñez, a film and theatre director, who taught her some of his cooking tricks. In that way, step-by-step Mari began to work on her own food fusion, and with her way of life and the way of feeling the world around her, she created a collection of vegetarian dishes that will leave you speechless.
In search of authentic ingredients.
Have you tried fresh nopales with chile rayado?
After traveling to Spain, France and Germany in the summer of 2013, María started to dream of a very special creative project, to spread the knowledge of the products that she grows on her farm in Guadalupe, and that are later used as ingredients in her dishes. All of the ingredients come from the land and filled with nutrients, that places Doña Mari’s dishes high in the rankings of healthy cuisine.
That year, in 2013, in Le Baratin brasserie, owned by Raquel, in Paris, Doña Mari prepared a traditional mole from Hidalgo, together with fish and bean broth. While she was cooking she explained to us the use of purslane, agave worms, grasshoppers, pumpkin flower and huitlacoche, known as corn truffle or corn mushroom in the cuisine of Hidalgo region.
At that moment of cooking and story telling, shared by Doña Mari, Raquel and Nora, the book of Maria Guerrero and her sisters’ recipes was born. It was a magical moment, that ended in a feast where the guests, made up of Basque and French chefs, savoured the dishes and complemented on Doña Mari’s skills as a chef.
The research part of this project has been done, an we will continue working own this project in October and November of 2023. Incredible and precious culinary knowledge of Guerrero sisters’ won’t be lost.
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Exiting project, that needs your help.
This self–financed project is the result of commitment, respect and admiration for the creativity and resilience of Doña Mari. The dedication and willpower of Guerrero family will give us the necessary energy to achieve it.
We need your collaboration to make this dream come true. To make a donation, you can send it to the account number: ES79 2100 3447 7122 0002 3401
Name: Eleonora Muntañola Thornberg
We thank you for your help!
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