Vol. 51 — Corn, Chile and the Midnight Taquería
Mexico
From Oaxaca to the Yucatán coast
Standfirst
Masa ground before sunrise, chiles toasted on a comal, a trompo of al pastor turning under pineapple. Mexico cooks in colour — and it has been doing it far longer than the map has existed.
Chapter One
Corn first, everything after
Every Mexican meal traces back to a pot of corn simmered with lime and left to rest overnight. Ground into masa the next morning, it becomes tortillas, tamales, sopes, gorditas, tlacoyos and tlayudas — one dough, a dozen shapes, each belonging to its own region and hour of the day.
Then the chiles. Guajillo for depth, ancho for sweetness, chipotle for smoke, habanero for the heat that arrives a beat late. Toasted, soaked, blended into salsas and moles that make Oaxaca taste nothing like Yucatán, and Yucatán nothing like the north.
Mexico does not season food to disguise it. It seasons food to introduce it.
— On the Mexican kitchen
Chapter Two
The taquería and the coast
Al pastor turns on a vertical spit beneath a crown of pineapple, carved straight onto a small warm tortilla. Barbacoa is wrapped and steamed until it collapses, eaten on weekend mornings with consommé beside it. Tacos are not one dish — they are an entire grammar.
On the coast the palette lightens: tacos de pescado battered Baja-style with cabbage and crema, ceviche cured in citrus and chilli, coctel de camarón in a tall glass with tangy tomato sauce, ordered long before noon and never regretted.
The Mexico poster — al pastor, barbacoa, tlayudas, chiles en nogada, cochinita pibil, pozole, churros, tequila and mezcal drawn as one illustrated kitchen wall.
Chapter Three
Kitchen, bedroom and everyday wear
Pieces for people who make salsa from scratch, defend their family's mole, and know which taquería is still open at midnight.
Apron — Oaxaca
Blanket — Mérida
T-Shirt — Mexico City
Vol. 51 — Corn, Chile and the Midnight Taquería — the pieces
Shop the Mexico pieces
Everything photographed in this issue that is currently in the studio.
Mexico · Apron
Mexico Food Apron
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Mexico · Blanket
Mexico Food Blanket
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Mexico · Food poster
Mexico Food Poster Black
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Mexico · Sweatshirt
Mexico Food Sweatshirt
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Mexico · T-shirt
Mexico Food T-Shirt
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Mexico · Kids poster
Mexico Fun Explorer Kids Poster Black
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Mexico · Pillow
Mexico Guacamole Pillow
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Mexico · Food poster
Mexico Food Poster Pink
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The Collection
The Mexico Collection
Al pastor, barbacoa, tacos de pescado, elote, esquites, tlayudas, tamales, chiles en nogada, cochinita pibil, pozole, chilaquiles, churros, horchata, tequila and mezcal — the Mexican table in one illustrated composition.
Keep exploring
Gifts & celebrations
Where Mexico belongs
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