Introduction to Remedies and Recipes
The Costa Chica of Oaxaca is diverse in people with a significant variety of culinary recipes. Some dishes are specific to the Afro-Mexican communities of the coast while others are seen throughout Oaxaca. The recipes contained here come from three different women: Lucila and Juanita of Charco Redondo, and Paula of the island of Chacahua.
Approaching Lucila’s home you find her gate always open. People come and go throughout the day, and more often than not, she is feeding her guests. Lucila’s stove and oven, like many seen throughout the region, are outside. The large appliance is made of an earthen clay and it is fed by firewood. The oven and stove as well as a spacious sitting and eating area rest under a large palapa made of wooden beams and dried palm leaves for cover. Chickens roam freely across the dirt floor crowing and seeking out food scraps.
Lucila lives with and cares for her elderly mother. It is her mother and grandmother who taught her most of the recipes she cooks today. In addition to her cooking recipes she also has extensive knowledge of the native plants that grow in Charco Redondo and how to use plants as medicinal remedies for various ailments.
The staple ingredients in almost every recipe contained here include garlic, onion, and chili, with tomatoes not far behind. The term ‘a la mexicana’ in food includes these 4 ingredients which represent the colors of the Mexican flag (red, white, and green). Food in La Costa Chica takes ‘farm to table’ to a whole new level. Some meat dishes begin with a live animal and by the end of the day the meat has been prepared and eaten and any scraps go to the other animals (pigs, chickens, and dogs). Chicken is rarely cooked as the eggs are considered more valuable than the poultry.
Included here are 30 food recipes and 39 medicinal recipes from La Costa Chica
Herbal remedies and recipes Recipes and Remedies