Each Wednesday, Linda Harley, known as “AbueLinda” (Grandma Linda), weaves her way through Ajijic’s open-air market, or tianguis, along with a handful of wide-eyed students eager to learn all about the local Mexican fare.
They may gain a deeper understanding of Huichol art, discover what a guasana is or realize that jericalla is a baked custard, unique to Jalisco and Nayarit. Harley chats with vendors in her perfect Spanish while buying ingredients for the full-course “comida corrida” that the students will help prepare in her cozy kitchen space.
Harley’s three-hour “Tianguis to Table” tour costs 500 pesos and includes useful information on Mexican ingredients and culture, hands-on instruction, and a chance to enjoy the prepared gourmet dishes, complete with recipes. Since students can bring their favorite beverage to share, wine and tequila may accompany the meal.
During the stroll through the marketplace, Harley pauses at various stalls to point out unique items, such as the “herbal remedies” lady who sells tinctures and teas for all kinds of ailments, from kidney issues to sleep disorders to nagging coughs.
“There’s even a tea for the husband with roving eyes,” says Harley. “Many of the teas taste horrible on their own, but add a little brandy and that fixes the problem.”
At another stall, students learn which ingredients are indispensable for one of Mexico’s most popular traditional, patriotic dishes: Chiles en Nogada, a dish that replicates the colors of the Mexican flag.
At a berry stall, Harley confirms that Jocotepec, west of Ajijic, has become the berry capital of the world.
“They just designated more than 12,000 acres for Driscoll China,” she says.
Meandering further, they stop at a crowded stall operated by a large family from Octolan.
“Each family member specializes in their own thing,” Harley explains. “From yoghurt and cheese to chorizo and jericalla.” She proceeds to buy enough jericalla to feed her group of students.
Having made their way through the entire tianguis, the group then heads to Harley’s kitchen six blocks away. Each participant dons an apron while awaiting Harley’s instructions, then gets busy chopping, peeling, rinsing, grating and stirring. Meanwhile, Harley’s helper, Olivia, blends up and serves glasses of tasty agua fresca.
Before moving to Ajijic three years ago, Harley ran AbueLinda’s Cuisine in Puerto Vallarta. Before that, she worked as a chef in New York City. Originally from Venezuela, she calls herself a Mexican, having lived in Mexico prior to her time in New York. Between her culinary expertise and her extensive travels, including 35 years living and cooking throughout Latin American and the Caribbean, she has much to bring to the culinary table.
Last week’s class of nine students (including this writer) were made up of Ajijic residents and visitors from the United States. One Ajijic couple had taken the class prior, loved it and was back for more.
“Jicama is a tuber,” says Harley as she demonstrates. “First peel, then slice the jicama very thin, like this.”
Next comes the rice. “Always rinse rice well since it’s coated with talc to prevent sticking. We want to eat perfectly cooked rice, grain-by-grain.” She places the rinsed rice in one of her burnished clay pots and set the timer for 14 minutes.
“These clay pots, which are 100 percent from the earth, are made by a handful of women in a small village, four hours from Puebla. The town has very few men because most have gone north of the border for work. The ones remaining have no interest being potters.”
A variety of these pots are for sale in her kitchen. She buys them from the village women then turns around and sells them. Her profits help feed the poor ladies – the lakeside weavers.
“If we didn’t have use of a blender, our agua fresca would have to be made in a molcajete – a mortar and pestle,” Harley continues. “This was possibly Mexico’s first appliance, maybe 40 years ago, when most rural homes didn’t have a refrigerator. It isn’t the custom for villagers to eat leftovers and they don’t buy in bulk. Perhaps someone would sell them a bag of ice or an ice chest, and that’s all they needed.”
When it was time to eat, the students sat around a long table dining on their creations: a jicama salad with grapefruit, cauliflower and grated carrot; chorizo verde poblano with new potatoes; pollo encacahuatado (chicken in peanut sauce); Mexican rice, nopales and cilantro salad, and for dessert, jericalla.
Harley feels passionate about keeping Mexico’s traditional culinary culture alive.
“Mexico has given the world more ingredients than any other country,” she says. “There are 64 ethnic groups in Mexico and every group has its own special foods. In reality, their food is much healthier than what a lot of others around the world eat. Most Mexicans don’t give their traditional food its merit and tend to eat more processed foods than they used to. That’s why it’s important that we carry this food forward. This is my mission. This is why I do what I do.”
For information about attending a class, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">.