Comments on: Peeled Walnuts: Awesome, Really

By: Rachel Laudan

Rachel Laudan — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:46:22 +0000

Hi Michael, it’s a huge amount of work. And I think chiles en nogada belongs to such a different tradition that it is hard for outsiders to appreciate.

By: Rachel Laudan

Rachel Laudan — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:44:58 +0000

Roberto, You know Mexican food from the inside, not like me, a foreigner crashing around. Would I be right that the more crema in a nogada sauce, the more commercial/downmarket?

I wish I had had the chance to meet Guadalupe Perez San Vicente. What a contribution she made. But here’s my guess.

A ground nut sauce came with the Conquest. Maybe there was a pre-hispanic equivalent but I’d need evidence. Even in Europe, you could use new walnts (this has to have been seasonal), almonds (not seasonal), or perhaps hazel nuts. It goes way, way back, I think.

Here it could have been adapted to nuez criollo–pecans. Why not? And for all the talk that vino de xerez had to be imported, there’s a very interesting thesis showing it was produced in central north Mexico–haven’t been able to get the book, you know how it is.

So why now a local nuez criollo version even with Mexico-produced vino de xerez?

A practical question? How were the nuts prepared? Small metate? chopping? molcajete? I think this is essential to the story?

By: Michael Warshauer

Michael Warshauer — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:28:06 +0000

I lack the patience to peel walnuts. But we have a friend/neighbor who doesn’t mind doing so. But she also is patient enough hand weave superb baskets of long, Michoacán pine needles.

She and her husband also love chiles en nogada, a dish of which I am not a fan. But I’ll admit that hers are pretty good.

Saludos,
Mike

By: Ji-Young Park

Ji-Young Park — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:00:29 +0000

Perhaps it was covered in another post. Any idea if nogada sauces are related to white gazpacho?

By: Roberto

Roberto — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:12:41 +0000

Wonderful Rachel, made me think of all the nogadas i have seen.
you know that very traditional “Nogadas’ are made with just water, sometimes added with a small piece of goat cheese or othe quesos rancheros depending on area, and some times they are made with a dash of cream. my beloved and begone Friend Guadalupe Perez San Vicente, recognized food historian, actually accepted the Nogadas made with Pecans! as traditional and she said that both, the ones made with peeled walnuts and the ones made with pecans and Vino de Xerez neede to be considered as traditional. what do you think? some of my friend are OK with this theory but some are definitely not! as you would imagine!
I am ok with it.
Roberto