Hungry for History with Eva Longoria and Maite Gomez-Rejón (My Cultura and iHeartPodcasts)

Eva and Maite dive into the history of street vending and explore the backstory of the taco. Rudy Espinoza, executive director of Inclusive Action for the City, joins the show to share how his organization helps street vendors in Los Angeles. Plus, Hungry For History visits the Piñata District in Downtown LA to talk to Merced Sanchez, an activist and entrepreneur. 

Want to learn more about Inclusive Action for the City? Click here. 

Books discussed in this episode: 

• Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food, Jeffery Pilcher
• Los Angeles Street Food: A History from Tamaleros to Taco Trucks, Farley Elliott
• Food, Health, and Culture in Latino Los Angeles, Sarah Portnoy

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Eva and Maite celebrate Halloween by talking about the evolution of Mexican candies. From ceremonial pre-Hispanic treats to Baroque confections developed in colonial convent kitchens, to modern spicy chamoys, these treats trace Mexico’s complex history. Plus, Maite visits a candy museum in Michoacán, Mexico and Art Historian, Dr. Elizabeth Morán, tells us about the ancient treat, Alegrías. 

Maite’s Recipes:  

• Alegrías 
• Cajeta  

Learn more about el Museo del Dulce (Candy Museum) in Michoacán, Mexico. 

Check out Dr. Elizabeth Morán’s book: Sacred Consumption: Food and Ritual in Aztec Art and Culture 

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Eva and Maite dive into the history of the avocado, a popular ingredient served on Super Bowl Sunday when Americans consume over a hundred million pounds of it. The silky fruit also has aphrodisiac properties making it the perfect topic to explore right before Valentine's Day. Plus, Manuel Treviño of Rosa Mexicano Restaurant in New York City shares his tips on how to make the perfect guacamole.

Maite's Recipes:

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Chocolate Avocado Cake

Avocado Coconut Sorbet

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To celebrate Halloween Maite and Eva sip Vampiros, a blood red Mexican cocktail, while exploring vampire-like characters in Mesoamerican mythology. The ladies dive into history and uncover the connection between chocolate and witchcraft in colonial Latin America. Plus, host of Susto and South Texas native, Ayden Castellanos joins the show to share scary stories from the Texas/Mexico border!

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While still in Veracruz, Eva and Maite unpack the history of rice. Not native to Mexico, the Spanish conquistadores first introduced rice through the port of Veracruz, a city with lush tropical climate that also happened to be perfect for growing it. Like sugar, when its popularity exploded so did the slave trade. Also, Eva shares how she cooks perfectly fluffy Mexican rice and the owners of Horchateria Rio Luna in Paramount, CA tell us the best techniques for making horchata, an agua fresca made of rice. 

Arroz con Leche (a recipe adapted from Maite's mom)

Ingredients: 

• one 2-inch cinnamon stick
• two 2-inch strips of orange or lemon zest
• 1 ¾ cups water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup rice
• 3 cups milk
• ¾ cup sugar
• ground cinnamon for dusting, optional

Instructions:

• Put the water, cinnamon stick, orange zest and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the rice, cover and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.  
• Remove the cinnamon stick and zest then add the milk and sugar to the pan. Set over medium-low heat and simmer until the mixture just begins to thicken – It should be about as thick as heavy cream, but not thicker, 15 to 20 minutes.  
• Dust with ground cinnamon and serve warm, cold, or at room temperature.
• Makes about 4 cups

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Eva and Maite kick off season 2 exploring the history of some of their favorite Latin American cocktails, classic bartender’s manuals, Prohibition and more! Maite chats with Marlene Olarra, the beverage director at Nativo in Highland Park, who prepares classic American cocktails with a Latino twist. Salúd!

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Still in Veracruz, where coffee first entered Mexico, Eva and Maite explore how this exhilarating beverage changed the world. From its place of origin in Africa to the first coffeehouses and intellectual movements, Eva and Maite dive deep into this topic. Plus, Eva shares her espresso tequila martini recipe and two guests join the show - Fernando Diaz of Proyecto Diaz Coffee and Rosalba Cifuentes Tovia of Mayan Harvest.

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Eva and Maite invite Claudia Serrato to join the show! Claudia is an Indigenous culinary anthropologist, a public scholar, a doctoral candidate, a professor of ethnic and food studies, and an Indigenous/Mesoamerican traditional plant based chef. Together they discuss the concept of decolonizing the diet and how one returns to cultural heritage foods. 

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By far, the greatest gift Mexico has given the world is chocolate. While Eva and Maite eat fresh cacao beans, they explore the rich history of the 4,000-year-old cacao tree which the Mayans believed was the bearer of all life and the reason their civilization came into existence. Plus, Amelia Gonzalez Garcia - Founder and CEO of Casa de Chocolates, shares why supporting fair-trade products is so important.

Learn more about Casa de Chocolates here.  

In Los Angeles? LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes has a new exhibition - The Legacy of Cacao. Curated by Maite, you can visit it now through April 30, 2023.  

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In Aztec mythology the fertility goddess, Mayahuel, is the personification of the agave plant - the source of some of the most delicious spirits in Mexican culture. Eva and Maite talk about the ritual significance of pulque, a fermented drink, to the introduction of distillation techniques post-conquest and the first mezcal, all while drinking margaritas! Ivan Vasquez, owner of Madre Restaurant in Los Angeles, shares his thoughts on mezcal. 

Learn more about Ivan Vasquez and Madre Restaurant here. 

Click here to try Chica Salte! 

Maite’s Margarita Recipe 

Ingredients:  

• 2 ounces of Tequila Blanco 
• 1 ounce of lime juice 
• ½ an ounce of triple sec 
• ¼ ounce of agave 

Instructions: 

• Fill a cocktail shaker up halfway with ice.  
• Add lime juice, tequila, triple sec and agave. 
• Cover and shake until your fingers feel like they have frostbite.  
• Serve in a glass with a salted rim. Enjoy!

Try Casa Del Sol.   

Check out Rejon Tequila.   

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Eva and Maite celebrate Women's History Month by diving into the past to explore two Latinas from California who revolutionized cookbooks - Encarnación Pinedo and Elena Zelayeta. Plus, Chef Claudette Zepeda of Top Chef fame sends us a message!

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Eva and Maite discuss the history of sugar and dive into the brutal aspects that are rarely discussed when talking about Mexican history. Maite walks through the streets of La Huaca, a neighborhood in Veracruz, Mexico. Plus, Melanie Lino, baker and owner of Made By Lino, talks about pan de batata.

Find out more about Melanie Lino and her bakery here. 

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Eva and Maite explore the history of the humble bean while still in the small medieval village of Peralada, Spain. Plus, the women cook a 2-day bean dish, and special guests drop by to taste test their soup - Pepe, Eva's husband, and actor Amaury Nolasco.

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While in Peralada, Spain - Eva and Maite trace how wine first arrived in Mexico. Like olive trees, wine was introduced after the conquest and was banned from being produced when it became a direct competition to wine production in Spain. Plus, Eva shares how she became a wine enthusiast and the women do a taste test.

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Here’s a little-known fact you might not have known... The beer industry might be dominated by men today but women were the original brewers and played a vital role in beer’s popularity! In this episode, Eva and Maite explore beer’s fascinating history. Plus - Carmen Velasco Favela, owner and founder of Mujeres Brew House, an all-female run / Latina-owned craft beer company in San Diego, CA joins the show.

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Eva and Maite travel to Papantla, Mexico - home of vanilla. Founded by the Totonacs, vanilla's first cultivators, the city of Papantla is the perfect place to explore the history of this edible orchid native to Mexico. Plus, Maite attends a Voladores de Papantla rain ceremony and Eva pollinates a vanilla bean at a farm called, Gaya Vanilla. 

Vanilla Chicken Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken cutlets
• 2 vanilla beans, spilt lengthwise and seeds scraped
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 a cup of heavy cream
• 1/2 a cup of ricotta 

Instructions: 

• Place chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper and, using a mallet, pound to 1/3-inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the butter in a large skillet set over medium-high. Add the chicken and cook about 3 minutes per side or until cooked through.
• Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
• In the same skillet, sauté the onion until soft and transparent.
• Add the vanilla seeds to the onions and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Place the vanilla infused onions and butter in a blender along with the heavy cream and ricotta. Blend until smooth.
• Pour the sauce back into the skillet set over low heat and cook for about 3 mins.
• Return the chicken to the sauce and simmer over low heat for about 5 mins.
• Enjoy with corn tortillas and fried plantains. 

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The Mexican torta is a sandwich stuffed with some of the most delicious ingredients Mexico has to offer including beans, avocado, queso, jalapeños, and of course meat. Although the history of its origin is debated, the result of its influence is clear. In this episode, Eva and Maite dive into the history of this Mexican staple. Also, Chef Bryan Ford whose new podcast, The Flaky Biscuit, launches on April 11th sends us his thoughts on the luscious torta!

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Eva and Maite head to the kitchen to prepare a deconstructed bacon wrapped hot dog recipe from Eva’s new cookbook. And they share lots of history of course! From the earliest references to sausages in antiquity, to how said sausage found two warm pieces of bread to snuggle into, how immigrants transformed it into our favorite baseball food and how the humble sausage found bacon and chiles in Mexico. This episode is all about creativity!

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In this episode of Hungry For History, we explore how the past has contributed to today's exploitation of farm workers. From the Spanish Conquest in Mesoamerica to the Bracero Program, the establishment of the United Farm Workers of America, and the aftermath of NAFTA - Eva and Maite analyze the dynamics that affect the people who feed us.

Want to watch Eva's documentary Food Chains? Learn how here!

Follow Narsiso Martinez's work here.

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To celebrate the launch of Eva’s new cookbook, Eva and Maite talk about how cookbooks can serve as windows into cultures and histories. They discuss the first published cookbooks (one of which involves a plagiarizing scandal!), cookbook history in Mexico, and how recipes can serve as a form of activism.

Books discussed in this episode include:

Libro de cocina de Fray Geronimo de San Pelayo, 18th century

Libro de cocina Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, 17th century

UTSA’s Mexican Cookbook 

Recetario para la memoria

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Eva and Maite celebrate the new season by making their favorite cocktail, the Paloma! 

For one cocktail:

• 1.5 oz tequila
• 1.5 oz grapefruit juice
• 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
• 1/4 oz agave
• Put in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake.
• Strain into ice filled glass and top off with a splash of grapefruit soda. 

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Garlic lovers, Eva and Maite take us back in time to unravel the mysteries of Garlic, a vegetable with medicinal properties used mostly to flavor food. Eva attempts to convert non egg eater, Maite, into a fan by making a garlicky egg dish from her cookbook, Huevos con Jocoque! 

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From how it arrived in Mexico to how it would become one of the most indulgent ingredients in Mexican dishes, Eva and Maite dive into the history of cheese. Also, chef/owner Teresa Montaño of Otoño restaurant in Highland Park, CA - sends us tips on how to make the perfect charcuterie board.

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When and where was pasta invented? How did sopita de fideo and mac and cheese become classic comfort foods in Mexico and the United States? Eva and Maite explore these questions and more as they trace the history of our favorite comfort foods and head to the kitchen to cook Tacos de Fideo from Eva’s new cookbook. 

Try Maite's Mac and Cheese Recipe HERE! 

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Tamales are enjoyed all year round but become the center of the Mexican household around the holidays, a testament to the 10,000 year old dish with roots in Mesoamerica. In this episode, Eva and Maite unwrap the history of tamales while taste testing some from Tamales Olmeca in Los Angeles. Plus, a listener sends in a message sharing her family's tradition of making and eating tamales during Christmas. 

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While still in Spain, which produces the most olive oil in the world, Eva and Maite explore the history of the olive tree. Known in mythology as the immortal tree because it can live for thousands of years, it was first introduced to Mexico early on during the conquest. Production of olive oil would eventually be forbidden in 1777 by Spain's King Charles III, who felt threatened when Mexico's product grew in popularity. Also, the women do a taste test, and Eva fries eggs drenched in olive oil for her husband.

**In this episode we address how some olive oil labeled "extra virgin" can sometimes be misleading. Here is an article if you would like to learn more. 

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Hungry for History is back! Welcome to season two, ya'll. - Eva and Maite

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In honor of all the Thanksgiving holiday cooking, Eva and Maite celebrate home cooks by highlighting two culinary figures in Mexican history who revolutionized the idea of recipes and cookbooks – Vicenta Torres de Rubio and Josefina Velázquez de León. Also, Maite visits a San Judas Tadeo celebration of thanks in Montebello, CA organized by Chef Elsa Chan, one of the founders of Ek’Balam Yucatan Cuisine.

Learn more about Chef Elsa Chan here.

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On this episode, Eva and Maite explore the history of the mighty potato which was first cultivated in Peru by the Inca people thousands of years ago. 

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On this special episode of Hungry For History we celebrate two Afro-Mexican food establishments in Los Angeles, CA. One is a food truck in the city of Watts that has been around for almost 30 years called, Tamales Elena y Antojitos - the other is Pan Estilo Copala, a bakery tucked away in a garage and located in Compton. Plus, Ebony Bailey, a self-proclaimed Blaxican, joins Eva and Maite to talk about her work exploring cultural intersections, diaspora, and social movements. 

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Eva and Maite explore the backstory of this delicious vegetable that was first cultivated in Mesoamerica. From seeds to salsa, marinara to ketchup, to its bad reputation when it arrived to Europe - the history of the tomato is a unique one. Also on this episode, chef/owner of Holbox Restaurant in Los Angeles, Gilberto Cetina, joins us to talk about how the tomato is a jack of all trades.

Maite's Gazpacho Recipe

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Eva and Maite kick off the series with the tortilla, a staple in Mexican cuisine and the source of a centuries-long conundrum... corn or wheat? The women taste test Eva’s homemade flour tortillas and try some from Sonoratown, a casual destination for Northern Mexican-style tacos in Los Angeles. Maite visits Acapulco Mexicatessen in East LA to experience the nixtamalization process. Plus, Jorge Gaviria, founder of Masienda, shares his thoughts on the corn vs flour debate. 

Check out Jorge Gaviria’s new book! MASA – Techniques, Recipes and Reflections on a Timeless Staple  

Learn more about Sonoratown here.

Find out all about Acapulco Mexicatessen here. 

Eva’s Flour Tortillas aka HEB - Mother's Flour Tortillas 

Ingredients: 

• Recipe makes 12 Servings 
• 2 cup(s) All Purpose Flour  
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder  
• 1 Tsp Iodized Salt  
• 1/2 cup(s) Crisco All Vegetable Shortening  
• 2/3 cup(s) water, warm 

Instructions: 

• Mix flour, baking powder, salt and shortening in bowl. 
• Add warm water, knead with one hand until dough is well mixed. 
• Form into medium size balls. 
• Roll out each ball into a thin circle. 
• Place on hot griddle, cook one side for about 1 minute, then turn and cook the other side completely until well done. 

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Did you know most chiles found around the world originated in Mexico? On this episode, Eva and Maite explore the vast history of chiles and even do a taste test along the way! Plus, friend of the show Ivan Vasquez, owner of Madre Restaurants in Los Angeles, returns to share his thoughts on how important chiles are in Oaxacan cuisine and as part of his culture as a whole. 

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As South Texans, Eva and Maite have carne asada flowing through their veins! Join them as they talk about the history of grilling meat, cowboy culture, and how Mexican barbacoa paved the way for American barbecue.

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Dia de Los Muertos wouldn’t be the same without pan dulce. Our hosts explore the history of wheat and pan dulce, with a focus on the ubiquitous concha. Mexico City baker and instructor, Eliceo Lara, shares his childhood recipe for rebanadas. 

Eliceo Lara’s Rebanadas Recipe  

Instructions:  

• Cut a loaf of bread into thick slices. Sourdough or brioche work great.  
• Make a simple buttercream by incorporating 1/3 cup of room temperature butter and 1/3 cup of powdered sugar.    
• Spread buttercream on your sliced bread.  
• Separately, add a layer of regular granulated sugar to a flat plate.  
• With the buttercream slide facing down, press your sliced bread to the sugar on the flat plate.  
• When you lift it - the top of your bread (the side with buttercream) should be left with a thin crunchy layer of sweetness.  
• That’s it! Enjoy with your coffee or tea in the morning.  

Want to take an online cooking class with Eliceo? Learn more here.  

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What started off as a treat only enjoyed by the elite soon took over as a yummy bite that all could enjoy. Eva and Maite dive into the origins of nieve (ice cream) and also explore how this dessert was elevated when sugar was added. Plus - chef/owner Fany Gerson, of La Newyorkina (a frozen treats and baked goods shop in New York) joins the show to talk about why she decided to open up a company dedicated to the sweetness of Mexico. 

Maite's Recipes:
Tequila Ice Cream (Yummy with Mezcal, too!)
Acocado Coconut Sorbet
Hibiscus Lime Granita

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Eva and Maite take a trip down memory lane as they explore the unique past of Tex-Mex food. From the unknown history of the San Antonio Chili Queens to the difference between Tejano and Chicano, the ladies dive into the rich cuisine that is Tex-Mex.

Maite's Chili Queen-Style Chile con Carne

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Eva and Maite reflect on the highlights from the season and discuss the changing perceptions of Mexican food in the United States. Plus, award-winning Chef Ray Garcia, formerly of Broken Spanish and BS Taqueria, now of asterid in Downtown Los Angeles - shares his experiences as a Mexican-American breaking ground in the culinary world.

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Eva and Maite ring in 2023 in the small medieval village of Peralada, Spain. While drinking bubbly, the women discuss the history of some of the most iconic Latin American holiday traditions. From posadas to eating bacalao to enjoying ponche navideño, Eva and Maite celebrate the new year by exploring some of the traditions they grew up with and those they still enjoy today.

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