Mexican Inspired Recipe

In my Ethnic and Therapeutic Meal Patterns course, we cooked themed meals pertaining to different populations and cultures each week —this week was Mexican Cuisine. I chose an authentic-inspired recipe, Tacos De Yaca Carnitas (Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos) from Jocelyn Ramirez, a plant-based chef and advocate for healthy food access for low-income communities of color across Los Angeles. She also founded Todo Verde, a woman of color owned food business that provides healthy plant based, culturally relevant dishes to the East of Los Angeles. Her food is inspired by her Mexican and Ecuadorian background, which are modified traditional recipes passed down for generations within her family.

Tacos De Yaca Carnitas - Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos

Tacos De Yaca Carnitas is a traditional recipe with a modern twist. The traditional aspects of the recipe come from the history of the carnitas and the Spanish expedition (and incorporation of pork), the Spanish and Middle Eastern influences of spices, and indigenous influences of maize, chiles, and tomatoes. This resulted in a blend of Spanish, Middle Eastern, and Indigenous cultures to constitute traditional Mexican cuisine. Mazie tortilla making in particular, is a profound traditional component of the Mexican cuisine. After navigating through her family’s health issues by cooking plant-based meals and witnessing the nutrient poor area of Southeast Los Angeles; she adopted a plant-based lifestyle and has incorporated her authentic Mexican flavoring into healthier alternatives for the Los Angeles community. With keeping Mexican flavors and traditions in mind, she uses jackfruit instead of pork as a more healthful alternative.

Recipe and Ingredients: Although a typical Mexican meal depends on various ethnographic and sociocultural factors, generally the basic Mexican diet has a substratum throughout the country based on corn, beans, tomatoes, tomatillos and chile peppers (“The Americas,” 2011). Several of these were used in the recipe.

Sources:

Ramirez, J. (2020). La Vida Verde: Plant Based Mexican Cooking with Authentic Flavor. Page Street Publishing Co.

"The Americas." Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia, edited by Ken Albala, vol. 2: The Americas, Greenwood, 2011, p. v. Gale eBooks, link-gale-        com.lehman.ezproxy.cuny.edu/apps/doc/CX1513300051/GVRL?u=cuny_main&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=15e809b6. Accessed 31 July 2021.