New Year's resolutions, yuca, buñuelos, and mercado de Medellín. / Propósitos de Año Nuevo, yuca, buñuelos y mercado de Medellín.
Plato familiar brasileño y buñuelos colombianos.
Leer en español (abajo).
I hope that these holidays, no matter what you celebrate or believe in, you find yourselves in peace —surrounded by love and laughter— and, either writing or reviewing your New Year's resolutions, because, the truth is, wishes do not come true on their own, and, besides, it is time for us to think about what we can give back to the world, instead of what we can take from it, don't you think?
In this same spirit of gratitude, reunion, celebration, hence, delicious food —as I promised in my last post— here are my tips on where to get the products that I used to reproduce the beautiful Brazilian family plate (at least, a bit close original, I hope) from my friend and fellow food writer, Flavia Schiochet, who guided me all the way from the land of the great Pelé —may he rest in peace— he had his soul in his feet…
Most of the ingredients that I used, can be found in any supermarket. I only had to travel out of my neighborhood —to Roma Sur— for two things: the fresh cassava and the cassava flour, and, while being there, I took the opportunity to buy other things that I also share here, and that made the trip worthwhile (plus, since the López Velarde Garden was renovated, the journey from my house to the area is much more pleasant). I went to the Medellín market (which is officially named Mercado Melchor Ocampo) without much exploration because it is —along with the Lázaro Cárdenas market in the Del Valle neighborhood (although the latter with a smaller offer)— my main reference to get South American, Central American, and Caribbean products in Mexico City, but, if you know any other good options —in this, or any other city— your recommendations are more than welcomed (you can also say hi, suggest recipes, tell me about your New Year’s resolutions, or whatever’s you want)…
CASSAVA, YUCA, OR MANDIOCA FLOUR
These are the three names with which you can find this type of flour, just make sure that it says “flour” and not “starch” because the consistency between the two is quite different. The pack in the photo to the left (below) is the example Flavia sent me, of what she had on hand in her pantry; the one on the right, on the other hand, is the imported flour that I found in the Medellín market. The price (around 200 pesos a kilo) fluctuates between stores and brands and can be bought in bulk in some stalls.
YUCA
This root is less difficult to find in regular supermarkets and markets, but I preferred to play it safe and kill two birds with one stone in Medellín, which, in the end, turned out to be three, because some Colombian buñuelos crossed my path, which I wanted to try and make ever since I published my friend Linita's recipe in this newsletter, and for which she sent me a playlist this year...
Here are her live indications as well… ❤️
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CJHyAq-jpJN/
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