The Mexico City cheesemonger on a magical drink, a very comprehensive cheese book and a colander full of memories
INGREDIENTS
Bacanora by La Niña del Mezcal »
“This mezcal producer has a similar approach to us. The problem with mezcal is that people are not responsible with agave – it’s a plant that can take up to 50 years to grow. People just chop them down and don’t care for them. So Cecilia Rios Murrieta, the lady who runs the company, is promoting responsible production of mezcal, to help people appreciate and respect it more. There’s a saying in Mexico: ‘Mezcal doesn’t get you drunk, it gets you magical.'” Georgina also has some sal de gusano, or worm salt, by La Niña del Mezcal.
Eskimo de Rompope
“It’s like an eggnog milkshake. Every Sunday my dad would take me to Mercado de la Napoles and we’d stand in the street and drink this – a very happy memory.”
Border Psycho beer »
“I love pairing cheese with beer, it’s something we’ve been doing a lot in our tasting sessions. This brewery in Baja California is one of our favourites – they have a great range. Their beer is always reliable.”
Que Bo! chocolates »
Que Bo!, which we sample at Mercado Roma, makes brightly coloured chocolates with surprising flavours. Our favourite is Pan de Muerto, which references a bread made just before Día de Muertos as an offering to departed loved ones. It’s covered in sugar and decorated with bone shapes. (pictured above)
OBJECTS
Peltre tableware »
“Two years ago I bought a complete set of tableware that I really love. It’s blue and is printed with lovely flowers. What I love about Peltre is that reminds me of my grandmother and all her pots and pans. It’s also very easy to wash because it isn´t heavy. I have a lot of it: cups, plates, spoons, everything.”
Boska cheese knives »
Cheese knives. “I always use these knives, at home and in the shop.”
Georgina’s mother’s yellow colander
“I have a very old, dented and chipped yellow colander. It was my mother’s, and when my brother and I where kids we used to play with it, bashing it with wooden spoons. So it has a lot of memories.”
BOOKS
World Cheese Book, Juliet Harbutt »
“This encyclopedia of cheeses is a trusted resource to understand some of the most iconic cheeses from around the world. I use it when a recipe calls for an specific cheese that you cannot find in Mexico, to come up with a substitution, and also I use it to understand some of the styles that our producers are making. It is very complete, has been translated to Spanish and has good pictures. I only wished it had more Mexican and other Latin American cheese.”
The Art of Fermentation, Sandor Katz »
“This is a very complete book on all things fermented. From sauerkraut, which I love from my time in Germany, to kombucha, which Carlos’s husband makes. I like the flavor or fermented foods, like kimchi and also the Mexican encurtidos [pickles]. I am intimidated by the book, but use it to learn more. A cheesemonger friend of us gave it to me as a present a couple of years ago, and I’m slowly making my way through it. Not a book to read cover to cover, but rather to use as a reference.”