First of all. It’s not pronounced like this… Its closer to huh – my – ca (the last bit sounds like cup without the p). We are talking about a species of hibiscus whose calyxes are used culinarily and medicinally. The images below are from my garden. The plant/flower is also regularly misidentified (which is kind of a gripe of mine) See Flor de Jamaica … Continue reading Harvesting Jamaica.
*Hibiscuses? (both are valid it seems) A vital component of medicinal herbalism is knowing EXACTLY what plant you are using. This is extremely important if you are taking the plant internally. Knowing a plant with 100% certainty is the equivalent of knowing the difference between milk and orange juice when you go to the fridge. If you don’t know the plant with this level of … Continue reading Flor de Jamaica : A Confusion of Hibisci*
Aguas frescas (1) are fresh (non-alcoholic) drinks made from various fruits (2), cereals (3), flowers (4), or seeds (5) blended with sugar and water. They are ubiquitous in Mexico and Central America and are regularly purchased from street vendors. “cool waters”, or literally “fresh waters” : also called refrescos. Refrescos are also a name for commercially bottled carbonated drinks mango, pineapple, guava, kiwi fruit, cucumber, … Continue reading Recipe : Agua de Jamaica
I came across this recipe for a flor de jamaica jam (1) which made me giggle a little. You see, where I come from, C bomb is a most heinous swear word. This however was not the original authors purpose (I hope). The C Bomb being referred to is a large dose of vitamin C as provided by the calyxes of the hibiscus flower known … Continue reading Flor de Jamaica : The C-Bomb
Also called : Roselle, Rosella, Red sorrel, Karkady, Karkade Another popular street food in México are the agua frescas (fresh waters or cool waters). These are light non-alcoholic beverages which are flavoured with fruits, cereals, flowers, or seeds blended with sugar and water. Chia seed is often added. These drinks are typically served from large barrel-shaped glass containers and can be found in markets, taquerias, tianguis and on … Continue reading Flor de Jamaica (Hibiscus sabdariffa)
Masa Americana 