Prior to our vacation, we tried for weeks and weeks to locate a tea room in Cancun or the Yucatan Peninsula region, but to no avail. At best, some of the resorts advertised Afternoon Tea, but we weren't sure what they might include, and since we have experienced hotel teas previously, we didn't want to necessarily take an afternoon to visit another hotel. So, we simply gave up on the idea of experiencing Afternoon Tea in Mexico, and opted for a visit to
Tea on the Tiber as a prelude to our Mexican journey. When we arrived at our resort, we were indeed treated to what might be considered an Afternoon Tea, buffet style. As registration was taking place, we were offered this beautiful array of tea time tidbits.
I can personally attest that they were all very yummy!
From finger sandwiches, to stuffed cherry tomatoes, to a beautiful bowl full of Mexican salsa, we enjoyed a savory repast as our first introduction to the bounty that would be shared with us during our stay.
The petite desserts amazed me, crafted by an obviously quite talented pastry chef. Truffles, the tiniest little cream filled swans with chocolate heads, and fabulous candies.
Although our treats were accompanied by a glass of champagne instead of tea, this was an acceptable Afternoon Tea in my book, one to remember.
Part of the Agavaceae family, all of the more than two hundred species of Agave originated in the Americas. By the time the Spaniards invaded the highlands of Mexico, indigenous Americans had used wild agaves for food and fiber for at least 9,000 years! Aztecs used agave for food, fiber, paper and beverages for several centuries. Mexicans use the flowering stalks for fishing poles and building materials. The fibers weave blankets, nets, cloth and paper. Also it was once used as a valuable source of water and nutrition in isolated areas. Today it is still used commercially to produce hard fibers: rope and twine. Residue from the fiber production yields a commercial wax and of course let's not forget Mescal and Tequila! Agave when slightly fermented produces a mild intoxicant which the Aztecs heavily regulated and used only ceremoniously. However, it was not until the indigenous people were introduced to distillation process that we got the highly intoxicating beverages. Agave is sometimes called Century plant because it only blooms once a year in its final year in life. The folklore is it bloomed only once every 100 years but in truth the life span of the species ranges from 8 - 30 years. It can be difficult to distinguish one species from another. Pictured above is Agave tequilana, blue agave used for beverages including Agave nectar or syrup, often used as a substitute for sugar. Yucca,
which is often grown as an ornamental plant in many gardens is also a member of the Agavacae family. Only the creamy white flowers and fleshy fruit of the Yucca are edible but the roots, trunk and heart are not. My good ole Joy of Cooking Cookbook provides a recipe for frittered Yucca flowers. Yucca root provides an amazing laundry soap or shampoo! Yucca will bloom early and most every year. Yuccas also have a needle point on the end of the sword like leaves. Yucca is not to be confused with Yuca (cassava) which we will discuss later.
demonstrated the great strength and speed of these marine mammals.
