After lunch on Saturday, Crayton and I went on a stroll through Plaza Rio de Janeiro in the Roma neighborhood. An ice cream vendor there caught my eye: she sat under a little tarp, with her metal ice cream cylinders wedged inside ice-packed buckets. Her flavors had been written in a whimsical font. One was fig with mezcal.
“Oooh, fig with mezcal!” I told Crayton.
“Do you want one?”
At this point we’d already walked by the place. “Well… no,” I said. “I shouldn’t.”
We’d just eat lunch. Which had included bacon.
“Are you sure?”
It’s truly astonishing how many times Crayton knows me better than I know me. I did want one, so we went back and I tasted the fig, which ended up being too sweet. But she also had mamey, a popular flavor in Mexico. Unbelievably, despite my mamey obsession, I hadn’t tried mamey ice cream yet. So I got one scoop.
I can’t even describe to you how good it was. It was kind of pumpkiny, and melon-y, and I think I detected some cinnamon. This morning I woke up thinking about it. And then I thought: I need to have an ice cream tasting party. I will gather all my ice-cream loving friends, make an ice-cream themed music mix, and then churn up three Mexican-inspired ice creams that I’ve been dreaming of lately: mamey, crema and piloncillo. We will have mamey splits, like a banana split, but better. We’ll cover our scoops with pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts. We’ll drink Kahlua-spiked coffee. (Which isn’t ice cream-ish, but fun nonetheless.)
This is going to happen. Stay tuned.
11 Responses to Mamey ice cream
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Who is Mija?
Mija is Lesley Téllez, a food writer and culinary guide in New York City. I spent four years in Mexico's Distrito Federal, which launched my deep love for Mexican food and culture. In 2010 I co-founded the tourism company Eat Mexico.
RE: ice cream tunes… at a recent gig, I played a live blend of the vocals from Dorrough’s “Ice Cream Paint Job” over Raekwon “Ice Cream” instrumental. More novelty inside-jokey jam than actual banger, but might be appropriate for an ice cream themed soiree.
I agree! If you happen to have it on mp3, I would love to hear it. (I’m adoring “Ice Cream Paint Job” right now.) Also up for any more ice-cream themed music suggestions. All I can think of is Sarah McLaughlin’s “Your Love is Better Than Ice Cream,” and I think it may be banished because it reminds me too much of my whiny, 18-year-old college student days.
Lesley, finally getting around to checking your blog’s recent entries, and . . . oh, how I wish I could wing it to your ice cream party. I have never heard of “mamey,” ditto for “piloncillo” . . . but I love all kinds of ice cream and your Mexican-inspired recipes sound yummy. Pumpkin seeds sound better than walnuts, and despite not having any idea what a mamey anything tastes like, I am now, curiously, craving a “mamey split”! Can’t wait to hear more about it all.
What, no chicharron or mole? Well, how about including pine nut?
http://uhohdisco.com/2009/08/01/early-morning-music/
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muscles track – ice cream
http://thecargoculte.blogspot.com/2009/09/blood-libel.html
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maybe too psych for a party, depends on what you put in the ice cream, but “celebrate the body electric” is a great song (from the album “ice cream spiritual”)
http://clubbassandwine.blogspot.com/2009/10/kool-karlo-ice-cream-hanjob-midtempo.html
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awesome remix
So, you should put Cibo Matto’s Viva La Woman album in your iPod, select the “White Pepper Icecream” track and hie thee to Chiandoni for the Mamey Ice Cream and a scoop of black zapote nieve. Do it now! I mean, you will really enjoy it with your squeeze. It is a fantastic date place. It is on Pennsylvania at Eje 5 Sur, West of Insurgentes, South of Churibusco just north of the bull fighting ring. Go there and let me know what you think. Enjoy! P.s. I wish I could be there and be invited to the icecream party even though we’ve never met and I am not in DF anymore. Sigh… If you happen to plan something between Dec. 3-9, let me know, I’ll be in town.
Thanks Sarah Ruth. Chiandoni sounds awesome. And I will be in town during those dates, and possibly planning my ice cream social around then. We should get together!
What a fun idea. Let us know how it goes.
Hello Lesley,
I am glad I came across your blog, I’ve been always curious to know how people from other countries pass the time in here and fourtunately I found your blog showing good things relative to Mx instead of those “complaining” blogs. Ok, so If you loved the mamey Ice cream I defintely recommend “licuado de mamey” (mamey with milk and sugar like a milkshake) there are many places around where you can give it a try.
If you are near to condesa a good place to visit is “Frutos prohibidos”
Ámsterdam 244-B
Esquina con Michoacán
Col. Condesa
Tel. 5264-5808
have a great day!
Peace out
Omar
Nieve de mamey by Gloria Trevi
Ay Lesley, Mamey and Chico Zapote are my favorite fruits and the ones I miss the most, as I can’t find them in this country.