羽アリ？イグアナ？地元食材に仰天しつ本場の味をたっぷり満喫

By Joseph A. Lieberman, Photojournalist

メキシコ文化の本質ともいえるバイオリン、ギター、ベース、ビウエラを演奏する音楽隊・マリアッチ。レストランでマリアッチが迎えてくれることも！

　The rainy season had just begun in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Emerging from our hillside home that morning, we found an unpleasant surprise -- hundreds of large winged ants had suddenly appeared.

　Their transparent wings and waspish shape looked formidable, but none were flying. Most were dead and a few crawled feebly. Down below, an elderly woman was picking them up with a delighted look on her face. I couldn't imagine why she wasn't sweeping them into the trash.

　"There are plenty more up there," I told her in Spanish. She looked up with glee. "Si? Es bueno a comer," she replied. "They are good to eat."I could hardly believe it. She was biting off the abdomen of each one. Not even cooking it. Later, a close Mexican friend told me, "It's not desperation or hunger -- the ants are delicacies! I've eaten them myself."

　"To each their own," I replied. My choice for breakfast at the River Café that day was far more conservative. "Sliced tropical fruit, a spinach, onion and mushroom Florentina omelette, chocolate-chip hotcakes, and corn chips with avocado, beans and salsa," I requested from manager Angel Rivas Matos, otherwise known as Señor River.

　"I worked at a Japanese restaurant in Mexico City called Sakura before coming here," Señor River said. "Both I and this café are named for the Cuale River, which flows around us on its way to the blue Pacific, just 300 meters away."

　Other restaurants are right on the beach, offering great sunset views. The best of these is "La Palapa," a reference to its palm-frond roof.

　Casual in atmosphere, chef Luiz Maya's cuisine is the height of international elegance, blending flavors from different cultures. His Thai chicken-coconut soup with bamboo and mushroom is equal to any in Bangkok, and his roasted pork pot stickers (gyoza) could compete anywhere.

　"Of course, Japan also influenced me," Maya said. "My pan-fried snapper and chorizo is topped by zucchini blossom tempura. The ahi tuna tartar weds wasabi soy and foamy Huichol sauce. The Huichol Indians are native to this region."

　In the city, many restaurants cater to what tourists expect from Mexico. Pipis supplies that in full measure, with generous portions, mariachi music, and a dedicated guacamole chef who prepares the famous avocado-chili salsa beside your table. Avocado also shows up in the spicy Aztec soup. A seafood specialist, Pipis offers shrimp burritos or brochettes, and popular, sustainable dorado in many styles.

　To taste truly genuine local cooking, however, I headed to some outlying towns with a Vallarta Adventures guide. In a small mountain village where people garden their own food and use outdoor clay ovens, we met a grandmother and granddaughter who taught us how to make tortillas by stone-grinding corn soaked overnight in lime, salt and pepper.

　"The round shape honors the sun god," the granddaughter said. When I asked the grandmother what other foods were favorites here, she smiled and answered, "Iguana. Delicious." She must have seen me wince, because she quickly added, "And tequila! The magical liquor of agave cactus!"

　At a nearby tequila shop, we saw dozens of varieties, including chocolate, almond and fruit-flavored tequila.

　In the northern beachfront of Puerto Vallarta, we found a culinary celebration that had it all -- classically costumed dancers, a mariachi orchestra, and the largest spread of Mexican food I've ever encountered. The Sheraton Buganvilias offers this as its Thursday evening Sheraton Fiesta, and its even more sumptuous Sunday brunch.

　The choices are daunting. First, an array of salads, including edible cactus with either red pepper and onion, or zucchini and cheese. The next trays hold tamales stuffed with chicken, beef, corn or pineapple. Intriguing hot entreés such as barbecued pork leg and ribs in orange sauce, or "pescado a la talla," a bright red fish, tempt all the senses.

　Because so many dishes are spicy, it's impossible to resist the cooling effect of traditional desserts. Almost all include some kind of fruit, from the citrus coconut or banana cake to the stewed figs in coconut milk and pomelo with stewed plums. What looks like cooked bananas is actually fried plantains.

　It all makes for a sweet ending, but mostly I was pleased because there wasn't a single fried ant or iguana to be seen.

• winged ants　羽アリ
• waspish shape　スズメバチの姿
• crawled feebly　弱々しく這（は）っている
• with glee　大喜びで
• was...one　それぞれの腹部をかじり取った
• spinach...omelette　ほうれん草とオニオンとマッシュルームのフローレンス風オムレツ。フローレンス風とは、ほうれん草を用いた料理
• palm-frond roof　ヤシの葉でできた屋根
• pot stickers　焼き餃子（ぎょうざ）
• pan-fried...chorizo　　焼いたフエダイとチョリソ。チョリソとは、香辛料で味付けした豚肉のソーセージ
• zucchini...tempura　ズッキーニの花の天ぷら
• ahi...sauce　キハダマグロのタルタル わさび醤油と泡状のウイチョルソース添え。ウイチョルは、メキシコの原住民族
• in...measure　十分に
• with...portions　たっぷりの量
• mariachi　マリアッチ。マリアッチとは、軽快なリズムを奏でる音楽、またはその音楽隊
• avocado-chili salsa　アボカドとチリの入ったサルサ。サルサとは、細かく切ったトマトにたまねぎなどを入れたソース
• Aztec soup　アステカスープ。メキシコ古代文明アステカから名付けられたこのスープは、野菜とコーントルティーヤ（コーンの粉で作った薄い生地）が入っている
• shrimp...brochettes　シュリンプブリトーとエビの串焼き。ブリトーとは、トルティーヤと呼ばれる薄い生地に具材を包んだもの
• dorado　魚のシイラ
• stone-grinding... pepper　一晩ライム、塩、コショウに漬けたとうもろこしを石でひくこと
• wince　たじろぐ
• agave　アガーベ。植物の一種
• sumptuous...brunch　ぜいたくな日曜のブランチ。ブランチとは、朝食を兼ねた昼食
• tamale(s)　タマレス。トウモロコシで作った生地の中に具を入れ、トウモロコシの皮で包み蒸したメキシコ料理
• pescado...talla　ニンニク、タマネギ、唐辛子で作ったソースに一晩漬けて焼いた魚
• stewed...milk　ココナッツミルクで煮込んだいちじく
• pomelo...plums　煮たプラムとザボン。ザボンとは植物の一種
• fried plantains　炒めたプランテン。プランテンとは、バナナに似た植物