Se-se-se-Salba!
You remember those ads. Clay lamb and dog statues sprouting thickets of green blades, punctuated by an 800-number and a 2-for-1 offer.
Last year, I was visiting Mexico with my father and some of his colleagues. One day, we went out for lunch at this gorgeous restaurant called Los Danzantes in Coyoacan - Frida Kahlo’s hometown, which is now an incorporated neighborhood in Mexico City.
I ordered a lemonade and when it came, it had tiny seeds throughout, like the seed of a strawberry or kiwi. Like a strawberry seed, also, each had a tiny gel sac. The effect was a satisfying texture and delightfully tart taste. When I asked our friends about the seeds, I was told that they were from the chia plant. As in ch-ch-ch-chia.
Apparently, the hearty seeds were one of the most important foods during the Aztec era. Aztec warriors, during battles, were said to subsist on the seeds alone, which I later learned are the world’s best source of plant-based Omega-3 oils.
When I got back from my trip, I spent a few weekends trying to find sources for my favorite Mexican ingredients. I found locally-grown tomatillos at a farmer’s market and a Mexican grocer in Kensington Market who sells queso de oaxaca, jarred nopales (cactus pads), and canned huitlacoche (corn fungus…better than it sounds!) But much to my surprise, it was incredibly easy to find chia: I had been passing packets of Salba on the shelves of my local health food store for years and soon learned that Salba is a type of Chia, a member of the mint family.
