you see the mountains and the rocks. this terrain is not easy on the people. it s very, very tough living, and because of that, they ve had to be very innovative with their cuisine. i m eva longoria, born and bred in texas with mexican american roots, which makes me a texican. i m exploring mexico to see how the people, their lands, and their past have shaped a culinary tradition as diverse as its 32 states. - the food of nuevo león is the food i grew up with. it s like every childhood memory is wrapped up in a flour tortilla for me. the chefs here are inventive and resourceful. - [speaking spanish] - transforming simple ingredients into mouthwatering classics. you guys need a tamale! and age-old recipes into culinary works of art. - one bite? look, go ahead and say adiós to vegetables for a while. [speaking spanish] this is the land of meat. this is definitely a mexican kitchen tool right here. mountains of meat. - but i m not complaining. i love meat. this is amazing! [up
i feel so small. so we are arriving in monterrey. it s literally the land of mountains. that s what it means, king of mountains. i m in the state of nuevo león in northeast mexico. you see the mountains and the rocks. this terrain is not easy on the people. it s very, very tough living, and because of that, they ve had to be very innovative with their cuisine. i m eva longoria, born and bred in texas with mexican american roots, which makes me a texican. i m exploring mexico to see how the people, their lands, and their past have shaped a culinary tradition as diverse as its 32 states. - the food of nuevo león is the food i grew up with. it s like every childhood memory is wrapped up in a flour tortilla for me. the chefs here are inventive and resourceful. - [speaking spanish] - transforming simple ingredients into mouthwatering classics. you guys need a tamale! and age-old recipes into culinary works of art. - one bite? look, go ahead and say adiós to vegetables for a w
- wow, these mountains. look at that! i feel so small. so we are arriving in monterrey. it s literally the land of mountains. that s what it means, king of mountains. i m in the state of nuevo león in northeast mexico. you see the mountains and the rocks. this terrain is not easy on the people. it s very, very tough living, and because of that, they ve had to be very innovative with their cuisine. i m eva longoria, born and bred in texas with mexican american roots, which makes me a texican. i m exploring mexico to see how the people, their lands, and their past have shaped a culinary tradition as diverse as its 32 states. - the food of nuevo león is the food i grew up with. it s like every childhood memory is wrapped up in a flour tortilla for me. the chefs here are inventive and resourceful. - [speaking spanish] - transforming simple ingredients into mouthwatering classics. you guys need a tamale! and age-old recipes into culinary works of art. - one bite? look, go ahea
wow. that s gonna be a lot of meat. - yeah. - that s gonna be good. jorge supplies premium venison to restaurants all over monterrey. - so i m gonna put this in a cooler so you can take it. - and he s kindly giving me a leg joint, one of the tastiest parts of the deer. we re gonna make some tamales, so i m really excited about it. - let me help you carry this. - oh, yeah. you no, you don t help me. you carry it. [both laugh] so many mexican recipes can be traced to the arrival of the spanish in the 1500s, but tamales go back thousands of years. - doña lupita s café, in the backyard of her home right next to highway 85, is famed for her legendary tamales. she s been feeding hungry truck drivers and bikers for over 20 years. and it s a family business. - hola, cindy!
without the all-important corn dough. - oh, it mixes really easy. to make the casing, we spread the dough onto corn husks. - i make tamales at home, but i cannot compete with these pros. you guys go so fast. oh, my gosh.