Brands

There was a specific set of questions that prompted me to start this blog.

And as it often does with me, it started with a whinge.

Me, on twitter, ironically noting that the bottom-of-the-barrel “Old El Paso” brand is somehow the brand that made it across the Pacific Ocean to litter the aisles of supermarkets in Australia.

A couple of people asked me: “Well, what else is there, Mr. Know-it-all?!!!” (paraphrased)

So these are the Mexican (and near-Mexican) brands I’ve seen in Oz.

Goya is a big, big Mexican brand, and in Texas there are sometimes whole aisles for Goya.  The product was usually good, and it had an advantage over its American competition in that it was usually 20%-30% cheaper.  It’s basic fare, common in Mexico, and so you won’t see the sleeping-Mexican-under-a-sombrero or sleeping-Mexican-near-a-burro that you’ll see on the Old El Paso labelling.  It doesn’t need it.  I like to keep a couple cans of Goya Black Beans and Pinto Beans on hand for when I’m too lazy to cook beans from dried or defrost them from the deep-freeze.  The Salsa Verde shown here is decent, too.  I can find Goya at Harris Farms, Fiji Mart, and Intercontentinental Foods.

La Costena is another popular brand, and it’s actually my favorite. If you see La Costena anything, get it.  Particularly their tomatillos are really well done  – commonly available other Mexican brands are often too salty or too watery.  Their salsas and jalapenos are very tasty too. I’ve seen La Costena at Fiji Mart (not reliably, though) and even at “Deli for Your Belly” at Glebe Point Road and Wigram.  The online sites in Oz have it sometimes.

Herdez is mostly known for their canned salsas, which are very nice, as canned salsas go. These salsas used to be really, really spicy, so be careful.  Good on Nachos.  Herdez I see at Fiji Market.  And MontereyFoods.com

Cholula is a very tasty hot sauce, as is Valentina.  Cholula is meant to be used sparingly, like Tabasco, but Valentina is more of a table sauce and can be used liberally.  Both are available at Fiji Market.

Hatch isn’t a Mexican brand at all.  It’s from Hatch, New Mexico, the universal locus of green chile goodness.  And not only that, I’ve never seen it here in Australia.  I put it here in case you DO see it.  Puh-leeeze let me know.  I surrender way too much of my baggage weight allowance on cans of this stuff when I travel back and forth to the US.

The So-So Brands
I’ve seen El Mexicana, Faraon, Embasa, and others here in Oz, but their stuff seems second-rate to me.  Too salty, poorer quality produce, etc.  Will do in a pinch, but if you get to pick, go La Costena.  You’ll notice I have some El Mexicana on the shelf there, but I haven’t tried one yet.  The site I ordered it from showed a picture of La Costena, but they shipped me El Mexicana.  Not interchangeable.  Not cool.

Can’t Resist
I was in College Station, Texas last month, and here is an aisle from the middle of the store: All Mexican Products!!!  (Note: Herdez salsa at $0.68 USD, going for about $3.50 AUD in Oz, easily a 500% increase!)