Why does my jar of La Preferida jalepenos come with carrots in it?
Are we talking whole or chopped carrots? I personally like the taste of carrots with jalapenos, so perhaps many others do too.
Are you complaining or just curious?
They are carrot slices, if I remember the brand correctly.
Marinated carrots are tasty. Other than that, I have no idea.
I thought they were jalapenos (I could show off and stick a tilde above the n, but it’s too much trouble, and doesn’t advance the point of my spelling quibble). Anyway, at the Mexican food lunch counters that abound here in the OC, pickled jalapenos and carrot slices is a pretty standard free condiment. I’m going to say because it’s a popular combination to have the crunchies in with the smooshies, and the producers have found that they sell better with the pickled carrots than without.
Huh.
This is the first brand I’ve bought that has them. Just curious, I guess. Is this a more authentic Mexican thing?
(Oh, and I changed the spelling of “jalapenos”, like three times. Brain fart. Just looked weird no matter how I spelled it!)
It’s a traditional condiment; jalapenos en escabeche (pickled). In the mix are onions and spices, too. The carrots do add a good break of color. Like southern chow-chow, Italian giardiniera, and Indian pickles, it’s intended as a vinegary flavor contrast to a meal.
Here’s one recipe.
“Jalapeno” is from the area of the peppers origin in Mexico; Xalapa, Veracruz.
One of our local Mexican fast food restaurants, Beto’s (very authentic), also offers a jalapeno-carrot “salad” as a free condiment. You won’t find it at Taco Bell or Tex-Mex chains, but it seems to be normal enough for authentic Mexican food.
Hmmmm. Sounds like it’s gonna be yummy on my turkey burger!
Note to self - for more authentic jalapenos, get them at Target!
This mix of jalapeños with other ingredients is known as fruta en vinagre and is a staple condiment on restaurant and home tables here. Many taquerías make their own and it sometimes includes other types of chiles such as serranos or green papaya slices. If you carefully at the labels of the products in the link you’ll see the papaya.
Another thing to note… I sometimes get imported Mexican Hot Sauce from the Dollar Store. I’m not sure of the brand name, but it is bright red, medium spicy, and rather thick in consistency and its primary ingredient is carrots, as well. I think I remember Rick Bayless commenting on his “Mexico: One Plate at a Time” series that carrots are a popular ingredient in many traditional, Mexican Hot Pepper Sauces.
It started with two people, one carrying a bowl of carrots, the other carrying a bowl of Jalapenos, colliding in a doorway… “Hey! You got your Jalapenos in my carrots!..”