My Mexican Grandma's Old-School Method for Making Her Home Smell Like Fall

"An olla aromática is a simmer pot, and it's incredibly easy to make. More than likely, you already have everything you need in your kitchen. The women in my family always use some sort of combination of the following ingredients: Mexican vanilla, cinnamon sticks, orange slices, piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar), cloves, apple slices, coffee beans, pumpkin, cardamom, and star anise."

"Every year I'd watch my mom prepare each pot, which she learned from my dear grandmother (who learned it from my great-grandmother). When I moved away from home for college, I started making my own. I wanted to make my apartment smell good, yes, but I was also longing for a piece of home. Now, every fall, my space smells just like my abuelita's."

Olla aromática are simmer pots that fill homes with warm, spiced aromas associated with autumn and family gatherings. Typical ingredients include Mexican vanilla, cinnamon sticks, orange and apple slices, piloncillo, cloves, coffee beans, pumpkin, cardamom, and star anise. Ingredients are combined in about 7–8 cups of water, brought to a boil, then reduced to a simmer, with water added roughly every hour and a half. The pot can simmer for several hours. The practice is a multigenerational family tradition that evokes comfort, nostalgia, and the scents of Día de los Muertos and fall evenings.

Read at Apartment Therapy