APPETIZER PLATE
What to order? For those not familiar with the cuisine, order
the botana Oaxaqueña.
This is a crowd-pleasing appetizer plate with traditional delicacies,
including thin strips of grilled beef (tasajo), pork (cecina), sausage
links (chorizo) and several kinds of cheese, including queso and
quesillo. There may be tamales, chiles rellenos and memelas. Grasshoppers
are often served on the side.
If you want to opt out of the meat parade, ask for memelas
or a tlayuda
sin carne.
SPECIALTIES
MOLE
Mole is a rich, smooth sauce that can be prepared in hundreds of
ways. It is usually served with chicken and pork dishes. The word
'mole' comes from the Nahuatl word 'molli,' meaning concoction,
stew or sauce. Mole was first developed in a convent in Puebla
City in the 1680s.
The most well-known mole sauce in Oaxaca is the black (negro) variety,
which includes spices and chocolate. Beyond the black sauce, there
is red (rojo), yellow (amarillo), deep red (coloradito) and green
(verde). Less well known and usually made to order are rarer varieties,
such as manchamanteles, castillo, estofado and chichilo. Pipián
can be red or green and is made from ground pumpkin seeds.
BUYING MOLE - Many restaurants and
markets sell a concentrated version of mole. Just add chicken broth
and a dash of oil.
CHOCOLATE
There are a half dozen stores on Mina Street where there is a
curious scent of dust, diesel and chocolate. Check out the barrels
of cocoa beans -- currency in pre-Hispanic times. Oaxaca doesn't
grow cacoa -- the beans come from Chiapas
and Tabasco
-- but it's one of the best places in the country where travelers
can purchase chocolate to go with a choice of spices. You can add
almonds, cinnamon or vanilla and take the prepared mix back home.
There are plenty of places to sample the elixir.
Visit the Mayordomo chocolate bar at the corner of Mina and 20
de Noviembre. Mayordomo was the favorite choice of respondents in
our 2005 and 2007 'Best
of Oaxaca Surveys.'
A varation is champurrado, a hearty drink made with cocoa and corn.
Chocolate
Oaxaca
GRASSHOPPERS,
WORMS AND OTHER INSECTS
Oaxacans eat a lot of insects. Among the favorite bugs are the
grasshoppers (chapulines) consumed (legs intact) as a snack
garnished with wedges of lime. Best places to sample grasshoppers
are featured in our guide to Chapuline
Hunting.
Worms (gusanos) have long been used to flavor mezcal.
Other dishes are seasonal, such as chicatones and hormigas de sabores.
Such dishes are an acquired taste.
AMARANTH
This plant was a staple in the diet before the arrival of the Spanish
and has made a recent comeback. Seeds and leaves are edible and
the plant is high in protein, folic acid, calcium and iron.
ATOLE AND CHAMPURRADO
Atole is a warm drink made from ground corn.
In the Sierra
Juárez, atole colorado is a specialty warm beverage,
flavored with chocolate, corn and achiote. Champurrado is made with
cocoa and corn.
NOPAL
Prickly pear cactus!
BANANAS
Species include morado, tabasco (also called roatan), piña,
guineo (also called 'costa rica'), manzano, peron, Dominico, Seda
and Rombo.
TUNA
You'll see plenty of promotion of tuna -- a favorite drink and
ice cream. Be forewarned. This product is not from the sea but the
fruit of the prickly pear cactus! It's dark red in color and pleasantly
sweet.
FRUIT
Local fruit include platanos, mangos and plums. Seasonal specialties
include the custard
apple (annona).
BEANS
Black beans (frijoles) are preferred by Oaxaqueños who often
add a leaf of the avocado tree during the cooking process for flavor.
The beans are used as a topping for tortillas and tortas as well
as a sauce for enfrijoladas.
ICE CREAM, SHERBET
AND POPSICLES
A great way to cool down is to eat something cold. Oaxaca excels
in ice cream (helado), sherbet (nieve) and popsicles (paletas).
Keep an eye on the orange Popeye carts that roam the downtown streets.
Locals say that it's the best!
Nieves and helados come in a variety of flavors, some easily recognized,
others less so. Flavors hard to get elsewhere include burnt milk
and prickly pear fruit (leche quemada y tuna), avocado
(aguacate) and rose petal (pétalos de rosa).
Other traditional flavors include Beso de Angel and Beso Oaxaqueño.
If you're less daring, ask for vanilla (sorbete). Not sure
which flavor to try? Venders are eager to offer samples.
Venders are found at many city parks. A good place to visit is
Sócrates
Garden, across from the Basilica.
All the stands have a colorful list of available flavors.
JELLO
Gelatina -- the local version of jello -- is a popular desert.
It's not just for kids! A similar option is nicuatole.
|
Oaxaca Dining Survey (2008)
