“Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments.” Bethenny Frankel
Oaxaca Day 2 ~ well, today our investments paid off handsomely and quite deliciously, too with a cacophony of flavors happily exploding our taste buds.
Our day’s organized Food Tour began with a drive into the Tlacolula Valley, where our first stop was the daily market in Teotlican Del Valle. It’s a bustling market, where the abuelitas, dressed in their indigenous Zapotec clothing, went about acquiring and trading much-needed goods……there were all types of sellers: meat, poultry, vegetables, dairy, eggs, bread, tortillas, cheeses, flowers, and other typical pantry or household items. Did not notice any plastic bags, but beautiful, woven baskets in which purchases were carried.
We got to taste Oaxacan cheeses at the only male-operated stand in the market. The cheesemonger provided us with samples of his incredibly fresh quesillo or string cheese unfurled and cut from a tightly wrapped ball that was delicious. I’ve tasted Oaxacan cheese before, but this was far superior and also the queso fresco was heavenly.
The town’s church, built atop an ancient Mayan temple using the same stones – a very common practice of the Spaniards – except here they’ve left some of the original stones exposed. And even more unusual was the integration of decorative, carved Mayan stone built into the church’s walls and columns.
Next up ~ the Cacao Lady, Trinidad Maria, a renowned Oaxacan chocolate maker, and the town’s go-to caterer. She’s a well-known cook, has been invited to France to demonstrate Oaxacan cooking, and has traveled extensively throughout Mexico and the US … sharing the flavors of her land.
Our chocolate demonstration started by her warming the molcajete from underneath … this facilitates the breakdown of the cacao oils. But first, we had to roast the cacao beans, peel them, mix them with cinnamon sticks and grind them down to a shiny, wet paste using a lot of muscle. Sugar is then added and the grinding continues.
We were able to taste the cocoa bean throughout the process from roasting to the end result of hot chocolate. Mexican chocolate is mixed with water and not milk with the water at just under boiling “like water for chocolate,” otherwise the oils in cocoa just float on top of your drink In the past, all my hot chocolates were milk-based, but I was surprised at the lightness and the availability for your tastes buds to savor the chocolate with a hint of cinnamon:……:……a wonderful mid-morning pick-me-up. We brought some chocolate balls to take home with us….. to sit by the fire cocoa in hand.
A short drive through a dusty road brought us to the town of Santa Ana Del Valle … to a family compound and the home of Dalia, the town’s renowned Mole maker. She welcomed us with a big, warm smile and quickly put us to work – removing the seeds from assorted dried Chiles and roasting them on a gigantic comal with garlic, onions, nuts and seeds and the tiniest tomatillos ever……all these were ground into a paste that was fried in oil and then the chicken stock was added to the desired consistency. The mole needs to cook over several hours, but just like a cooking show – a new pot was produced and voila – a day old mole appeared, the longer it sits the better it gets. Got to taste both versions and the differences were night and day.
We also kneaded masa and made what seemed like gigantic corn tortillas, made with their own grown organic heirloom corn, and oh the taste!
While preparing our meal there were talks of a local dish called Higaditos or little livers that crept into the conversation and before we knew it, Dalia was off-putting the dish together. There’s actually no liver in it … consisting of tomatoes, onions, garlic, shredded chicken, and beaten eggs cooked lightly in chicken stock. This dish is mostly served at weddings. It was light and tasty comfort food.
So, by the time we finished cooking we were starving and a feast was served:
Soup of ground roasted garbanzos
Higaditos
A beautiful plate composed of the new mole & old mole, Mexican rice, roasted zucchini, boiled chicken
Fresh hand made corn tortillas
Agua Fresca- cucumbers and lemons, mi favorita nueva agua fresca
Sadly, we dug in so fast that neither David nor I managed to take pictures, but the memory is engraved. Satiated, we said goodbye to Dalia and her hospitality. We came as tourists but felt we left as family.
The day was not over yet! Our next step was a visit to a Maguey (Agave) farm, where they are experimenting with planting techniques and varieties. There’s a large demand now for artisanal Mezcal. The owner, Cauthemoc, walked us through the whole cultivation process and the variety of Agave planted on his 80-hectare farm.
The drive back to our hotel had my brain awash in awe going over the activities of the day and all the wonderful, warm and hospitable Oaxacans we met and their passions and how they live and produce the best with sometimes the least. It was all so overwhelming to the senses.
Tomorrow we take it easy … local museums and dinner at Enrique Olvera’s Criollo restaurant to celebrate David’s birthday.
