A Land of diversity, Cultural Heritage declared by Unesco, a destination like no other
Oaxaca is not like any other part of Mexico; Oaxaca is a country of its own and that is reflected in the pride of 16 different linguistic groups and 26 sub-linguistic groups in their distinctive 8 regions.
The diversity in the culinary and mezcal is impressive counting the different terroirs, soils and elevations as well as the historic taste of each community: Cañada or Sugar cane fields (home of interesting Agricole rums and Oaxacan whiskey), Coast (excellent fish and sea food), Isthmus (most of the representative Tehuana and Muxe cultures, the famous Iguana soup and other delicacies), Mixteca (famous for their corn), Papaloapan (border with Veracruz, famous for their coffee and cacao), Northern Highlands, Southern Highlands, Central Valleys (where you will be mostly touring and will have all the diversity of agaves for the mezcal production).
Some recommendations:
· Most places, especially markets, taxis, stores, artisan shops, only accept cash in Oaxaca, credit cards only at fine dining restaurants and mixology bars. Always have Mexican pesos and if you need to, check with your bank which bank partners have no foreign commissions on transactions. Remember that US dollars are very low now and change is at around 16.28. You can exchange at the airport upon arrival and at the historic center at the exchange shops, just check the rates first.
· There’s no Uber in Oaxaca but there’s an app call Didi that you can download and place your credit card, it connects to yellow taxis and the rates are lower than negotiating with taxis on the street, I recommend to set the app to “Pay with cash” because when the driver sees that you are paying with CC on file, he can just cancel your trip because it takes longer for them to get paid.
· Always take a yellow cab; if you see a red or blue cab, those are called independent or “foraneos taxis” and connect closest cities but they are not allowed to enter inside the city center of Oaxaca, you may end up your trip far from your hotel if you take one of those taxis, paying the same rate.
· Getting around with taxis in Oaxaca can be a pain because they can technically charge you anything; always ask first how much the ride will be from your place to a place you go and agree to it.
· Tips are voluntary and servers always ask if you want to leave tips. US nationals are always the most generous but servers are not used to more than 10 or 15% gratuity.
· Always wear comfortable shoes, you walk a lot in Oaxaca
· Always wear sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, sun is pretty strong
· Keep yourself hydrated, never drink water from the faucet, not even to brush your teeth, use bottled water.
· Have some repellent, there are mosquitoes in the villages and there’s dengue going on right now.
· Oaxaca is pretty safe but avoid walking on dark streets during late hours (midnight and up) at the historic center. If you exit from a Mezcaleria try to always go on main streets; you will see the lively scene but always keep an eye on your back and surroundings.
· In any situation enjoy everything that Oaxaca has to offer: the gastronomy, the mezcal, the craft and the lively scenery because every day in Oaxaca is a celebration; you will see most of these “calendas” or processions with dancers, giant props “monos”, globes “marmotas”, live marching bands and all of that is just part of their daily lives and is free for the public to see it and enjoy around the main streets of the Santo Domingo Temple. If you just walk around there or have a coffee or drink at a rooftop nearby Santo Domingo at around 5 to 7 pm each afternoon; you will experience it, most-likely is wedding or a Quinceanera (Sweet 15 celebrated in Oaxaca) depending of the date it is also a celebration of a Saint Patron (they have so many all year long)
Culinary etiquette and must tries in Oaxaca:
Memelas: Handmade white corn patties made of “masa” they are always made to order in the comal (kind of like a hot clay grill) once cooked, the memelas (thicker than regular tortillas) are brushed with “asiento” (pork lard) placed again in the comal, they add “frijoles” (beans puree) “quesillo” cheese (often called “Oaxaca Cheese” but the correct name is “Quesillo”) those are the basic ingredients but you can add toppers such as: meats “tasajo” (a thin slice of beef) “Cecina” (a thin slice of marinated in chiles beef). Memelas are usually taken for breakfast with “café de olla” (if you are an espresso person, you may not like it as it is diluted with water; coffee cooked on a clay pot with spices such as cinnamon, cloves and it is already sweeten with “piloncillo” (unrefined cane sugar paste)
Tlayudas: These are white or blue corn patties made by hand and then pressed to make them very thin; cooked at the comal and then left to dry. They can remain edible for a long time in airtight containers. Some foodies describe them as the Oaxacan pizza, the tlayudas are something so traditional of Oaxaca that you can’t leave without trying them. Once the thin patties are ready and crispy, they are placed at the comal and “asiento” is added (if you are vegan or for religious reasons you could ask them to make it without asiento or with a vegan base asiento (most established restaurants can accommodate), then the frijoles, then quesillo (the main ingredient in the tlayuda) avocado slices, you have a choice of Cecina or tasajo and is accompanied with roasted green onions and radish.
Salsa verde and salsa roja: These salsitas are always present to accompany any dish, the green sometimes can be very spicy as it is made with habanero, the red can be a mix of mild chiles, some restaurants make these salsas in front of you and you can choose the salts you want and level of spiciness.
Chapulines: the roasted and seasoned crickets are the signature topping for any dish in Oaxaca. They contain more protein than a slice of beef. You can find them in all sizes and can eat them as a snack, on top of guacamole they taste fantastic, with salty peanuts and nuts. They are also grinded and made into salts.
Sal de Gusano: the worm that is around the maguey (agave) is soaking the agave SAP and is rich in flavor; it is collected and let to dry, then roasted and ground with spices to be converted into salt. It is served along with orange slices, green apples or jicama after a sip of mezcal but is preferred to have just the mezcal without any of that and use the gusano salt mostly as a rim for cocktails.
Mole: there are 7 different types of Mole in Oaxaca as opposed to Puebla where there is only 1. The competition has always been there as to who makes the best mole, but the reality is that each family in each region of Oaxaca has a signature recipe and their traditional mole for each occasion. On my recommendations there are some moles to taste in restaurants but you can also taste some at the mercados or towns nearby and see the difference.
Chocolate: in Oaxaca they will offer you for breakfast even before coffee a Chocolate de agua (basically a non dairy hot chocolate) and a Chocolate con leche (a hot chocolate on hot milk) the beverage is very rich in flavor and already has lots of added sugar, vanilla and roasted almonds. The basic chocolate paste is made on the metate (an ancient stone grinder). On my recommendations you can also visit a traditional Chocolate factory at one of the mercados where you can see the process, now made in metal grinders, is still very old fashioned. The most important thing about the chocolate they serve you is that they will use a green or red clay jar and a molinillo (some kind of a wooden wisp) to make the bubbles right in front of you. If it doesn’t make bubbles, the hot chocolate is not perfectly served.
Tejate: an ancient drink that had ceremonial purposes in the past. It is very refreshing and you will see it in the streets served from giant clay containers on “jicaras” hand painted gourd vessels, you can also ask for a plastic container to go.
Pan de Yema or Pan Dulce: an egg, water, flour and pulque (fermented agave SAP) yeast, some bread makers now use baker’s yeast. They will always serve you this bread (that is the original recipe for the Pan de Muertos) with a chocolate beverage or coffee. The Pan dulce will have some variations on shape and the crusty top (also called “conchas” in other parts of Mexico).
Barbacoa: best barbacoas you will find at the village’s markets; the most popular barbacoas are the ones of the village of Zaachila which was the last capital of the Zapotec empire and about 40 minutes from the center of Oaxaca or in the Tlacolula market (about 40 minutes from Oaxaca’s city center) Barbacoa can be of sheep, goat or cow but most popular and rich in flavor are the first two. Beef is first marinated with spices and then cooked in an underground oven, a mezcal bottle is placed next to it as a blessing. You can also experience and see the “destapada” when they open the oven and serve you a copita (tiny glass) of warm mezcal to open the appetite before having the barbacoa for breakfast or lunch. Usually it is the meal/brunch on Sundays. At markets it is served with a generous dish of soup from the barbacoa itself and large tortillas with all the toppings to make your own barbacoa tacos.
Aguas Frescas: at any restaurants or markets the aguas frescas are always available and since this is pure fruit juice, you have all the variety that the tropical and sub-tropical region has to offer.
Nieves: These are Oaxacan sorbets, made with real fruit, water or milk in the old fashioned way (wooden tanks) . They have great flavor. Some of the best nieves are at La Oaxaqueña Plaza de la Danza, on the same plaza of La Soledad Church, this is great area to have a seat and enjoy the sunset or after a meal, have some nieves and listen to the marimba (steel drum) players that are always there.
Mezcal: the pride and joy of Oaxaca is Mezcal, I have recommendations on the next posts of some of my favorite mezcal routes and mezcalerias as each region has a signature mezcal making and agave diversity as well as each region’s microclimate, water and terroir will influence on the final product. What used to be a drink of the community made in small batches for that special occasion is today a fashionable spirit praised by bartenders around the world and loved by millennials. Today is the fastest growing spirit category.
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Montserrat Franco 