The May, 2010, Oaxaca Culinary Tour has illustrated that with careful research and planning, families and small groups of Mexican food aficionados visiting Oaxaca can select any single vacation date, and turn it into a lifelong memory of gastronomic diversity and excellence. Now the key words of course are “research” and “planning”, and many may opt for a pre-planned all inclusive culinary tour of Oaxaca; but select any day, in this case a Sunday, and the rewards will surely flow.
The Oaxaca Culinary Tour of May, 2010, was attended by chefs, food writers and foodies, and to a number, each was enthralled with the Sunday experience, arguably the most diverse touring date of all.
Begin a Sunday Culinary Extravaganza with Rocio y Familia at Casa Santiago
Rocio Mendoza is the daughter-in-law of Casa Santiago owners Don Porfirio and Doña Gloria, weavers extraordinaire in the rug village of Teotitlán del Valle located a half hour’s drive from Oaxaca. The family’s humility, friendliness, and welcoming nature are striking to the extreme. Tri-lingual Rocio (English, Spanish and native Zapoteco) is accustomed to hosting travelers, with an academic background in tourism and a sideline business of preparing meals for couples and families visiting the homestead and wishing to stay for a meal.
Arrangements can be made with Rocio to begin one’s Sunday with a visit to Casa Santiago to learn, hands on, how to make hot chocolate from scratch (grinding toasted cacao beans and other ingredients on a stone comal), as well as the town’s signature dish for special fiestas, tamales de amarillo. In the case of the participants in the Oaxaca Culinary Tour, they spend about 2.5 hours with the family, having their informal cooking lessons and indulging in the fruits of their labor alongside family members.
Gastronomic Delights Abound in the Tlacolula Market on Sundays
Next is the Tlacolula marketplace, held on Sundays only. With a reliable and knowledgeable guide or driver, one should be able to sample the traditional drinks of tejate, chilacayota and pulque, without gastrointestinal concerns ... and take photographs at will in arguably the most colorful marketplace in the State of Oaxaca.
If the sizzling of chicken grilling on makeshift barbeques, or the billowing aromatic smoke of in-ground prepared goat or mutton is too hard to resist, then certainly spend more than two hours in Tlacolula. But for those who can exercise restraint, a greater treat will reveal itself at lunchtime.
Roadside Eatery El Tigre
Sara and Hilarino, owners of El Tigre, usually close around 3 p.m. on Sundays, working their combined roadside restaurant and mezcal palenque full throttle the rest of the week. But a simple phone call to them assures that they will remain open the balance of the day. It’s just in their nature. The comedor is without electricity, meaning that all meals are prepared during daylight hours over an open fire on the grill or comal, and fresh meats and cheeses are delivered fresh daily, occasionally kept overnight in insulated coolers.
The participants in the Oaxaca Culinary Tour selected from appetizers of quesadillas and memelitas, and main courses consisting of fresh salad and black beans with choice of cecina (pork), tasajo (beef), chorizo (sausage), combination plates, alambre (sliced grilled beef with onion and chile, smothered with melted quesillo), or choriqueso (grilled chorizo with melted quesillo). Each plate, as well as the salsa, was prepared fresh.
Hieve el Agua for a Well-deserved Respite and Swim, and Dinner at Los Danzantes
Most tour participants brought along bathing suits and towels. The bubbling springs at Hierve el Agua, about 20 minutes from El Tigre, feed two pools which are conducive to safe swimming in a spectacular mountain setting. One can hike to the petrified water falls (hardened deposits of minerals, predominantly magnesium and calcium), swim, or just relax. And of course there are local vendors providing an opportunity to have a final snack before returning to Oaxaca for a rest, and then dinner.
In their wisdom, the organizers of this Oaxaca Culinary Tour elected a relaxed yet exquisite dining ambiance to conclude a full day of touring in the hot May Oaxacan sun. Los Danzantes has been a Oaxaca fixture for several years. Owner Jaime has found the recipe for combining atmosphere, quality fare and reasonable prices (although his selection of mezcals is quite pricey, so be vigilant).
Although a new executive chef has recently taken over the helm, stalwart menu items will hopefully remain such as pastas with a uniquely Oaxacan touch (ravioli stuffed with a delicacy known as huitlacoche [corn mold] and thin noodles with smoky chipotle, red onion, queso and sour cream), seared tuna steak with mango and habanero sauce, and this writer’s favorite, coconut crusted shrimp with sweet and sour apricot and citrus sauce.
How to Arrange a One-day Oaxaca Culinary Tour
As suggested at the outset, research and planning are the keys to a rewarding Oaxacan culinary experience. And while a knowledgeable driver or guide is part of the formula, one’s hotel or b & b staff should be consulted in order to be further assured of a day which meets or exceeds expectations. But those interested in a full-week culinary experience should consider leaving it up to tour organizers with a proven record in specializing in Oaxacan gastronomic experiences, such as Sizzling Communications.
Alvin Starkman - Alvin Starkman runs Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast. He is a paid contributing writer for Mexico Today (http://www.mexicotoday.org).
