Showing posts with label Oaxaca. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oaxaca. Show all posts

June 16, 2011

A Taste of Mexico: Quesadilla!

Many Mexican foods have been exported and found their variants in countries around the globe. Up there in the vanguard is the packed quesadilla, brimming with diverse fillings, based on own personal taste. It can be sampled practically anywhere in the world, wherever a Mexican themed restaurant has sprung up. But, of course, there's only one place to find and enjoy the real thing: Mexico.

Quesadilla

The recipe for quesadilla (pronounced kess-a-dee-ya) changes as it travels. The basic idea is there. It has an outer crust, soft or hard depending on the location, called a tortilla. This is folded, in a half-moon shape, around an array of delicious ingredients (mushrooms, vegetables, beans, chicken or beef are favorites), all held into place with melted cheese. Salsa and/or guacamole are usually offered for inclusion too. Nevertheless, outside Mexico, quesadilla rarely tastes the same.

Often this is due to the little changes of convenience and culture made beyond our borders. For example, in Mexico, the salsa is often a matter of honor and pride. It may be a family secret recipe, handed down from a succession of grandmothers, and experimented with until perfection is reached.

In other countries, salsa is just salsa with none of the judgmental values attached. It's ok to just reach for the mass-produced jars of chopped tomato with flavoring and still call it salsa. A Mexican cook would never get away with that. They wouldn't dare produce a bland salsa and hope to escape with their culinary reputation intact.

Quesadilla

Also Mexican tortillas tend to be made out of corn. They are rolled by hand and individually formed over smoky comals. In America, Canada, Australasia and Europe, the tortillas are generally made from wheat flour and fried or baked as a batch.

It all comes down to what works and what is acceptable. Corn is more plentiful and cheap in Mexico (it is one of our major exports) than wheat; while the reverse is true for other nations. Those little taste details, as with the salsa, would pass without remark elsewhere, so it makes sense for businesses to take the cheap and lazy option. But all of these things alter the quesadilla too, as it is created across the world. Hence the assertion that, for the real deal, Mexico is the only place to eat one.

Quesadilla

Quesadillas are incredibly popular here. Just about every street corner, mercado and food court has vendors selling them. No self-respecting restaurant and cafe would be without them on the menu. The savoury smell whafts out drawing locals and tourists alike. A wedge of quesadilla can be a light snack, to see the hungry through their journey towards their own kitchen. A full-sized portion can (and often is) the full meal itself.

It is universally savoury here, though some have experimented with sweet quesadilla. The 'quesa' part of the name comes from the Mexican word for cheese, 'queso'. Oaxaca cheese is usually used here (another taste difference, as Monterrey cheese is often exported for quesadillas elsewhere). This is white and arrives semi-hard, until it is softened over the comal. Then the cheese becomes stringy and melts with a taste similiar to Italian mozzarella.

The fillings are limited only by imagination and availability. Chicken and beef are standards, though other cooked meat or seafood, like shrimp or crab, can be used. For the vegetarians, many a tasty quesadilla has been made with mushrooms, refried beans and vegetables. So much may go into this mix. Seeds, stew, mole... the list goes on. Just ask and it may happen.

Quesadilla

April 7, 2011

Oaxaca and Chocolate

Chocolate grinders

Chocolate originates from Mexico and traditional recipes can be found all over the country. However, there is one state that has gained an international reputation for producing 'the real thing'. Oaxaca, in south-western Mexico, is where the true chocolate aficionados come. For many, it is the chocolate capital of the world. It is hardly surprising that it prevades so much of their local culture, while creating many tourist attractions in the region.

Human beings first settled in Oaxaca 13,000 years ago. Archaelogical evidence, from this time, earned the state the distinction of being the earliest known agricultural area in the entire continent. Guilá Naquitz cave, near Mitla, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, on the strength of this. Just over 4,000 years ago, the tribes of Oaxaca started cultivating cacao trees, thus began their love affair with chocolate.



Though European style sweet chocolate is produced here, that is largely a sap for the tourists. Homegrown and perfected by millennia, traditional Oaxaca chocolate can seem quite bitter to the foreign palate. (So called 'Mexican chocolate' is usually that which comes from Oaxaca.) However, it is also heedy stuff. It's not simply a nice taste. It can cause a mild rushing sensation, that has been likened to how one feels after a passionate kiss with a loved one. It can also temporarily sharpen the mind, leading to clarity of thought. It's not coincidental that chocolate so often serves as a metaphor for the heat of romance.

Here the chocolate isn't normally made to be eaten in a block. It's an ingredient for mole or, even more commonly, it's to be turned into a hot drink. grinding chocolateTraditionally, the cacao beans are roasted over a slow flame, then their shells are snapped off. The naked beans are then ground into a sticky paste, known as chocolate liquor (not to be confused with anything alcoholic).

Now other things are added to taste. These can famously include almonds, but also sugar, cinnamon, chilies or a raft of spices. Really only the imagination inhibits the adventurous chocolatier at this stage.

The result is a block of strong tasting chocolate. Pieces of this are broken off and added to hot water or hot milk (which depends upon personal preference; those serving it, in cafes or restaurants, will ask, "¿Con agua o leche?" ("With water or milk?"), and there is no right or wrong answer). The fragments of chocolate melt in there to form a beverage. A variation is champurrado. This is a corn-based hot drink (called an atole), which has been flavored with chocolate. It is delicious.

These are often served with buñuelos - a light, fluffy pastry - which has traditions all of its own.



The bowls were smashed afterwards to bring good luck to the person eating from them. Remember that chocolate was historically believed to have been delivered to humans by the God, Quetzalcoátl, and it was consumed only by priests and the nobility. Chocolate was meant to be sacred and therefore nothing should sully the bowl in which chocolate has been served.

Chilies&ChocolateFor those who wish to have a go at cooking their own Mexican cuisine, then there are classes throughout the state.

One of the most popular is in the beautiful tourist resort of Huatulco. Chiles & Chocolate Cooking Classes, run by local brother and sister combo, Alfredo and Vero Patino, are a lot of fun. They have made it to number 11, in TripAdvisor's Top 25 attractions for the area.

For $65 USD per person, complete beginners can spend three hours learning how to create the most fabulous Mexican meals. The classes are relaxed, fun, informative, and hands on, so that everyone gets to feel the accomplishment afterwards. They are also given in English. (Alfredo Patino is Huatulco born and bred, but he did spend six years living in the USA and he does have a Canadian wife. His English is fluent.) The price includes lunch and drinks; while each student gets to take a recipe manual and a gift bag home with them.

Oaxaca is awash with stores and street vendors selling variations on their chocolate recipes. If you are a chocolate lover, then it is surely THE place in the world to visit.

champurrado

March 30, 2011

Pristine Huatulco: The Pacific's Last Frontier

So much of Mexico's tourism focuses upon the 20 and 30 somethings, those looking for a party and stock souvenirs to spend their disposable income upon. Beyond that, it's the backpackers, the hikers and the bikers, who have a a vast wilderness of wonders to explore. Mexico has all of this and more. Yet there is another category of vacationers that has come under the spotlight of the National Trust Fund for Tourism Development: families. Beautiful Huatulco has been attracting parents, with younger children, for years. Now it is receiving the funding to encourage that.

Huatulco

Huatulco (pronounced wah-TOOL-co), in Mexico's deepest south, is about as far away from the violence of the US border towns as it is possible to get. It is down in the state of Oaxaca, right on the Pacific coast. In Mexico, it has a reputation as a quiet resort, which is none the less filled with fun. Its headlines are more to do with rare marine creatures glimpsed from the shore, than anything to do with crime.

While checking the news archives, for the purposes of writing this blog, I discovered a human interest comment. A Canadian man had been swimming in the ocean and had got into difficulties. Very quickly, two local men dived in after him and brought him safely to shore. That's about as dramatic as it gets in Huatulco.

Huatulco


Huatulco

Its official name, Bahías de Huatulco, refers to the fact that this resort is clustered around nine bays. (But you really would sound like a tourist, if you added the 'Bahías de' part. Huatulco will do.) Dotted amongst the bays are dozens of tiny, protected coves. There are over 30 glorious beaches, each with relaxing areas to lounge about, enjoying the sunshine in paradise.

There is the occasional group of Spring Breakers, but these tend to be those adventurous enough to break away from the hordes heading towards Cancun. Mostly your fellow vacationers will be parents with young families. This is a popular location for home-grown holiday-makers, so many of these will be escapees from the city, treating their children to some sublime beach action. Huatulco is full of child-friendly deals, including places where kids stay or eat free of charge.

Huatulco

Huatulco's ecological credentials are also very much intact. The original resort plans, dating from the 1980s, planned for accommodation for 10,000 tourists. Environmental groups immediately protested how this might damage the landscape. The architects heard their arguments and scaled back to cater for just 4,000. Keeping the population down, in an area that has historically had few human living upon it, has retained the pristine landscape and maintained a crystal clear ocean.

In addition to this, the environmentalists stayed on board to advise on other features. The result is that 70% of the resort is actually a nature reserve, while the developments within are eco-friendly. Huatulco was amongst the Mexican cities which switched its lights off for an hour, last Saturday, to mark Earth Hour. The event raised awareness of sustainability.

Huatulco

Huatulco, with all its local attractions and fun for all the family, is certainly a place to watch out for. Once the Cancun rites of passage are over, then the holiday romances will inevitably lead across the country onto the shores of the Pacific.

March 17, 2011

Mezcal

Ask anyone to name a Mexican alcoholic drink and the answer will come back, "¡Tequila!" Ask for a second and the response is most likely to be, "¡Mezcal!"


The two tipples have many similarities, not least that they are both exported around the world, as Mexico's contribution to drinks cabinets globally. (The Prague Post, in the Czech Republic, is currently featuring a Mezcal based cocktail recipe: 'From the Bartender: Mezcalihna'.) The USA and Japan remain the biggest buyers of Mezcal from Mexico.

Tequila and Mezcal are also both distilled from the agave plant. In fact, the name Mezcal is derived from the Nahuatl words, 'Melt' and 'Ixcalli', which translate as 'oven-cooked agave'. In this way, tequila is a form of Mezcal too, though it tends to be considered separately. This is where the drinks start to diverge. Tequila is made from blue agave and it is twice fermented. Mezcal is made from maguey agave and it is only fermented once.


Milking a Maguey Plant

The maguey agave plant is huge. It can stand up to 2m (6.6ft) tall, with thick, spreading leaves reaching out another 4m (13ft). When it is in flower, the petals stretch a further 8m (26ft). With such a towering structure, even the younger plants can dwarf a human being. It's an impressive sight and it has attracted its legends and folklore too.

Maguey is often referred to as the Divine Plant; in great part because it was born from the remains of the Goddess Mayahuel. The story comes to us from the Atzec people, who honored her as one of their most important deities. There are carvings of Her in the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City). She is associated with truth, fertility, nourishment, inner journeys and, of course, the agave plant.

Mayahuel lived in the sky, with her Tzitzimitl grandmother.Tzitzimimeh The all female, warrior Tzitzimimeh were seen as stars, particularly those only apparent around the sun, during a solar eclipse. This was also when they were most dangerous.

Ordinarily, the Tzitzimimeh were the protectoresses of women; but they also created all mankind. Particles of stardust reached the Earth and formed themselves into humanity. (Interestingly enough, it is now scientific fact that life on Earth is possible because of the elements forged in the stars.)

However, when there was a solar eclipse, the Tzitzimimeh could descend to Earth and devour human beings.

Mayahuel grew up amongst them, but She, Herself, was not Tzitzimitl. Yet, from Her home in the starry paradise of Tamoanchan, She could watch all that happened below and all who lived there. She could also see the Gods and Goddesses. In particular, She spotted the feathered serpent God, Quetzalcoatl. Mayahuel fell in love. At the very next solar eclipse, as the doors of Tamoanchan opened to emit the Tzitzimimeh on their deadly pillage, Mayahuel rushed out too.

The lovers met and ran away together, determined to live out all eternity in each other's arms. But no-one had asked the permission of the Tzitzimimeh and they saw everything. The couple transformed themselves into trees, side by side, to escape notice. It was too late. They had been seen. The star deities swooped down and tore Mayahuel limb from limb.

Quetzalcoatl tearfully took her remains and buried them in the ground. Immediately something began to push back through the soil. It was the first, mighty maguey plant, with a glorious flower reaching back towards the skies. Mayahuel lived again, anchored into the ground from Her roots, and filled with the divine love of Quetzalcoatl.


Mayahuel by Ehecatzin

Mayahuel is a dark goddess now. She saw all from the stars and She is the beloved of a God. She can see inside our very souls and give us visions to access our spiritual journeys. It is said that She grew 400 breasts to nourish rabbits with Her milk. The first drink made from the sap of the maguey was pulque. It was the ritual draft used in Atzec ceremonies, inducing wild hallucinations and the ecstatic dance.

This same milk is now distilled to create Mezcal. Despite common misconception, it does not contain mescaline nor any other hallucinogenic substance. It's produced in an entirely different way to pulque.

While on the subject of misconceptions about Mezcal, let's deal with the worm. For a start, it's not a worm. It's the lavae form of a moth. Hypopta agavis is the correct name for this moth, which lives, feeds and breeds in the manguey plant. This is usually at the distress of farmers, as the presense of the moth means that there is an infestation and the crop is ruined.


A worm in the Mezcal!!11!!!!1!!

During the 1940s, some bright spark in Oaxaca apparently had the gift of the gab. Who knows how the lavae got into the Mezcal? Perhaps it fell in during the bottling process. Perhaps someone tried to sabotege the sale. Perhaps it was someone's idea of a joke. Maybe it was even a warning. However it happened, the lavae was in this batch of Mezcal, which was already of lower quality than normal, because of the infestation. Yet he managed to sell it. Bravo the salesman!

Except now no-one can sell Oaxaca Mezcal without a lavae in it, because the urban myth is that the 'worm' adds to the flavour and proves that it's fit to drink. The distillers have to collect tubs of the insects, from infested farms, in order to drop a lavae into bottles of their own high-grade Mezcal. It has long since become one of the most successful marketing ploys ever. It doesn't add to the flavour. It doesn't do anyting. It's killed, scrubbed, sanitized, sterilized and dropped into alcohol. There it stays, mostly for the shock value and people daring each other to eat it.

The Oaxava Annual International Mescal Fair takes place in July. This year's arrangements haven't been made public yet, but they will be announced on official website. It regularly attracts over 50,000 visitors; and it is an excellent place to be introduced to the country's finest Mezcal. ¡Salud!

December 23, 2010

Christmas in Mexico: More Festive Celebrations

Gritty the Snowman


There's no snow in Cancún, but there is white sand! Gritty the Snowman was the creation of the Howden family, during their Christmas in the Mexican resort.

Las Pastorelas


Mexican children participating in Las Pastorelas (Shepherds Plays). This tradition dates back to the coming of the Spanish to Mexico and it is still going strong today. Las Pastorelas are often improvised, ad hoc affairs, with players telling the stories in their own ways.

These plays tell a host of Biblical stories, from Adam and Eve, through to the more common Nativity tales. Most popular of all is La Pastorela (The Shepherd), which portrays the arrival of the Archangel Michael to a group of shepherds. The archangel tells the shepherds to go to Bethlehem to pay homage to the baby Christ. The shepherds' journey there is beset with problems, notably caused by the devils, Luzbel and Asmodeo. They do have assistance though, in the form of el Ermitaño (the Hermit), who shares his wisdom, as well as various angels.

This is a Mexican tradition which is also prevalent in the USA. More about that can be read here: Pastorelas and Pastores - las pastorelas, los pastores, autos sacramentales, El fin del mundo, Moros y Cristianos, Las Pastorelas.

Christmas Tree in Mexico City


Fireworks dazzle the skies, as the Christmas Tree is illuminated in the center of Mexico City. Just about every village, town and city in Mexico will be well decorated during the festive season. The most spectacular will be in the cities, where a huge budget is spent on creating extravagant illuminations along the streets and in the plazas.

Santa Claus in Guadalajara


Santa Claus stopping off, during his busy schedule, to meet with children (of all ages) in Guadalajara. Santa often makes a point of visiting shopping malls and hotel resorts too. Just because you're away from home, it doesn't mean that Santa can't find you.

That, of course, includes the Christmas party Mecca of Cancún. Here is Santa Claus and an elf turning up there on Christmas Day:

Santa and elf in Cancun


Parade in Oaxaca


These little angels were part of a Christmas parade, through the streets of Oaxaca. They are sitting on a float, waving to the crowds gathered to cheer them on. Note the poinsettia on the lap of one of the angels. Poinsettia is everywhere in Mexico, at this time of year, as are parades!

Ice Rink in Mexico City


Ice, in Mexico? Well, usually only in the drinks. At Christmas, there's also the Zócalo Ice Rink, which is the largest in the world. Based in the main plaza, at the heart of Mexico City's historic district, the ice rink is a stunning 300,000 square feet. And here you were, assuming that the world's biggest ice rink was probably in Lapland, or Antartica, or somewhere cold.

Stockings on palm trees


Meanwhile, the stockings are up and waiting for Santa Claus. This being Mexico, the nearest palm tree on a glorious beach provides the best place to hang them!

Feliz navidad! (Happy Christmas in Mexican)

August 2, 2010

World Heritage Status for Two Mexican Sites

UNESCO logoUNESCO today announced that it has inscribed World Heritage status on two Mexican sites. El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro and the prehistoric caves of Yagul and Mitla, in the Central Valley of Oaxaca, were both honored.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is as international a concern as its name implies. The 34th session of the World Heritage Committee met in Brasilia, Brazil, to consider the applications of 39 sites dotted around the globe. Six were added to the World Heritage List, while a seventh received an extension. The list is formed of those places which are deemed to represent humankind's 'cultural and natural heritage', with 'outstanding universal value'.

Mexico already had 25 cultural and 4 natural sites inscribed on this list. These can be explored on-line at the UNESCO World Heritage site. The two new additions boost our number to 27 cultural sites.

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (The Royal Road of the Interior Land) is a long-distance trade route that stretches from Mexico City to Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico, USA. It is 2560 kilometers (1600 miles) long. The American section of it has been on the US National Historic Trail list since 2000.

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro


UNESCO's statement read:

Camino Real de Tierra Adentro was the Royal Inland Road, also known as the Silver Route. The inscribed property consists of 55 sites and five existing World Heritage sites lying along a 1400 km section of this 2600 km route, that extends north from Mexico City to Texas and New Mexico, United States of America.

The route was actively used as a trade route for 300 years, from the mid-16th to the 19th centuries, mainly for transporting silver extracted from the mines of Zacatecas, Guanajuato and San Luis Potosí, and mercury imported from Europe.

Although it is a route that was motivated and consolidated by the mining industry, it also fostered the creation of social, cultural and religious links in particular between Spanish and Amerindian cultures.

UNESCO press release: 'World Heritage Committee inscribes three new cultural sites, three natural sites and one extension on World Heritage List'

There is a virtual tour of the trail on the American Bureau of Land Management site. However, it should be noted that, for some, the road actually extends as far as Veracruz. John Todd has written all about that on his site.

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro is a very scenic route to travel along. It would take several days to thoroughly enjoy its views and the wayside attractions. A good place to start might be the National Museum of Viceroyalty, in Mexico City, where the 'Plata. Forjando México' (Silver. Forging Mexico) runs until October 2010. This exhibition shows the historic silverware that was such a mainstay of those using the trail. Other major urban stops along the way are Zacatecas, Durango, Parral and Chihuahua, before crossing into America.

Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla

There are around 100 caves and rock shelters in the Central Valley of Oaxaca, around Yagul and Mitla, which contain evidence of pre-historic human habitation. Many contain cave paintings, ceramics or stone tools dating to around 8000 BCE. The site has been on Mexico's Lista Indicativa de México since 1998.

Prehistoric Caves of Yagu


UNESCO's statement read:

This property lies on the northern slopes of the Tlacolula valley in subtropical central Oaxaca and consists of two pre-Hispanic archaeological complexes and a series of pre-historic caves and rock shelters. Some of these shelters provide archaeological and rock-art evidence for the progress of nomadic hunter-gathers to incipient farmers.

Ten thousand-year-old Cucurbitaceae seeds in one cave, Guilá Naquitz, are considered to be the earliest known evidence of domesticated plants in the continent, while corn cob fragments from the same cave are said to be the earliest documented evidence for the domestication of maize.

The cultural landscape of the Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla demonstrates the link between man and nature that gave origin to the domestication of plants in North America, thus allowing the rise of Mesoamerican civilizations.

UNESCO press release: 'World Heritage Committee inscribes three new cultural sites, three natural sites and one extension on World Heritage List'

Entrance to the vicinity of the caves is free, as it is maintained by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (National Institute of Anthropology and History). Nearby are the ruins of a later settlement, where the Zapotec founded their great city, in Yagul, around 500 BCE. The nearest modern city is Tlacolula de Matamoros.
 
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