A Culinary-Cultural Journey Through Oaxaca, México

Beli

HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my friends, glad to be back on this marvelous forum. Just got back from Oaxaca yesterday and would like to share some of the incredible experiences we had on our trip......Now seat & ENJOY!!!!!!

Oaxaca is one of the most distinctive states in all México and boasts some of the most original and widely known food in the country. from the simple squash vine soup to the most complex sauces or MOLES , this food is traditional yet sophisticated because of the ingredients used and the manner in which the ingredients are prepared.

Chicken in Black Mole....the king of Moles........more then 30 different ingredients go into making this delicacy....over 6 different chiles,and even chocolate....


Tamales de Cambray ...thin rolled Tamales in banana leaves


Green Mole


Meat stand in the Oaxaca market.


Better hold on to your seats for this.....Chapulines (Grasshopers) in guacamole :laugh: :laugh:


Chiles de Agua in the market..


Mezcal with Gusano....(Worm)..the only time when one wishes to be a worm...hic!!! :laugh:


Santo Domingo Convent...a marvel of the baroque....XVI century


Oaxaca Cathedral...the Green Jade jewel..


Chocolate being ground from cocoa beans, almonds, cinnamon & sugar

Chocolate girl


Monte Alban seeing almost a million dawns..2500 years of Zapotec history...the first City in North America, a time when London was a little more than a collection of wood & thatch structures and Venice was still hundreads of years from its founding


Alebrijes....wood colourful & fantastic figures made from the Copal tree


Oaxacan girls on the Zandunga dance


The oldest tree in México with over 2000 years of history..a Montezuma Cypress


Doña Anita getting ready to mold & fire my order of Green Pottery Pots


The oven full blast...


Green "Jade" Pottery goes beautiful with our Green Eggs....



Calenda Giants


Beli & Señora in Oaxacan attire..


Sorry JL..... 1200 cc of Pure Blood Harley heritage was all I could Get over there :laugh: :laugh:

Broc

Thanks for the trip...

Love them grasshoppers!

Darnoc

Fantastic presentation.May come down to visit and cut your grass to learn some more? Good job.

Fidel

Thanks for sharing those pics Beli.

I would love to try that chicken in black mole - it looks so good.

Beli

Got the recipe...will post later.....All the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Egglicious

Looks like a fantastic trip. Not sure I would be up to taste testing some of the food though, might have to skip on the grasshoppers.



Happy Egging

js

lowercasebill

welcome back, looks like a wonderful trip and thank you for the tour... a small glimpse into a beautiful culture unfamiliar to me [save reading casteneda]
the pottery is beautiful and personalized??

now... enough of this vacation stuff. time to get back to eggin and posting pictures.
bill

Austin Smoker

Great post Beli - those moles look awesome! I have oftern heard of the Black Mole from my friends born in the region, but have never had any. Even though I live in Texas and am surrounded by great Tex-Mex, I much prefer traditional Mexican dishes. Any of those you can share, feel free!!

TomM24

Looks like it was a great trip. I love the pottery. So tell us how were the grasshoppers?

AZRP

Awesome pics Beli! I love Oaxaca, the foods and colors are amazing. -RP

JLOCKHART29

Absolutely outstanding!!!!! Looks like you and the family had a great time!! We been missing you! Your ready to get home but if your like us still miss the new sights,sounds and taste of far of places! Got to love the pottery. Hand made and seeing it done really adds a "specialness" to it that you can't get off the shelf at any price!
LOVE THE LAST PIC! Who cares what size it is as long as it's two wheeled! I'm sure you had it boxed up and sent home with all the other things you got! :woohoo: Bean, lookie what Beli got!
Glad you made it back and had a good time. Did you see the slideshow of our trip? I think you were gone all ready.

Ross in Ventura

Beli,
Great pictures, thank you for sharing them with us,
I love mole.
Ross

Beli

Sure thing. got a few cooking books with the traditional recipes......so I´ll be posting & sharing Oaxacan cuisine recipes for a while........

Slotmercenary

that there makes me long for the road again !!
magnifico!

Beli

To tell you the truth Tom....I had them by accident.. :P ordered a Oaxacan steak roll....looked & tasted delicious...´till I opened the roll...practically at the end of my meal....and asked the waiter...what was that bacon tasting & looking shreded meat and guess what????' well CHAPULINES he said.... :pinch: ....they were tiny and .cooked with chili & lemon..after that it wasn´t so difficult...I armed myself with courage and decided to try them a few more times.....all those proteins......could say I really loved them with guacamole.......brought some......and am planning to take them to EGGtoberfest.. :laugh: :laugh: and have a Chapulín corner :laugh:

TomM24

Beli:
I've done that.20 years ago we were in Mexico city and we wanted to have some steaks. We went to a Argentine steak house I ordered the house special it turned out to be a cow brain that I had to cook on a little grill. The meat didn't have much flavor but it came with a great green sauce.

Beli

Hey bill....care for some chapulines????? will bring some for you at EGGtoberfest......great to avoid tooth caries.. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Saludos!!!!

Beli

Hello JL !!!!!!! please do send me the slideshow of your trip.....will love to see it.....told bill those grasshopers are great to avoid tooth caries....so probably he won´t like them :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Beli

Thank-you Ross, there are 7 different types of moles in Oaxacan cuisine...got the recipes of every single one of them...will post recipes later...don´t worry they do not include chapulines..

Beli

:laugh: :laugh: All protein....

Beli

Just come down....no need to mow the lawn :laugh: :laugh:

Beli

well js......luckily there are literally thousands of Oaxacan recipe combinations without them..

Car Wash Mike

I can't thank you enough for the pics and presentation. You up for a visitor sometime?

Mike

Beli

Yes...me too probably my favourite place.

Beli

Mike anytime.....would be honoured to have a platinum egger and friend.......

deepsouth

thanks for sharing. awesome pictures.

FlaPoolman

Beautiful pics as usual Beli. Have to admit a couple of the dinners would take some prodding to get me to try :huh: . Thanks for the post and it's a pleasure to view the sites I may never see thru your eyes.
Thanks again for sharing.

Beli

TKS....and there is also the Pacific Oaxacan beach ...one of the nicest in the contry....great for eating Oaxaca....

Ross in Ventura

Beli,
I have not had any good Mole since I was in Veracruz. 1987
Ross

Beli

TKS Pat....any time......yes I agree.....a few of the foods are good to see only on pictures :laugh: but most of them are very original & great even for the most demanding palate...see if we can cook some on the egg soon...

Little Steven

Beli,

Amazing my friend. I'm going with you on your next adventure. See you soon.

Steve