Eating & Drinking, Oaxaca, Mexico

Most people have probably never heard of Oaxaca but those that have may know it for its mescal, mole, and oaxacan cheese.  And please don’t forget the chipolines!  But more on those later, too much more in fact.  Oaxaca is in southwestern Mexico and is both the name of the state and the name of the capital city.  The state is best known for its beaches along the Pacific, notably Huatulco which is south of Acapulco.  Oaxaca City on the other is known for its food. I wouldn’t call it undiscovered, although every time I told anyone I was going there the reaction was always …”Owhatca?”  Eventually my response became …”it’s not Cancun.” Discovered or undiscovered it’s an amazing little city with a fairly sizeable colonial town, well preserved Spanish colonial architecture and wonderfully friendly people.

The city is also a known culinary destination, with its own unique cuisine that is different from traditional Mexican food.  In fact it’s a popular place to attend cooking schools and there are numerous ones.  Perhaps most memorable is that molé sauce, a true Mexican specialty, originates here and Oaxaca produces many varieties of it, seven to be exact.  There is mancha manteles, chichilo, amarillo, rojo, verde, coloradito and negro.  Each has a distinctive color which seems to be the easiest way to differentiate them.  Now, if you’d asked me if I’d ever tried molé I would have answered yes, however, the molé I had here tasted unlike anything I’d ever tasted so I’m actually left to doubt if I’d ever had real molé.  Perhaps I had some Americanized version of it.  I know you’re thinking I’ll go on and on about how authentic Oaxacan molé is.  You’re wrong.  It was good, I enjoyed it and that’s it.  I was on a mission to try all seven but gave up after the fourth, not because I didn’t like them, but because there were so many other things to eat.  I did have the red, green, yellow and black though, each with its own distinctive flavor, and all with a similar bitterness.  The bitterness is part of the mystique as the ingredients are chiles and chocolate, more specifically dark chocolate which is naturally bitter.  Generally I’m not opposed to bitter tastes and can suck on a lemon wedge and enjoy it, although that could have something to do with the fact that it’s been soaking in gin and tonic for awhile.  Anyway, the molés here were wonderful and well worth trying all of them if you can.  And speaking of alcohol …

Oaxaca is also commonly known for mezcal.  Mezcal is similar to tequila except that it comes from the maguey plant while tequila comes from the agave plant, both in the same family.  Right off the bat let’s get the worm out in the open, the popular misconception being that tequila contains one in the bottom of the bottle. Actually, it’s mezcal that does and it’s the larva of the moth that lives in the maguey plant.  There are tours you can take just outside of town where you can watch the mezcal production and these are usually packaged with other highlights outside the city.  They are a far cry from the Guinness factory tour in Dublin, more your crazy uncle brewing his own beer in the basement but nevertheless each is an interesting experience where you can sample different mezcals and take some home with you.

Now for some information on the restaurants in Oaxaca which is how I got started in the first place.  As I mentioned, the town is on the culinary circuit and boasts numerous cooking schools and I would even consider returning and taking some serious cooking lessons here even though I HATE cooking.  Oaxaca is so charming that you would not have to twist my arm to go back.  While I didn’t take any classes on my first visit, I did have the chance to eat at one of them as most have a restaurant associated with them.  The meal at Casa Crespo (adjacent to Plaza Santo Domingo) was probably one of the best I’ve ever had and I’ll tell you why.  I ordered something called caldo de piedra con camaron y pescado, or a shrimp and fish soup and here’s the surprise. The soup arrives cold and the fish uncooked with a side of hot stones.  As you realize what the waiter is about to do you think, “This can’t possibly work”.  But it does, as he proceeds to place the stones into the broth and the whole thing steams and sizzles and the fish actually cooks in it and on top of the show it’s one delicious dish.  It’s such a unique experience that the entire restaurant was taking pictures and everyone was presumably upset for not ordering the same thing.  Normally I would be a little embarrassed by this attention but it was so unique and amazing that I didn’t care.

But first came the chipolines, a small grasshopper that is native to this part of Mexico and a very common dish.  I was dead set against trying them but my travel companion ordered an appetizer with them and kept bugging me (no pun intended) to taste them.  It became one of those annoying situations with someone telling you, “you have to try new things, you have to experience something different”, blah, blah.  In the end it wasn’t the peer pressure but the way they were prepared that made me go for it.  I would describe them as shredded and served as a side to build in a taco.  Essentially you don’t know what you’re eating and you control the amount anyway so I got through it.  Had they been whole that would have been another story.  The rest of the meal was amazing so much so that we ordered not one but two desserts even though we were stuffed.  Another great restaurant I heard about was Casa Oaxaca which I missed as I hadn’t made reservations and tried to go on my last night in town.  Even though I went early, it was a full house. What does that say?

Another popular place to eat with many options is on the main plaza or zocalo, with numerous restaurants to choose from, and a great place to people watch.  Everyone from tourists to families with children to young couples strolling hand in hand is here.  Alfresco dining along the ground level is the norm and practically every restaurant has terrace seating on the second floor overlooking the park and the cathedral.  But don’t expect the food to be up to the setting.  In the four times I ate here (two lunches and two dinners) the food was mediocre.  I guess it could be compared to any touristy area that’s been commercialized and is more interested in pumping out dishes and turning tables.  It’s still worth a try though for the atmosphere but don’t expect Michelin stars.

Overall I loved Oaxaca.  The city, its people and yes, its food, surpassed my expectations. It’s definitely on my list of places to revisit and highly recommended for anyone looking for a new Mexican adventure.