ocotlán

Today's group excursion was a trip to Ocotlán, a village about an hour south of Oaxaca. The main point of interest was a mezcal distillery, but first we started off with breakfast in the market.

Although there were food stands with seating, this vendor drew me in with all the neatly portioned bags - reminded me a lot of how food is sold in Africa. Ended up getting some spaghetti and potato croquettes.



Walking around yielded many sensory delights - all the more delightful because of how (relatively) clean it was. The majority of insects I saw were bees buzzing around the bread. And oh the bounty of bread.



After breakfast we picked up Graciela, whose family owns the Real Minero mezcal distillery. She took us to the fields to explain all about the different varieties of agave (maguey) and its growing cycle. Although mezcal and tequila are both derived from the agave plant, the varieties are different. Tequila, being more regulated, is produced only from blue agave, and the plants are harvested after a set number of years. Mezcal on the other hand, can be produced from many varieties, although 90% of it is done with the espadín variety shown below, which incidentally looks like blue agave. The plants are harvested right as they're becoming sexually mature (starting to send a stem up from the middle). As Graciela explained, the plants mature at different rates, just like human beings ;)



Then we drove to the actual distillery, where Graciela explained the process after harvesting (which is after the 10+ years the plant has been growing). At harvest the round center of the root (called piña) is dug up and set aside. Then once a week there's a roasting in this giant pit. In the pit are large stones and earth and fire, and all the piñas are piled on and covered with a tarp (so they can roast by steam). They're roasted for three days straight and then left to cool for two days.



Then they're transferred and left to sit and develop mold. Then the piñas are ridden of the moldy parts and hacked into pieces. The pieces are fed into this chipper machine, which spits it out as pulp. (In the old days people would have to mash it by hand).



The pulp, or tepache, is transferred into a fermenting vat. Water is put into the vats for the mixture to ferment. We got to sense the fermentation by sound (bubbling), smell (rotten apples) and touch (radiating heat). The workers taste it also.



After fermentation comes distillation. Over a wood fire sits a large clay pot, full of pulp. Above that is another clay jar, which is bottomless. In that jar is inserted a wooden collecting spoon, which is connected to a bamboo tube that leads out of the jar. On top of that sits a copper bowl, to which cold water is constantly running. This is known as the Fillipino distillation method, due to the use of clay pots. (Apparently there's also the Arab method, with all copper equipment, and another method using a hollow tree trunk.)



So what happens is that as the pulp it heated, it releases alcoholic steam, which rises and hits the cold copper bowl. The steam condenses and drips down to the spoon, then out the tube and into the collecting jug.

The first distillation is undrinkable due to the high concentration of methanol (poisonous). That liquid has to be distilled again so ethanol is left. Mezcal from this region is always distilled twice (in other regions possibly more times). We got to taste liquid from the second distillation - both the strong stuff that comes out first (punta), then the blended final product (punta + cola, mellower).



After the tour, we were treated to a multi-course lunch involving the best, most softest tortillas I have ever eaten. At this size, they're known as tlayudas (tortillas being smaller). I tried my hand at making one but the large size meant that I failed to put it on the comal completely flat. Of course, the ladies at the comal not only have no trouble laying the tlayudas completely flat, they can also make the tlayudas without the help of the tortilla press. Baller.



After lunch was the mezcal tasting! First one was a blend from three different agaves. Second was from the single espadín agave. The third was the special mezcal pechuga - so named because it's distilled a third time with a chicken breast! (But along with heirloom apples, pineapples, plantain, apricot, raisin, almond, rice, cinnamon and orange peel.) All of them were quite strong and I could only manage a sip.



For more pictures of the day, see here.

A couple of us have fallen ill with stomach issues unrelated to mezcal, so I found myself playing nurse this evening. Jennie and I took a trip to the pharmacy to buy Mexican pedialyte (suero) for our sick roommates and while walking past Sainto Domingo church we were jolted by sudden fireworks exploding into the sky. And then there was a pyre set ablaze in the church square, which read FELICIDADES DALY. At first we thought it was a wedding but from the looks of it, a quinceañera. Crazy! They even had a stretch hummer! Must be balling.



The trip started out rather begrudgingly, but with the fireworks my attitude did a complete 180. I'm ecstatic that life and travel can still manage to be so unexpected.

day trip

Today was a full free day, and thanks to Omar from Casa de los Sabores, we got to go on a day trip out of Oaxaca and to some villages in the east.

We started out the morning at the market in Tlacolula, where we had a group breakfast. Most of us had spicy barbacoa soup, mushroom/cheese/squash blossom quesadillas, and these delicious chicken taquitos topped with everything.



Afterward we went on winding bumpy roads through the mountains to get to Hierve el Agua (boiling the water), the source of what we hoped were hot springs. The place is so named because water bubbles out of the earth, as if it was boiling. Which is to say that it wasn't boiling, because the water wasn't hot. Nevertheless, this pool of collected spring water made for a decent pool. Even better is that it looks as if on the edge of a cliff when there's actually a slight slope down on the other side. In fact, when people enter the pool, water is displaced and starts to flow down the other side, as if a mini waterfall.



After swimming, part of the group went on a hike over to the top of this petrified waterfall (and then wound down into the valley before coming back). I opted not to hike, which was just as well because one part of the hike required clinging onto the rock since there was barely a path.



Instead I sunbathed and ate sandwiches that Cris and I prepped last night.



After Hierve el Agua we made a stop at Mitla, to see the intricate stonework on the Zapotec ruins there. Since not everyone wanted to stop, we didn't pay to go into the more extensive ruins and only saw this very small free part.



Then we went to the village of Teotitlán del Valle, known for its weaving work. We stopped by this one house where one of the weavers offered to explain the process to us. Besides showing us the bases of the different dyes (such as cochineal beetles, which are dried and pulverized, then mixed with substances of different pHs to create colors ranging from orange to purple), he also led us to the courtyard where the largest loom was. Two men working simultaneously to weave a 10m by 14m (33' by 46') carpet. Just in case you ever want one, it's 12,000 pesos (less than $1000!).



After that we wandered around to different shops to peruse the collections of carpets and rugs. Some of us bought the weavings to take home. I got a café frappé and some earrings. Exciting, I know.



Our last stop was El Tule, where the biggest tree in Latin America stands. I think the trunk's circumference is greater than 80 schoolchildren's armspans combined. Too bad we couldn't climb it!



For more pictures of today's trip, see here!

la teca

Today we had class with La Teca, a legendary lady from the isthmus (coastal) region of Oaxaca. She taught us dishes typical of that region's cuisine, many of which I sampled on my first evening in Oaxaca.

We were able to utilize the kitchen space of El Origen, where we had our group welcome dinner. La Teca divided us into different stations to tackle different dishes. I went to stand by the plantains, because I love plantains. My station made both the plantain dish and the mashed potato dish.

For the plantain dessert, we started by boiling whole plantains (peel on, ends cut off) until the plantains were bursting.



Then the peels were removed and the plantains mashed.



Then La Teca showed us how to make the molotes (traditionally masa with potato and chorizo filling) by first oiling our hands, then taking a dollop of plantain and smashing it flat in our hand, then filling the middle with a mixture of queso fresco and crema.



The edges of the plantains were then sealed (as if a dumpling) and then rolled into these oblong shapes, which were then fried. The trick here is to have a teflon/non-stick pan, otherwise the molotes will stick to the pan and fall apart.



By the time all stations were finished, we were able to sit down to a feast. For starters, these garnachas - fried masa rounds topped with a beef and onion mixture, red salsa, and dry cheese (similar to Parmesan). It came with a simple cabbage/carrot/jalapeño slaw.



Then fresh corn tamales, which were literally the freshest corn tamales I'd ever tasted. Makes sense too, since we shucked the corn and everything.



Mashed potato casserole, which contained carrots, peas, parsley, onion, egg, cream, dry cheese, mustard and salt - baked till brown.



Pork chileajo, with the isthmus version of mole coloradito sauce.



Then for dessert, the molotes garnished with more queso fresco and crema.



After class, Jennie introduced me to the best bakery in Oaxaca. Pastries galore - donuts, cookies, croissants, everything.



And gigantic bins (plus more racks!) of bread! I got a whole armload of stuff for 30 pesos... unbelievable.



After walking around and shopping for souvenirs, it was time for our last Spanish class. In my class we played a fun matching game where we had to match Mexican food names with their descriptions. Made me realize there are still foods I haven't heard of and haven't tried. Now that my mouth is better, it's about time!

la casa de los sabores: last day

Today was our third and last day at Casa de los Sabores, and we spent it all on mole. Four kinds, to be exact: chichillo (similar to negro), amarillo (yellow), coloradito (colored) and verde (green).

I was at the table making coloradito and verde, both atypical in its own way. Coloradito because it is a bit sweeter (contains chocolate and sugar) and is not thickened with masa. Verde because of its emphasis on fresh greens - Chef Pilar says she never orders this in a restaurant because the color and flavor are already diminished by the time the mole reaches the diner's plate.

Here are the featured ingredients for coloradito:



And for verde:



True to form, the ingredients are toasted and then soaked/peeled as necessary:



Then we took a break to go to the market, this time the smaller local one.



Then we took all our mole ingredients to the grinder's, where they have giant machines and different machines tend to be dedicated toward different things (one for corn, one for beans, one for coffee, one for spices, etc.). You bring your stuff in a bucket or bowl, and they grind it and you pay them.



The previous bowl of mole coloradito ingredients came out like this:



Then back to La Casa for cooking. The typical mole starts out with an olla over a charcoal flame. Then lard:



Then the ground-up mole ingredients, followed by masa lightened with broth of whatever meat is being used in that particular dish (step omitted with coloradito):



Then the mole is cooked until it's bubbly and oil is rising to the surface. Cooked meat and/or vegetables are added last:



Mole verde's process is almost reversed. Masa and broth are cooked first until the masa thickens:



The ground-up ingredients are added after because adding it first would mean overcooking the greens and having it turn dark. Then we added white beans, as is traditional:



After all four moles were done, we had a feast. I'm eating solid foods now so I was very happy not to have to miss out.



Once we'd finished gorging ourselves, we went up on the rooftop and had a nice graduation ceremony in which everyone received diplomas.



It was a very lovely experience overall, thanks to Chef Pilar and her staff.



Tomorrow we go to a different kitchen. Can't wait to see what we'll make next!

(almost) free day

Today we had an almost free day, so I went to the dentist for a teeth cleaning. This was the same dentist who'd sent me to the ENT last week - while she was evaluating my canker sores she also remarked that my teeth could use a cleaning, which I sheepishly accepted (hey, no insurance = no dental care). On the plus side, teeth cleaning here is 600 pesos, roughly $40. I figured it was a good deal.

After almost an hour of metal instruments buzzing and straining my jaw open, she pronounced my teeth clean (using the same mouth probe to show me the view). She then announced that I had slight gingivitis (as evidenced by my gums bleeding slightly during the procedure) and several cavities. I was not happy about that. Each cavity would be 500 pesos to fill, which is still steep for me despite the peso pricing.

She also showed a slideshow replete with gruesome pictures (such as the following), illustrating the advanced effects of several teeth diseases...



I decided to go back later this week to fill my biggest cavity, and then to just adopt the new teethbrushing way she taught me - brush from gum to edge of teeth (as opposed to across the teeth), both on the outer surface and inner surface, then brush in a circular motion on the tops of the molars, then brush across the upper mouth cavity and tongue. And hopefully after every meal time...

After teeth cleaning came a celebratory lunch at none other than El Quinque. I decided to attempt solid food, having swallowed some mashed potatoes and rice last night.

Cris and I went in soon after the restaurant opened, and though there was a bit of a wait, everything was freshly made, like the strawberry vinaigrette that came with the salad.



For the main course I had spaghetti bolognese, one of my favorite meals ever. The noodles were cooked (and oiled) perfectly.



In the afternoon we all had Spanish class. I missed the last two because I couldn't talk so there was not much of a point. Felt bad about it, so I went today despite not being able to say much. We went over more recipe words, using an iPad app called Buena Mesa (which I would recommend to anyone who likes to cook Latin and can read Spanish). We also read an article on chiles. I learned that the "salt, chile, lime" combination that's ubiquitous to Mexican food uses the chiltepín chile, which in its usual powder form is known as piquín. So that was cool.

After class got my laundry back from the launderers - they charge by the kilo, 15 pesos per kilo to wash/dry/fold!