Babymoon: The Food
On our four-night babymoon in Oaxaca, we saw and did plenty — the ruins of Monte Alban, the tourist sights of Oaxaca, the pool and more. But I would have to say the biggest theme was probably FOOD. Oaxaca is an amazing place to eat, especially its famous chocolate, moles, tlayudas, tamales... even its chapulines (fried grasshoppers).
In Oaxaca, chocolate is everywhere:
On the left is chocolate in powder and paste — at Chocolate Mayordomo they will mix it for you on the spot, with the amount of cocoa, cinnamon and sugar you want. We bought some pre-made tablets with cinnamon, vanilla and nuts mixed in. I didn't really feel the need to order my own blend... maybe next time!
On the right, a beautiful mug of hot chocolate at our hotel, accompanied by some conchas. This chocolate was good but the best we had was at Los Cuiles. One of the things that made that chocolate so great was that it was so foamy. The way you make Oaxacan chocolate (and Mexican hot chocolate in general) is pretty labor-intensive — you have to melt the chocolate into the milk (or water, which I didn't try, and which doesn't sound too great) and then beat it with a special wooden whisk until it foams up.
Lunch, before and after
One of my two favorite meals took place at the Mercado Benito Juarez. We ate at a place where they assemble your meal in a very complicated way — one place sells you soft drinks and lets you sit at their tables (smushed up with a lot of other people), then they give you a tray and you go to another place and pick out your meat, someone else sells you tortillas, etc. Francisco picked out our raw meat — chorizo, tasajo and cecina adobada. They grilled it up for us, and with some huge tortillas, grilled onions, grilled chiles, salsa and salada, it was an amazing meal. Francisco bought some chapulines from a passing vendor and sprinkled them on top, but I abstained.
Chapulines... mmm, crunchy!
My other favorite meal was at La Biznaga. That was a bit fancier than the market, to say the least. Francisco had a shrimp dish with tamarind mole, and I had a chicken dish with cheese, hojasanta and banana sauce. The food was great but what I loved most was the atmosphere — a spacious covered patio, candlelight and what seemed to be a good mix of locals, tourists, big groups and couples.
In Oaxaca, chocolate is everywhere:
On the left is chocolate in powder and paste — at Chocolate Mayordomo they will mix it for you on the spot, with the amount of cocoa, cinnamon and sugar you want. We bought some pre-made tablets with cinnamon, vanilla and nuts mixed in. I didn't really feel the need to order my own blend... maybe next time!
On the right, a beautiful mug of hot chocolate at our hotel, accompanied by some conchas. This chocolate was good but the best we had was at Los Cuiles. One of the things that made that chocolate so great was that it was so foamy. The way you make Oaxacan chocolate (and Mexican hot chocolate in general) is pretty labor-intensive — you have to melt the chocolate into the milk (or water, which I didn't try, and which doesn't sound too great) and then beat it with a special wooden whisk until it foams up.
Lunch, before and after
One of my two favorite meals took place at the Mercado Benito Juarez. We ate at a place where they assemble your meal in a very complicated way — one place sells you soft drinks and lets you sit at their tables (smushed up with a lot of other people), then they give you a tray and you go to another place and pick out your meat, someone else sells you tortillas, etc. Francisco picked out our raw meat — chorizo, tasajo and cecina adobada. They grilled it up for us, and with some huge tortillas, grilled onions, grilled chiles, salsa and salada, it was an amazing meal. Francisco bought some chapulines from a passing vendor and sprinkled them on top, but I abstained.
Chapulines... mmm, crunchy!
My other favorite meal was at La Biznaga. That was a bit fancier than the market, to say the least. Francisco had a shrimp dish with tamarind mole, and I had a chicken dish with cheese, hojasanta and banana sauce. The food was great but what I loved most was the atmosphere — a spacious covered patio, candlelight and what seemed to be a good mix of locals, tourists, big groups and couples.
Okay Sloane so the big question is: Did you try the fried grasshoppers?
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NOOOO
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And what about your mole buffet? Pipian is your favourite. And my fish with 5 kinds of chiles? That one was really good!
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I had to narrow it down anyway. The mole buffet was a great concept but 1. in practice it wasn't quite as great and 2. I didn't take a picture of my plate. your fish, however, was amazing. (Fonda Santo Domingo)
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