Editor’s note: In the latest installment of our recurring feature, First Stop, we asked Rick Poon and Bora Kim where they stop first when they land in Mexico City.
Kim is an avid traveler who divides her time among sniffing out new ingredients in markets, poking through bookstores around the globe and teaching at Grand Arts High School in downtown Los Angeles. Poon is a food, travel and lifestyle photographer based in Los Angeles.
There’s something about flying, no matter how short the flight is, that makes both of us crave something soulful and nourishing once our feet are on the ground. Going somewhere new is an adventure, and though we are always willing and able to immerse ourselves in the unknown, it doesn’t hurt to begin every trip with something warm and soothing to make the introduction a little less jarring.
So once we land in Mexico City after the 4.5-hour flight, we head over to the charming neighborhood of Coyoacán, to the mercado located just north of the neighborhood’s main plaza. There are different mercados around the D.F., but this one is our favorite. The vibrant hum of energy brings life to the different stalls, and hungry locals jostle one another to get to the one they desire. The choices are many: garnachas, tamales, quesadillas, tostadas and tacos. But the stall we’re looking for is in the center of the mercado, and it is easily identifiable by the many people waiting patiently for a seat to open up at the counter. The heady fragrance of epazote and garlic fills the air as you get close, and a whole roasted pig’s head grins at you from next to the steaming pots full of pozole.
Pozole is a traditional pre-Columbian soup made using nixtamalized corn, which is similar to hominy in the U.S. The soup is made with meat, usually pork, and/or – depending on the region – different types of poultry (chicken or turkey). Every region has its own version, but the one at the stall inside this mercado hails from the state of Michoacán. This version is a pozole rojo, fiery red from the ancho and guajillo chilies, which are just some of the ingredients that make up the savory broth.
Once a seat opens up, you climb onto a stool and ask for a bowl (or two in our case). With a raised eyebrow, the rather dour proprietor asks, “Carne de la cabeza?” And of course we answer with a resounding “Sí, señor!” since what is pozole without the delicious chunks of head-meat garnishing it on top? The owner then proceeds to fill two bowls to the brim with soup that’s been bubbling away for hours, uses his cleaver to lop off a hunk from the aforementioned grinning pig’s head and chops it up to sprinkle into the bowls. The traditional garnishes (chopped cabbage, sliced radishes, chopped onions, epazote and lime) dot the counter in red earthen bowls, from which you can dress your pozole to your liking. We typically like ours with all the fixings and a generous squeeze of lime to give it that extra zing. It’s hearty, spicy, with too many different textures and flavors to keep track of – and the counter becomes unusually quiet while everyone focuses on eating one heaping mouthful after another. With an icy glass bottle of Mexican coke, this meal chases away any fatigue from being up in the air and readies us to embrace one of the most exciting cities we’ve ever visited in our travels.
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