We like to think of Oaxaca as the heartland of Mexican cooking. All the foods that seem so classically, elementally, Mexican – corn, chiles, moles, mezcal – can be traced back to the fertile area that surrounds this historic city.
This is true not only of the ingredients, but the cooking techniques as well. The use of smoke and fire to flavor food, as well as the practice of cooking on a comal – the large circular griddle that is essential for making tortillas – are all deeply connected with the Oaxaca region and its indigenous people. But Oaxaca is not only a point of origin for these essential items of culinary heritage, it is also a place in which they are lovingly maintained and protected.
Many of the people conserving that heritage are Oaxaca’s “Cocineras Tradicionales,” a loosely affiliated guild of female cooks that often come from the area’s smaller villages and towns. On this culinary adventure, we’ll get to meet several of these traditional cooks and taste their food, as well as visit local markets to get a deeper sense of the ingredients they use and the efforts being made to safeguard them.
We’ll also go beyond the kitchen, learning about Oaxaca’s long tradition as an artistic center; and even getting a chance to try our hands at one of the most famous local art forms. Of course, this being Oaxaca, we’ll also spend a day taking a deep dive into the fascinating world of mezcal, the agave-based spirit that is an essential element of Oaxacan life and culture. We’ll finish our trip with a hands-on lesson making one of Oaxaca’s most famous creations – mole – a dish that, much like this Mexican region’s rich culinary heritage itself, is the result of numerous ingredients being lovingly and carefully mixed together.