Sojourn by Horseback in Rojas de Cuauhtemoc

A great way to experience the Oaxaca countryside is by horseback. Mary Jane Gagnier and her team of horses offer excursions onto trails less travelled for newbies and experienced riders alike.

One of the trails is in Rojas de Cuauhtemoc, a small puebla 20 minutes from the centre of Oaxaca. A Mestizo village known for its cheesemaking, the trail leads through part of the village to the surrounding terrain of hills and cacti offering spectacular views and a restful sojourn from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Evidence of the holiday season is seen in simple and lovely ways.

Alfalfa, the main crop of the village, feeds the cows whose milk makes the cheese. Kind of like a farm-to-curd-to-plate consciousness. There are about 10 cheesemakers in the village of under 1,000, plus many more dairy farmers that sell their milk to the cheesemakers. Here is a load of fresh alfalfa being transported by horse to a dairy farm. Talk about a low carbon footprint.

After an hour or so riding in the hot sun, we stop at the home of Dona Elena, the town tortilla and tejate maker. Tejate is a pre-hispanic fortifier and thirst quencher made from masa, water, toasted cacao and the dried, toasted flor de cacao (or rosita de cacao) - that gives the drink its aromatic flavouring.

We enjoy the beverage in a classic jicara, or bowl made from a dried and handpainted gourd. Mary Jane will deliver saddle-side.

Another treat awaited us up the street at Dona Gude's house, where the table was set under a shady tree in her garden. Check out those red velvet chairs!!

Cold cervezas and agua de melon was enjoyed while waiting for the others.........
along with local cheese and Elena's tortillas.
The plato fuerte was estofado de pollo, a classic Oaxacan dish but made in Rojas chunky-style instead of the usual smooth pureed sauce. You can see the ingredients: almonds, raisins, tomatoes, chilies en vinagre, cinnamon and chicken. Delicious, Gude!
She then presented us with bowls of freshly roasted chickpeas while we relaxed under the shade.
We kind of floated out bidding adios to this exquisite day.

Welcome to the Grilled Meats

The sign above the entrance reads, Bienvenidos a las Carnes Asadas.

You can't miss this long hallway off the Viente de Noviembre market in Oaxaca. It's filled with smoke, with fires flaring up from grills. The vendors are yelling at people passing through, trying to entice them to their stand for tacos placeros.

To find order in this chaos, a friend recently gave us the lay of the land, and we dove in for breakfast.

It goes something like this.

Walk up to a vendor that sells the salads and salsas and tell them how many people in your party.

They will then give you a basket with lovely cebollas (or knob onions), and five-alarm chile de agua.

You will then be cast out into the smoke to pick out a meat vendor for tasajo, cecina or chorizo. They will lobby hard for your business.

They'll then take your name, your meat of choice, your chilies and onions and grill them.

Go find a seat. While you wait, a vendor will offer you refrescos. Once your grilled delights are delivered to your table, another vendor will inquire about what salads or condimentos you'd like to accompany your tacos - "rabanos, pepinos, nopales, guacamole, limon?"

Yet another vendor will appear with hot tortillas. Some vendors you will pay right away, others at the end of your meal.

Got it?

You are ready to eat. With your hands.
Buen provecho!

Locavoracious in Mexico

What better way to find the soul of a place than to eat the local specialities of the region? The open air markets of Mexico hold the key.

In Puerto Escondido, villagers come down from the mountain pueblos and areas to the south, to sell their wares in the Wednesday and Saturday market. Get there early before the hot sun slows you down.



The score from this year's trip is a rarely seen chilie - to me anyway - called chilie Tuxta. Berry-shaped, it is fiery hot. I can hardly wait to take it home and start making salsas.

A little shopping bag for your wares?
The market is a great place to purchase a comal, tostadas or other essentials for the kitchen.
As in all markets of Mexico, you'll find a bank of women selling freshly made tortillas, tamales and atole. Candy is the name of our favourite tamale vendor and is where we enjoy our daily breakfast of champions. She uses chipil, a delicate Oaxacan herb, in abundance for a light morning tamal that I enjoy.
Or sweet corn that stands in for the usual baked good.
And another vegetarian delight, the frijol with added anisey flavour from the hoja santa (saint leaf). See it wrapped around the outside of the masa? Hmmm.

You can buy a dazzlingly array of fresh and dried products here, from freshly caught fish and flowers to medicinal herbs and sweet ripe heirloom tomatoes.

The vendors are always busy as is evident with this papaya seller, cleaning nopales while waiting for a customer.

Supporting your local farmer is not just a cause you rally around at home, it's something important wherever you travel.

El Pantero Strikes Again

Everyday around noon, El Pantero emerges from the water in front of Playa Carrizalillo with a sack of freshly picked oysters. Nicknamed The Panther for his lean physique and black wetsuit he wears when emerging from the water, he's been serving up fresh oysters for as many years as we have been enjoying the waters in Puerto Escondido.

We wander down with our towels from our perch atop Villas Carrizalillo, find the perfect spot on the beach for lunch, and order up a dozen.

Friendly beach-side service.

Some limes and a bottle of hot sauce are all that's needed for these succulent beauties that have a slightly chewy texture similar to abalone or scallop.

Ice cream awaits for later in the afternoon. Coconut and Nescafe are favourite flavours.

Sunsets demand the Villas' exclusive mezcal, Fidencio. It's sin humo, meaning it is roasted in a neutral heat oven without smoke, making it ideal for sipping or in a cocktail.

Devouring Puebla

Puebla, a two-hour drive from Mexico city, is smaller in scale and known for its colonial buildings and ornate tile work. Wandering the cobblestone sidewalks, there is always something unexpected that comes into view. Like this photo studio with the taxidermy lion seemingly smiling for a photographer off to the right.

The Poblanos are fiercely proud of their culinary traditions. Every street has multiple restaurants announcing chilies en nogadas, tamales, mole poblano, cemitas and other delights.
The ubiquitous tamale steamer stands proud waiting for customers.
We combed the historic centre in search for our favourite tamale vendor. They used to be near the Hotel Colonial but had moved up the street tucked into an entranceway.

From 9 am until they sell out - usually around noon - members of the Estrada Garcia family feed the masses that stop by for one - or three - of their delicious tamales. For the sweet tooth, tamales dulce de pina or pasas.

The famous mole poblano....

and the most incredible tamale I've ever had called the jarocho. Steamed in banana leaves with chicken and a tomato sauce with distinct hits of comino (cumin) and an hoja santa leaf surround, the texture of the masa was smooth and creamy. It was also folded in a way to create a rectangle and firmly held the tamal while devouring.
ETA: Speaking with chef/author Rick Bayless about this and doing some subsequent reading, the masa in these tamales is cooked like a polenta (masa colada), thus making it creamy and smooth.

The jarocho costs 2 pesos more than the regulars, but I would gladly pay triple that. An amazing experience that I'll never forget.

In addition to tamales, the family also make three types of atole (a hearty hot masa-based beverage) - plain, chocolate and one with rice.

Here is a photo of the two siblings during a break.

A stop in Puebla is not complete without a stop at the Mercado Gastronomica where vendors compete for your business with their comida corrida menus, a concept I wish someone would attempt in the city where I live. Fast, economical and nutritious food for around $3.50. and under. What could be better?

I enjoyed a caldo de pollo, a clean tasting broth with vegetables, and my husband enjoyed a pipian verde with chicken. A pipian is a rich sauce made with pumpkin seeds and spices.

The other vendors competing for attention here sell cemitas, a Pueblan specialty sandwich. We went for the Super Cemita stand where a colossus of a man made multiple cemitas at a time. Choose between milanesa or barbacoa and the layering begins: avocado, meat, Oaxacan string cheese, more avocado, dressing, salt, alfalfa, chilies en adobo and the sesame-topped lid. Enjoy!!Take that, Subway!

Time for an afternoon liquer at our favourite place, La Pasita. The hours are sketchy but usually they'll open for two hours between 2:30 and 4:30 pm.

Part curio shop stacked floor-to-ceiling with oddities and souvenirs of worldly travels....La Pasita is famous for its raisin liquer served in a caballito glass with a tiny square of goat cheese and tiny raisin on a toothpick.
Lusciously sweet and only 20 pesos.
Until another year, adios Puebla.