Grazing on Grasshoppers and other Culinary DelightsBy Madelyn MillerI am adventurous eater. I have enjoyed raw horse in Japan, tasted chocolate covered bees, and look forward to eating kangaroo whenever I am in Australia. But I am not sure I would have tried grasshoppers if I had known what I was eating.
When I met my friends in the lobby, someone asked if we had gotten grasshoppers as a welcoming gift. “OH, no,” I replied smugly, “I had delicious chipped beef.” The more knowledgeable travelers snickered and me and told me they were fried grasshoppers.
This introduction to Oaxacan cuisine reflected my general impression. Surprisingly delicious.
According to historians, Oaxacan cuisine can only be explained by the crossbreeding of indigenous traditions, the magnificence of Aztec tables, colonial baroque-style, a complex technique, and that essential ingredient, unusual in many cuisines of the world,…time. The slow food movement would applaud Oaxacan cuisine.
Writer Italo Calvino can only attribute the luxury of Oaxacan cuisine and the creation of such complex recipes of the nuns of colonial times. “Entire lives devoted to the search for singular mixtures of ingredients and varying quantities, to the patient combining of them, to the transmission of this detailed and accurate knowledge”, wrote Calvino in his book, “Under the Jaguar Sun.” Oaxacan “mole’ requires at least 31 ingredients. All the spices have to ground, fried with meat, and then once the dish is ready it is flavored with toasted sesame. There are seven different varieties that depend on the type of chili used. There is a black mole, yellow, little red, almond, chichilo, red and green mole.
Best known among the traditional beverages is Mescal. Mescal is an important industry in Oaxaca. It is produced by thousands of small family businesses that follow the traditional methods of distilling. People from Oaxaca also eat flowers: rose petals in ice-cream, bean flowers in “moles”, pumpkin flowers in “empanadas”, cocoa flowers in tajate; carnations in preserves and bougainvillea in “horchata.” In Oaxaca, Nature is always at one’s table. Know Before You GoOAXACA Oaxaca, the name of the state as well as its capital city comes from the Nahuatl word HUAXYACAC which means “in the hose of the guajes”, (edible pods that grown on guaje trees) because of the abundance of guajes that were growing there. GEOGRAPHY The State of Oaxaca is located in Southern Mexico. It borders on the states of Puebla and Veracruz to the north, Chiapas to the east, Guerrero to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Covering 95,364 sq. km (over 59,000 square miles) of hills, valleys, canyons and beaches, Oaxaca is Mexico’s most biologically diverse state. POPULATION The State of Oaxaca has over 3 million inhabitants, mainly mestizos. Sixteen ethnic groups, each with their own language or dialect, inhabit different geographical areas of the state. As a result, the state of Oaxaca boasts one of the richest and most varied concentration of distinct cultures, not only in Mexico, but in the world. LANGUAGE Spanish is Mexico’s official language. However, 8 percent of the population speaks 54 autochthonous language. Seventeen languages and several dialects are spoken in the State of Oaxaca. CLIMATE AND SEASONS Because of its topography, the state of Oaxaca has a variety of climates. In Puerto Escondido, Huatulco, and other coastal areas, the average temperature is 27.7 C. In the city of Oaxaca, which is located in the Central Valley, the average annual temperature is 22C. MEZCAL Some 25,000 people in the state of Oaxaca depend on the agave plant for their livelihood, Agave growers, who call the plant maguery, tend to their plants for 7 to 10 years before the fruit, which weighs between 27 and 54 kg. is ready for harvest. At harvest-time, the plants are cut and carted by mule and truck to a local distillery. After a three day roasting process, the fruit’s starches have been converted into fermentable sugars. The mezcalero then places the chunks on a rustic stone-and-cement treadmill, where an aging horse goes round and round, crushing the fruit. The fruity pitch is dumped into big wooden or clay vats for fermentation. Where To StayCamino Real Oaxaca Hacienda Los Laureles Travellady's Favorite RestaurantsMy very favorite restaurant is La Fonda de Santa Domingo which serves traditional Oaxacan foods. The presentation was of the traditional dishes was beautiful, a delight for the palate as well as the eye. BEST PLACE TO LEARN TO COOK LIKE A OAXACAN Susana Trilling’s Seasons of my Heart Cooking School offers a unique opportunity to learn about and experience Mexican food. In the foothills of Oaxaca, a half-hour drive from the center of town, Susana Trilling, teacher, chef, writer and television host will teach you to work with the native foods of Mexico. Held at Susana’s home in a hillside farm overlooking the pueblo of San Lorenzo Cacaotepec, you will discover how the food you cook is grown, gathered and prepared for use in the many forms of Mexican cuisine. BEST PLACE TO TASTE MEZCAL RanchZapataa WHERE TO BUY GREAT JEWELRY Teller del Orfebre Joyerias by Gary Crallé and Theresa Russel |
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When I checked into my hotel in Oaxaca, there was a delightful culinary amenity waiting for me. It seemed I had been traveling all day, and I was starving. So I devoured the delicious looking canapé that appeared to be chipped beef and small cheese balls.
I did not care what they were. They were delicious. But I wondered how much of my enjoyment had been because I was starving. So I tried them again. And again. And no matter how they were prepared, I concluded that I loved grasshoppers. It was wonderful to learn that not only were they tasty, but they were actually a very healthy food, with great protein and no fat.
When I think of Oaxacan cuisine, I think of the legacy left by their ancestors. It can be savored on every corner, in every region, in every home. It is found in its famous moles, prepared with ingredients harvested from their soil: fruits, nuts, grains and exotic spices. Their delightful drinks, mezcal and foamy chocolate are beverages utilized in ancient rituals. And finally the delicious breads and enticing sweets are those lovingly made for festivals celebrating the living and the dead.
Each Oaxacan dish involves many hours of work in front of the stove. For example, in the preparation of tamales, the leaves of the wrapping have to be washed, roasted and soaked; chiles have to be toasted and ground; corn has to be heats, its ends taken off and then ground; the filling has to be baked; a receptacle has to be prepared, then the tamale is filled, wrapped, tied and laid in place, before being baked.
Other unique dishes are Chiles Rellenos (stuffed chilies), string cheese, giant tortillas, Oaxacan tamales, delicious home made flavored ices, cool fresh tropical fruit drinks, the famous hot chocolate, grilled meats, and squash vine stew. The strangest dish is the Chapulines, (dry roasted, spiced grasshoppers). They say that those who have come to Oaxaca and tried the Chapulines will always return. I know I will.