Australian Gourmet Traveller - (10)October 2019 (1)

Eat

Boulenc

Breakfastat thispopularall-daybakery-caférunsfrom

shakshukaandavocadotoasttocroissantsandmuffins.

Atlunchtime,thebaropensandthemenuswitches

tosalads,sandwichesandwoodfiredpizza,andthere’s

sometimeslivemusicintheevenings.Don’tmiss

thefermentedandpickledfoodsbylocalprovidore

Suculentainthetakeawaybakerysection.Porfirio

Díaz 207, Centro, +52 951 351 3648, boulenc.com

Criollo

Ontheedgeofthecity’shistoriccentreis a restaurant

withallthecharmofa countryestate.Guestsare

seatedintheleafycourtyard,wheretheywatchfresh

tortillasbeingmadeona comal,orinthegarden

witha traditionalopen-airkitchen.Criollois a

collaborationbetweenarchitectJavierSánchezand

chefsLuisArellanoandEnriqueOlveraofPujolin

MexicoCityandCosmeinNewYork.Theseven-course

tastingmenuchangesdailyandis focusedonseasonal

ingredients,someofwhicharesourcedfromCriollo’s

kitchengardenandorchard.Cornchurrosmightbe

filledwithquesilloandtoppedbyblackmoleand

chocolatefoam;tacosstuffedwithroastedtomato,

goat’scheeseandbasil;tamalesfilledwithquesofresco

andmushroomswitha salsaoffriedwildmushrooms;

followedbya dessertofnicuatolewithblacksapoteand

passionfruitsalsa.FranciscoI Madero129,SantaMaría del

Marquesado, Centro, +52 951 351 1908, criollo.mx

Chepiche

Oneofthecity’smostpopularbreakfastspots

is setina tranquilcourtyardinthenorthern

neighbourhoodofXochimilco.TraditionalMexican

dishesincludehuevosdivorciados(“divorced”eggs:

a friedeggcoveredwithredsalsa,anotherwith

green salsa, served side by side on tortillas) and➤

O

axaqueñoshavea saying:“Para

todomal,mezcal;paratodo

bien,también.”Foreverything

bad,mezcal,foreverythinggood

aswell.Oaxaca,thecapitalof

thesouth-eastMexicanstate

ofthesamename,is thehomeoftheagave-based

spirit.Sharedduringfamilycelebrations,festivals

andimportantevents,mezcalis partofeverydaylife.

Forthecity’s255,000residents,it’smorethana

drink– it’sculture,traditionanda sourceofpride.

Mezcalis oftencomparedtotequilabut,apart

fromtheircommonsource,they’requitedifferent.

Tequilais madefromonlyonetypeofagave(also

knownasmaguey),whilemezcalis madefrommany,

andit’smorecomplex,oftenwitha rich,smoky

flavourthatcomesfromthetraditionalproduction

methodsstillusedtoday.Whilesometimesserved

withorangeandsaldegusano,orwormsalt,the

customarywaytodrinkmezcalis straight– anddon’t

shootit.Oaxaqueños“kiss”,orsip,theirmezcal.

Widelyacknowledgedas theheartoftraditional

Mexicancuisine,Oaxaca’sethnicdiversityis reflected

inthevastrangeofingredientsandcookingmethods

usedindishesrangingfromtlayudaseatenonthe

streetandcomplex,celebratorymoles,tobarbacoa

thathasbeenpit-roastedforhoursandfriedsnacks

ofchapulines(grasshoppers)andchicatanas(ants).

Oaxaca(pronouncedwa-ha-ka)is knownforits

colonial-eraarchitecture,archaeologicalsitesand

colourfulstreetscapeofmezcalerias,restaurants,galleries

andartisanstoressellinghandcraftedtextilesand

ceramics.Onlyanhour’sflightfromMexicoCity,

Oaxacais easilyaccessibleanddefinitelyworthlingering

in,especiallyduringthecelebrationsoftheGuelaguetza

andDayoftheDeadinJulyandOctober/November.

Herearesomeofthebestplaces to experience

Oaxacan spirit and hospitality.

Clockwisefrom
topleft:Criollo’s
courtyardand
diningarea;
guisados,taco
fillings,at
Itanoni;making
quesadillasona
comalatItanoni;
a churrofilled
withOaxacan
cheese(clockwise
fromleft)and
molenegro
inespumade
chocolate,a tamal
withmushrooms
andcheese,anda
tacowithroasted
tomato,goat’s
cheeseand
basilatCriollo.
PREVIOUSPAGES
Left:cacti.Right:
a musicianplays
atTlacolula
market.

GOURMET TRAVELLER 153

M

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MexicoCity

Oaxaca

SanAntonio

Mexico

Gulf of Mexico

Pacific Ocean

USA