Huatulco

Quote:   "Live with all your senses and be sensible with others" M.K.

I currently live in Mexico. I came here for six months in 2006. Which year do we have now? Well, we all know that happy people don't count the time so who cares? By the way, that also explains why absolutely nobody in Latin America arrives on time. It is simple, time is abstract and that's the way it should be. Like any European I was complaining about it for the longest time but I am wiser now....and happier apparently so please do not take personally when you happen to be here. You arrive a little stiff, a little organized and serious but after a while you will realize that life has so much more to offer to tingle your heart.

By now, Mexico certainly has a special place in my heart and I will dedicate quite a bit of space for this beautiful country. There is just too much to see and to taste here. Every region is different. You can have the best seafood in Sinaloa, mouth watering steaks in Coahuila, a taco feast in DF, lima soup in Yucatan, and everything else in the middle. A country such rich in flavors deserves a special attention.

Our destination number one is Huatulco, Oaxaca, the land of magical bays, grasshoppers, and of course the sometimes dangerous Mezcal. Huatulco means "the place where wood is adored" in Mixteca language although it rather seams that the ancient woods have turned into the many shades of blues within the nine halucinating lagunes of the Pacific coast. I mean just look at it....

  

Food for Senses


Apart from the beautiful half virgin beaches and bays, Huatulco has a lot to offer for the most refined pallates.

Oaxaca at your table
Tasajo, Cecina, Salchicha Oaxaquena, Enmoladas, Quesillio, Queso de Puerco, Chapulines, Tlayudas, Tamales, Guzano y Mezcal

Mole
There are seven moles that originated in Oaxaca. They are: mole negro, mole colorado, mole coloradito, mole amarillo, mole verde, chíchilo negro, mancha manteles. For a detailed recipe on each mole please visit Moles of Oaxaca. And here is a Red Oaxacan Mole with Chicken in action:

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

8 ancho chilies
6 guajillo chilies
6 medium tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1/2 onion
1 ripe banana
1 pack of cookies Maria
1 tablespoon toasted almonds
1 tablespoon toasted peanuts
3 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, toasted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, toasted                                                                
1 1/2 ounce dark chocolate
3 tablespoons canola oil or lard
1/2 cup sugar (or less depending on your taste)


Preparation:
 Remove the stems from the chilies, slit them open, and remove veins and seeds. Toast the chiles on     
a hot pan on each side till browned. Rinse the chiles in cold water, cover with hot water, and set aside to
soak for about 30 minutes.

Roast the tomatoes, garlic, and the onion (you can also burn them on a hot pan just like you did with the chiles). In a blender add the tomatoes and all the remaining ingredients (freshly toasted), except for the chocolate, into the blender and blend into a paste adding a little of the water in which the chilies are soaking if necessary.  Gradually add the soaked chilies with more water as necessary and blend until smooth.  Heat the remaining oil in a heavy pan or saute pan, add the blended sauce and chocolate, and cook over medium heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking, for about 15 minutes.  The sauce should be fairly thick. Check for salt.

Chicken:

1 medium chicken (I do strongly recommend buying the organic chicken. If you don't believe me just google chicken production and you will change your mind immediately)

Brown the chicken on each side, add the pieces to the mole sauce and cook for about 20 minutes till done.

Tip: You can add some sour cream and grate some fresh white cheese on top.


 Mezcal

All Tequila is Mezcal, but not all Mezcal is Tequila.

Tequila, the more popular Mexican delicacy, is made out of the Blue Agave plant and is distilled in a specified geographical area, almost always in the state of Jalisco in central-west Mexico. In other words its origin is controlled by law just as Champagne. Mezcal is very similar to Tequila; however its process is not regulated; hence it comes from various types of Agave and can come from any region in Mexico. Most of it is produced and probably consumed in Oaxaca. It therefore has many more flavors, variations, and character at least in my opinion.

Mezcal is distilled from the fermented juice of eight types of agave plants. The plant usually grows for about 8 to 10 years when it reaches its sexual maturity and begins to grow a flower, which looks like giant asparagus. The farmers cut off the flower right when it begins to grow so the energy of the plant’s growth is redirected to its stem growing a bulb with sweet juicy pulp. This “piña” weighs anywhere from 10 to 50 kilograms. The pineapple is then baked in an underground wood charcoal heated oven for about 2-3 days. They are then crashed to extract the sweet juices. The liquid is than aged in a barrel and it takes approximately 7 tons of raw piña to produce 1,000 liters of mezcal, depending on the type of mezcal being produced.

There are three types of Mezcal, which are determined by aging. The white young Mezcal is unaged and stronger in flavor (although apparently less destructive on the drunkenness meter); “reposado” needs to be aged for at least two months; and “anejo” sit in the barrel between 18 months and three years.

The winning Mezcal is with no doubt Mezcaleria Los Amantes!!!

So what’s up with the worm? The worm “el guzano” that is sometimes found in the bottle of Mezcal is a larva of one of the two moths that live on the agave plant. On one hand it gives it a hint of flavor (although I don’t believe that one little bug can be that potent) but more importantly it is the proof check. If after bottling and shelf time, the worm stays intact it means that there is enough alcohol to preserve it (so who says that drinking is bad for you?). Guys….you CAN eat the worm, it will not make you “see things” but it’s actually not that bad and pure protein too.

Restaurant/Bar Recommendations in Huatulco

Ve el Mar (seafood restaurant) in Santa Clara
Casa Mayor (café & restaurant) in La Crucesita / Zocalo
Ay Caray (seafood restaurant) on Playa Maguey
Sabor Oaxaca (oaxacan cusine) in La Crucesita / Zocalo
Rigoleto (italian) Calle Ocotillo No. 304
L'Echalote (international and local cusine) Hotel Posada Eden Costa
La Crema (bar) in la Crucesita / Zocalo
Terra Cota (cafe) in la Crucesita by Zocalo. Good breakfast place.

Art for Soul

Featured Artists: Francisco Toledo and Rodolfo Morales.

• Jardín Labastida (between M. Alcala and 5 de Mayo) - outdoors craft and art market
• Labastida 115 - Plaza las Vírgenes - series of small stores rented by artists, many of whom began in the Jardín above
• Plazuela Labastida corner of 5 de Mayo - N. Mayée;s Galería - her work and that of her children
• 5 de Mayo 409 - Sala Raffarte Arte Público - mixed media, run by artists, with impressive bronzes
• 5 de Mayo 407 - DM Arte Contemporáneo - work of Mayée;s', et al.
• 5 de Mayo corner of Constitución - Café Gecko y Galería
• 5 de Mayo 412 – Galería d'Arte Axis
• Constitución 103 - Galería Quetzalli - mixed media with wonderful ambience
• Calle de Gurrión 104-1 (across from Sta. Domingo) - Galería Linda Fernández
• M. Alcalá 407 (Plaza Sta. Domingo) - Arte Mexicano - mixed media includes sculptures
• M. Alcalá 407 (Plaza Sta. Domingo) - Arte Popular
• Allende 104 - Galería Índigo – large offering of high end mixed media
• M. Alcalá 507 - Instituto de Artes Gráficas de Oaxaca
• García Vigil 613 - Taller de Juan Alcázar - workshop featuring his art
• García Vigil NE corner of M. Bravo – Centro Fotográfico Á. Bravo (rotating photographic exhibitions)
• Murguía 105 - Arte de Oaxaca - extensive offerings as well as permanent Morales display
• Murguía 102 - DM Arte Contemporáneo - work of Didier Mayée;s et al.
• M. Alcalá 203 - La Mano Mágica - includes broad range of crafts
• M. Alcalá 305 (upstairs) - Galería 910 Arte Contemporáneo
• M. Alcalá 202 - Museo del Arte Contemporáneo de Oaxaca – extraordinary setting with changing exhibits and store
• M. Alcalá 102 – Galería de Rolando Rojas
• M. Alcalá and Morelos (NW corner) – Galería Guraieb
• Independencia 607 - Museo de Los Pintores Oaxaqueños
• Zócalo #110 (2nd floor) - Manuel García Galería – many quality larger pieces
• Reforma and M. Abasolo (NE corner) – gallery housed in one of the Rodolfo Morales Foundation buildings
• Murguía 400 - Quetzalli Bodega
• B. Juarez 300 - Galería Epicentro
• B. Juarez 514 – Taller de Artes Plásticas (Rufino Tamayo Galería) – workshop with periodic exhibitions
• 5 de Mayo in Jalatlaco, east portion of downtown (same street as La Toscaza) La Curtiduría at #307 (gallery and taller) and another along the same cobblestone street).

For more detailed information including tips on art selection and city map please visit Touring Oaxaca's Art Galleries by Alvin Starkman.

Trip tip:
If you don’t like to be surrounded by a hundred screaming, not very attractive, tourists and listen to the bad quality disco meringue, please DO NOT visit the seven beautiful bays on the MXN300 excursion. There are private tours that will cost you MXN1,500 but believe me it is worth the extra pesitos. On the other hand, if you already find yourself with “the people”, I do recommend large quantities of the local Mezcal. It really does wonders to ones perception of fun. Here is a sneak preview: