Oaxaca is known for many things – energetic culture, beautiful textiles, intricate pottery, incredibly stringy cheese – and chocolate, which was heartedly embraced during a recent trip to this vibrant Mexican city. It was a phenomenal experience with a few particularly sweet highlights.
Malteadas at Chocolate Mayordomo. Milk and chocolate powder (ground right there in the store) are combined using a malt machine until thick, uniform and delicious. The addition of coffee tipped this drink into one of the top dessert experiences of the trip. Satisfying, sweet but not too sweet, richly chocolate and decadent, it was easy to sip but too filling for one person to finish.
The Chocolate Orgasmo at La Jicara. This small bookstore cafe offers a nice break from the Zocalo and more congested areas of town. The chocolate orgasmo, a semi-sweet flourless cake topped with a tangy raspberry sauce, provides the perfect afternoon boost, especially when paired with an Americano. A silken texture and dense chocolate flavor makes this a delightful pick-me-up.
Traditional hot chocolate from the shop off of the Tlacolula market. Hot chocolate here is a specialty – one can order a customized combination of vanilla, cinnamon, almonds, chocolate and sugar based on preferences or traditions. At this small shop off of the huge Sunday market, employees blend ingredients using grinders upon customer request. We observed these goings-on while sipping the house blend – a comforting concoction of cinnamon, chocolate and sugar – and nibbling on sweet rolls with a crisp sugary shell on top. A highly recommended experience – and the hot chocolate cups for sale are incredibly reasonable in addition to being beautiful!
Chocolate atole. This drink is commonly consumed to kick off breakfast and can be found at roadside stands and restaurants alike. Similar to a liquid porridge, it has a grainy texture due to the corn mixture used as the base. The chocolate is vigorously combined with the corn using a wooden utensil, rotated until froth builds along the surface. This is not particularly sweet and is not a flavor or texture common in American cuisine, so it will not solicit the same reaction from children as a traditional French chocolate chaud. However, that should not deter you from sampling one as a part of exploring the local cuisine!
The chocolate tamale at Las Quince Letras. It took two tries – I accidentally managed to order a hot chocolate the first time around (unintentional yet delicious) – but I was finally able to sample a chocolate tamale. Expecting a chocolate filling in a traditional tamale, the dessert’s appearance surprised me. The dark brown tamale was placed atop a streak of tangy passion fruit puree and accompanied with a few orange slices, proving my assumption incorrect. The citrus helped to break up the intensely rich decadence of the tamale, and it quickly disappeared from the forks of the group.
I would recommend spending at least a week in Oaxaca, as I have captured but a minute slice of the culturally rich and dynamic city.
Until next time,
SugarSource
SugarSource 