Foodies love to try all sorts of different food. They travel the globe enjoying the flavors of a country. It may be pasta in Tuscany or sushi in Osaka. Travel companies and guides have up picked up on this and now offering food based trips. It goes far and wide, from walrus meat in Siberia to blackeyed pea stew in Ghana.
New York Times restaurant critic ,Ligaya Mishan, took a break from writing reviews to explore the new trend in foodie traveling. We have Anthony Bourdain to thank for this adventurous spirit. He gave Americans the courage and curiosity to go off the beaten path while on vacation and sample street fare and trying tasting menus in private homes. Attempts to follow Chef Bourdain's itinerary are typically orchestrated by by small, indy tour operators. They also have roots in the place so they know to bring visitors to home chefs selling pho from their kitchens or small business owners that also make sandwiches or kabobs on a small stove at the back of their shops.Now international tour companies are taking notice and planning their own culinary treks. One of the highest profile contenders, the Monacan based Silversea, who has just partnered with cruise giant Royal Caribbean has planned a new 596 (!) passenger ship built expressly for culinary voyages.It will have a test kitchen that doubles as a clubhouse. However that launches a year from now in 2020.
Gastro-pilgrims, as they're sometimes called, won't wait. There are so many different tours right now, catering to the whopping ninety-three percent (!)food travelers.These are people who are not satisfied with local buffets. They want cooking classes in Oaxaca, and even trips to floating markets like the one in Kashmir. More and more tour operators are also trying to give these travelers a sense of substance of the lives of their chefs and servers.Mexico City food tour coordinator, Rocio Vazquez Landeta of Eat Like A Local is conscious of the class discrepancy between her tourists and the food vendors they visit. She makes a point of paying vendors full price for their goods and time spent making the foods instead of demanding discounts like other tour guides do. She has also hired an English tutor for the vendors' kids who at eight and eleven, are already working with their parents.She tips them for weekend tours they conduct.Then there is Mona Boyd, the Arkansas born founder of Landtours in Accra, Ghana. She arranged for small tour groups to not only dine with local home chefs but also to cook with them. An informal setting like this can foster a more candid cultural exchange. However , all homes and situations have to be vetted. Tourists can't get sick drinking unpurified water or freak out when they see the home chef accidentally drop the main course on a dirty floor.
It's now possible for foodies to travel the world looking for their wildest culinary adventures.The world is their oyster. Literally.
Showing posts with label Oaxaca. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oaxaca. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Friday, March 8, 2019
LA's Oaxacan Vibe
Los Angeles has always had a Mexican vibe and connections to the mother country, Mexico.It is also the hub of Oaxacan American life, with restaurants featuring the delicious foods of this Mexican state.Here , everyone can have a taste of true Mexican cuisine.
Tejal Rao wrote about the Oaxacan dining scene in Wednesday's New York Times Food section.Ms Rao, an accomplished chef and cookbook author in her own right is now the Los Angeles restaurant critic for the NYT. She was able to get into the kitchens, learning about Oaxacan's migration and establishment in LA. The Oaxacan's have always been drawn to southern California for decades, shaping the city and influencing its' history and businesses. They are the ones running the food industry, owning specialty markets, restaurants and food trucks. There was a big influx in the 1990's , just before the country's devaluation of the peso threw the country in turmoil.It was easy to set up restaurants because Oaxacan cuisine is what everyone wants - freshly made with all natural ingredients. .Also immigrants want the exact same dishes that they grew up on. Unlike dishes from other Mexican states which have subbed in ingredients, Oaxacan ones have items such as tortillas known as tlayudas, grasshoppers (!) known as chaplunes and dark chocolate. Sausages called moronga that are made fresh, daily ,using herbs and every part of the pig are also part of the restaurants' daily fare.
Oaxacan restaurants throughout LA would not open without these. Diners can enjoy true southern Mexican fare such as the airy and diaphanous tortilla drizzled with the golden dregs of homemade lard and then spread with layers of black beans, quesillo,cheese and shredded cabbage.Moronga is also served, a kind of homemade blood sausage where there's not only pork but also tomatoes, jalapenos along with fatback and pork skins. Flour and herbs such as oregano and mint are added for substance and flavor. It is scored and pressed against the grill until it turns crisp. .The restaurant , Gish Bac is known for another Mexican dish , barbacoa. One of the owners, Maria Ramos learned to make it as a child from her parents. It is different from the Caribbean version, which came from the indigenous Taino tribes that grilled meat on spits.. The Mexican version is usually beef, goat or sheep steam cooked in an underground oven until its' juicy and succulent. She and her husband, David Padilla,as immigrants in 1993 made it just for quincianeras and weddings. They became so successful that they opened up a restaurant that featured the slow roasted ,goat meat , basted in its' own restorative juices.
Oaxacan food is one of the strongest influences in Angelino cuisine. It's is classic Mexican ingredients cooked into flavorful dishes with recipes.They make for some of the best meals in this ever changing city.
Tejal Rao wrote about the Oaxacan dining scene in Wednesday's New York Times Food section.Ms Rao, an accomplished chef and cookbook author in her own right is now the Los Angeles restaurant critic for the NYT. She was able to get into the kitchens, learning about Oaxacan's migration and establishment in LA. The Oaxacan's have always been drawn to southern California for decades, shaping the city and influencing its' history and businesses. They are the ones running the food industry, owning specialty markets, restaurants and food trucks. There was a big influx in the 1990's , just before the country's devaluation of the peso threw the country in turmoil.It was easy to set up restaurants because Oaxacan cuisine is what everyone wants - freshly made with all natural ingredients. .Also immigrants want the exact same dishes that they grew up on. Unlike dishes from other Mexican states which have subbed in ingredients, Oaxacan ones have items such as tortillas known as tlayudas, grasshoppers (!) known as chaplunes and dark chocolate. Sausages called moronga that are made fresh, daily ,using herbs and every part of the pig are also part of the restaurants' daily fare.
Oaxacan restaurants throughout LA would not open without these. Diners can enjoy true southern Mexican fare such as the airy and diaphanous tortilla drizzled with the golden dregs of homemade lard and then spread with layers of black beans, quesillo,cheese and shredded cabbage.Moronga is also served, a kind of homemade blood sausage where there's not only pork but also tomatoes, jalapenos along with fatback and pork skins. Flour and herbs such as oregano and mint are added for substance and flavor. It is scored and pressed against the grill until it turns crisp. .The restaurant , Gish Bac is known for another Mexican dish , barbacoa. One of the owners, Maria Ramos learned to make it as a child from her parents. It is different from the Caribbean version, which came from the indigenous Taino tribes that grilled meat on spits.. The Mexican version is usually beef, goat or sheep steam cooked in an underground oven until its' juicy and succulent. She and her husband, David Padilla,as immigrants in 1993 made it just for quincianeras and weddings. They became so successful that they opened up a restaurant that featured the slow roasted ,goat meat , basted in its' own restorative juices.
Oaxacan food is one of the strongest influences in Angelino cuisine. It's is classic Mexican ingredients cooked into flavorful dishes with recipes.They make for some of the best meals in this ever changing city.
Saturday, May 5, 2018
The Other Mexican Food
People are probably downing fajitas and margaritas like crazy today , thanks to it being Cinco de Mayo. Yet there's a side of Mexican food that hasn't been turned into American fast food.It's the true cuisine, both indigenous and European influenced, and equally as delicious as its' more popularized sibling dishes.
Mexican cuisine is one of the oldest in the world. The ancient Mayans lived in an agricultural society where they cultivated corn but also foods seen on the modern table such as tomatoes , squash, sweet potatoes and even turkey. Like the US, a variety of different nationalities arrived, mostly, the Spanish but also French ,German, Chinese,African and Lebanese. They left their mark on various dishes and influenced many a recipe. Also like the US, true Mexican cuisine is also swayed by the regions or states. A popular dish in Mexico City is the torta, a kind of hero chock full of shredded chicken or beef along with avocados and, beans.It's drowned in queso or cheese sauce and chili sauce. Some bolder Mexican City foodies hang out at restaurants featuring pre-Columbian cuisine such as insects.Barbacoa, taken from the Taino tribes of the Caribbean is also popular. This is slow cooked beef or sheep highly flavored with onions and cilantro.This is also popular in northern Mexico where most of the dishes are meat dominated. Northern Mexicans can enjoy arrechara or skirt steak along with cabrito, roasted goat. A favorite meal is machaca, spiced shredded brisket served in flautas or smaller tortillas.
Central Mexico also has its' own cuisine. The state of Oaxaca, located on the Pacific coast and was the first area to have different cuisines mix and fuse.Still western Mexican cuisine is also influenced by the indigenous groups of Mixtecs and Zapotecs.Its' cooking is mostly pork and chicken , highlighted with their adaptation of mozzarella cheese (brought in by the Spanish) also called Oaxaca cheese. Mole is big here and there are seven variations of this tasty chocolate infused sauce. Cocoa is big here and it's also made into a hot drink spiked with almonds and cinnamon. The state of Veracruz is perched on Mexico's Caribbean coast and the area's influence is clearly seen in the food. Papayas and other tropical fruits are turned into milkshakes called licuados. Seafood is also big here, especially shrimp along with Spanish influenced fish dishes.One of the most distinct cuisines of the country is from the Yucatan peninsula. There is a strong French and Middle Eastern sway here although the Mayan culture is present in many dishes. More so than any other cuisine, fruit figures prominently in many recipes. Spanish bitter oranges and tamarinds plums are popular ingredients.
Mexican food isn't just overstuffed tacos and cheese soaked nachos. Like any country's cuisine, it is full of complex flavors and textures. There are native and foreign influences marrying together to create interesting food and drink. This is Mexican food.
Mexican cuisine is one of the oldest in the world. The ancient Mayans lived in an agricultural society where they cultivated corn but also foods seen on the modern table such as tomatoes , squash, sweet potatoes and even turkey. Like the US, a variety of different nationalities arrived, mostly, the Spanish but also French ,German, Chinese,African and Lebanese. They left their mark on various dishes and influenced many a recipe. Also like the US, true Mexican cuisine is also swayed by the regions or states. A popular dish in Mexico City is the torta, a kind of hero chock full of shredded chicken or beef along with avocados and, beans.It's drowned in queso or cheese sauce and chili sauce. Some bolder Mexican City foodies hang out at restaurants featuring pre-Columbian cuisine such as insects.Barbacoa, taken from the Taino tribes of the Caribbean is also popular. This is slow cooked beef or sheep highly flavored with onions and cilantro.This is also popular in northern Mexico where most of the dishes are meat dominated. Northern Mexicans can enjoy arrechara or skirt steak along with cabrito, roasted goat. A favorite meal is machaca, spiced shredded brisket served in flautas or smaller tortillas.
Central Mexico also has its' own cuisine. The state of Oaxaca, located on the Pacific coast and was the first area to have different cuisines mix and fuse.Still western Mexican cuisine is also influenced by the indigenous groups of Mixtecs and Zapotecs.Its' cooking is mostly pork and chicken , highlighted with their adaptation of mozzarella cheese (brought in by the Spanish) also called Oaxaca cheese. Mole is big here and there are seven variations of this tasty chocolate infused sauce. Cocoa is big here and it's also made into a hot drink spiked with almonds and cinnamon. The state of Veracruz is perched on Mexico's Caribbean coast and the area's influence is clearly seen in the food. Papayas and other tropical fruits are turned into milkshakes called licuados. Seafood is also big here, especially shrimp along with Spanish influenced fish dishes.One of the most distinct cuisines of the country is from the Yucatan peninsula. There is a strong French and Middle Eastern sway here although the Mayan culture is present in many dishes. More so than any other cuisine, fruit figures prominently in many recipes. Spanish bitter oranges and tamarinds plums are popular ingredients.
Mexican food isn't just overstuffed tacos and cheese soaked nachos. Like any country's cuisine, it is full of complex flavors and textures. There are native and foreign influences marrying together to create interesting food and drink. This is Mexican food.
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