Oaxaca, Mexico is known as the Land of the Seven Moles after the complicated chili-based sauce that takes hours to prepare and often features chocolate. The Puerto Escondido Walking Tour offered by local foodie Gina Machorro offers a fascinating inside peek at this and other Oaxacan culinary traditions.
Pros:
- Tour begins at the Marina where you'll chat with local fishermen and tuck into a typical breakfast of nopal cactus, tortillas and beans.
- Then it's off through the backstreets of Puerto visiting a traditional chocolate grinder and the homes of women making tamales of maize by hand.
- Gina guides you through Benito Juarez Market where you'll explore the indigenous stalls, learning how to identify epazote, pimiento gorda and nance. The sprawling, but surprisingly orderly, market stretches an entire city block spilling out onto surrounding sidewalks. Chat with vendors and soak up the authentic Oaxcaca atmosphere.
- Culinary adventurers will enjoy the opportunity to sample chapulines (toasted spicy grasshoppers) and the many varieties of chocolate.
- Learn how to use cooking utensils such as comals for heating tortillas, pottery bowls for salsa, and mortar and pestles for making guacamole.
- A shopping bag is supplied and will be filled the brim with culinary goodies by the end of the tour.
Cons:
- This is a fast-paced tour with some hill-climbing. If you need extra time when walking or have mobility issues, advise Gina in advance and she'll be happy to make special arrangements.
Details:
Time: Saturdays at 7:45 am
Location: Tourist Information Booth on el Adoquin, near Playa Principal.
Cost: 300 pesos or $24 Canadian. Includes all snacks and sampling. Book in advance in-person or by email at ginainpuerto@yahoo.com.
How to get there: Sunquest Vacations flies direct to Huatulco from Toronto. From there, it's one hour and 45 minutes by bus or taxi to Puerto Escondido. Sunquest offers an all-inclusive option in Puerto Escondido that includes transfers from Huatulco.
Comments