Attractions in and around Oaxaca, Mexico

Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.
December 22 and 23, 2011, mark the inauguration of an exciting initiative sponsored by the state and municipal governments of Oaxaca as well as private enterprise. It’s aimed at enabling both tourists to Oaxaca, as well as its residents, to participate in a broad range of cultural experiences. According to Eric Monrroy, developer of the concept, “at Noches Mágicas de Guelaguetza I want people, in one single evening, to be able to take part in and learn as much as possible about Oaxaca; its gastronomic excellence, its music and dance, its color and pageantry, its diversity of crafts, and of course its signature chocolate, coffee and mezcal.”

Many visitors to Oaxaca book to spend only two or three days in the city, without realizing the richness of the region’s offerings until they arrive and it’s too late to change their travel plans. Some are in Oaxaca within the context of a longer vacation during which they do a whirlwind tour of several Mexican cities, while others visit the city for a day or two, en route to or returning home from a beach vacation in Huatulco or Puerto Escondido.

On each of these dates, beginning at 5 p.m., those interested in participating will have an opportunity to:

• Take part in a calenda (parade), complete with live band music, dancers in colorful regional dress, and fireworks, beginning at the Santa Domingo church and concluding at the evening’s main site, a spacious colonial restaurant known as Fuego y Sazón located in the quaint Jalatlaco downtown Oaxaca neighborhood
• Sample Oaxacan chocolate, the state’s renowned coffee, and of course different types of mezcal
• Speak with well known artisans displaying their quality crafts products such as naturally dyed tapetes (wool rugs), alebrijes (whimsical brilliantly painted carved wooden animals), hand-embroidered blouses and dresses, barro negro (black pottery), cotton table cloths and draperies, and hand-painted clay figures
• Treat the palate to a traditional Oaxacan dinner with just enough gastronomic flare to titillate the senses
• Listen to a Oaxacan singer whose repertoire includes songs in both Spanish and Zapoteco (the predominant indigenous language of the region)
• Marvel at a Guelaguetza, the celebration of Oaxaca’s 16 native cultures through dance, dress, song and humor

“The preliminary indication I’ve received from state officials is the hope that this event will be held three or four times a year,” Monrroy continues. “Our government recognizes that in only a few short hours we can expose visitors to the city to an extensive array of Oaxacan traditions; even Oaxacans come out to rejoice and enjoy, largely because of our sense of pride in who we are.”

Organizers of Noches Mágicas de Guelaguetza are enticing the public by providing a further incentive. Tickets are 500 or 600 pesos depending on seat location in the restaurant; but each ticket has a 200 peso voucher attached, redeemable at the event towards the purchase of all crafts, mezcal, chocolate or coffee, making the effective ticket price only 300 or 400 pesos. Tickets are available at tourism offices and kiosks, travel and tour agencies, Aerotucan offices and other select locations. For further details and ticket information email Monrroy at ericmonrroy@hotmail.com, or call 0449511978767 or 0449511842420.

Alvin Starkman is a paid contributing writer for Mexico Today, a program for Marca País – Imagen de México. He and his wife operate Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.casamachaya.com). Alvin has spent the past 20 years supporting tourism in Oaxaca, throughout which time he has gained an in-depth knowledge of the rich cultural traditions of Oaxaca and its central valleys.

Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.
When we think of mushrooms and the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca, the first thing which traditionally comes to mind is María Sabina, Huautla de Jiménez and hallucinogenic “magic” mushrooms. But slowly that’s all changing as a result of the groundbreaking work of Josefina Jiménez and Johann Mathieu in mycology, through their company, Mico-lógica.

Based in the village of Benito Juárez, located in Oaxaca’s Ixtlán district (more commonly known as the Sierra Norte, the state’s main ecotourism region), Mico-lógica’s mission is threefold: to train both Mexicans and visitors to the country in the low-cost cultivation of a variety of mushroom species; to educate about the medicinal, nutritional and environmental (sustainable) value of mushrooms; and to conduct ongoing research regarding optimum climatic regions and the diversity of substrata for mushroom culture.

The French-born Mathieu moved to Mexico, and in fact to Huautla de Jiménez, in 2005. “Yes, coming all the way to Mexico from France to pursue my interest in mushrooms seems like a long way to travel,” Mathieu explained in a recent interview in Oaxaca. “But there really wasn’t much of an opportunity to conduct studies and grow a business in Western Europe,” he continues, “since reverence for mushrooms had been all but completely eradicated by The Church over the course of centuries; and I learned that Mexico still maintains a respect and appreciation for the medicinal and nutritional value of hongos. Mexico is far from mycophobic.”

Huautla de Jiménez is more than a five hour drive from the closest metropolitan center. Accordingly, Mathieu eventually realized that staying in Huautla, while holding an historic allure and being in a geographic region conducive to working with mushrooms, would hinder his efforts to grow a business and cultivate widespread interest in learning about fungi. Mathieu became cognizant of the burgeoning reputation of Oaxaca’s ecotourism communities of the Sierra Norte, and indeed the Feria Regional de Hongos Silvestres (regional wild mushroom festival), held annually in Cuahimoloyas.

Mathieu met Josefina Jiménez at the summertime weekend mushroom event. Jiménez had moved to Oaxaca from hometown Mexico City in 2002. The two shared similar interests; Jiménez had studied agronomy, and for close to a decade had been working with sustainable agriculture projects in rural farming communities in the Huasteca Potosina region of San Luis Potosí, the mountains of Guerrero and the coast of Chiapas. Mathieu and Jiménez became business, and then life partners in Benito Juárez.

Mathieu and Jiménez are concentrating on three mushroom species in their hands-on seminars; oyster (seta), shitake and reishi. Their one-day workshops are for oyster mushrooms, and two-day clinics for the latter two species of fungus. “With reishi, and to a lesser extent shitake, we’re also teaching a fair bit about the medicinal uses of mushrooms, so more time is required,” says Mathieu, “and with oyster mushrooms it’s predominantly [but not exclusively] a course on cultivation.”

While training seminars are now only given in Benito Juárez, Mathieu and Jiménez plan to expand operations to include both the central valleys and coastal regions of Oaxaca. The object is to have a network of producers growing different mushrooms which are optimally suited for cultivation based on the particular microclimate. There are about 70 sub-species of oyster mushrooms, and thus as a species, the adaptability of the oyster mushroom to different climatic regions is remarkable. “The oyster can be grown in a multitude of different substrata, and that’s what we’re experimenting with right now,” he elucidates. The oyster mushroom can thrive when grown on products which would otherwise be waste, such as discard from cultivating beans, sugar cane, agave (including the fibrous waste produced in mezcal distillation), peas, the common river reed known as carriso, sawdust, and the list goes on. Agricultural waste which may otherwise be left to rot or be burned, each with adverse environmental implications, can form substrata for mushroom cultivation. It should be noted, though trite, that mushroom cultivation is a highly sustainable, green industry. Over the past several years Mexico has in fact been at the fore in many areas of sustainable industry.

Mathieu exemplifies how mushrooms can serve an arguably even greater environmental good:

“They can hold up to thirty thousand times their mass, having implications for inhibiting erosion. They’ve been used to clean up oil spills through absorption and thus are an important vehicle for habitat restoration. Research has been done with mushrooms in the battle against carpenter ant destruction; it’s been suggested that the use of fungi has the potential to completely revamp the pesticide industry in an environmentally friendly way. There are literally hundreds of other eco-friendly applications for mushroom use, and in each case the mushroom remains an edible by-product. Take a look at the Paul Stamets YouTube lecture, 6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save The World.”

Mathieu and Jiménez can often be found selling their products on weekends in the organic markets in Oaxaca. They’re both more than happy to discuss the nutritional value of their products which range from naturally their fresh mushrooms, but also as preserves, marinated with either chipotle and nopal or jalapeño and cauliflower. The mushroom’s vitamin B12 cannot be found in fruits or vegetables, and accordingly a diet which includes fungi is extremely important for vegetarians who cannot get B12, most often contained in meats. Mushrooms can easily be a substitute for meats, with the advantage that they are not loaded with antibiotics and hormones often found in industrially processed meat products.

Mico-lógica also sell teas and extracts made from different mushroom species, each formulated as either a nutritional supplement, or for their medicinal properties. While neither Mathieu nor Jiménez has the pharmacological background to prescribe mycological treatment for serious ailments, Mathieu’s own research points to the medicinal use of mushrooms dating from pre-history, to the present. He notes properties of mushrooms which can help to restore the immune system, and thus the use of fungi as a complement in the treatment of cancer and AIDS, and their utility in controlling diabetes and treating high cholesterol.

“We should all be embracing the organic production of mushrooms,” Mathieu concludes. “It’s so easy, it involves a minimal capital investment, and it provides significant rewards, both for those ingesting hongos for nutritional and medicinal reasons, and for the producers, even small scale. Mico-lógica also sells dried mushrooms. Yet most of the dried mushrooms sold in Mexico are imported from China, and are not organic. It’s a real shame on numerous levels.”

Mexico and mushrooms have come a long way since the era of Oaxaca’s María Sabina. With the continued efforts of Mathieu, Jiménez and Mico-lógica, it should not be long before the world understands and embraces the magic of mushrooms within a much broader context.

Mico-lógica
http://micologica.mex.tl
micologica.oaxaca@gmail.com

Alvin Starkman traveled to Huautla de Jiménez to experience the magic of mushrooms in the 1960s. A former Toronto litigation lawyer, Alvin now lives in Oaxaca where he takes couples and families to sights in and around Oaxaca’s central valleys, works with documentary film companies, and writes about life and cultural traditions in the region. With over 230 articles about Oaxaca to his credit, Alvin is a paid contributing writer for Mexico Today, a program for Marca País – Imagen de México. Alvin and his wife Arlene operate Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.casamachaya.com).

I first attended a cooking class with Chef Pilar Cabrera Arroyo four years ago at her Casa de los Sabores Cooking School. I was impressed with not only her cooking and teaching skills, but her uncanny ability to instruct at all levels of learning (novices and chefs alike), in both English and Spanish. Since then Pilar’s star has risen dramatically: more international press; travel to Canada and the US to represent Oaxacan cuisine; wholesale acceptance as a peer by the most renowned chefs in Mexico and indeed further abroad.

Although Pilar and I have become friends since I first reviewed her class, for me literary and gastronomic integrity must trump personal relationships. I had to satisfy myself that she had not stepped into the trap which at times befalls chefs once they attain prominence in the culinary world; complacency regarding innovation, and too much delegation of responsibility to staff. Hence last month I attended another class.

Chichilo is the mole made least often both in restaurants and homes in Oaxaca. The main chile used to make it, chilhuacle, only grows in Oaxaca, is several times as expensive as other chiles, and is often hard to find in markets. With other moles you can get away using alternate dried peppers, but not when making chichilo. So when Pilar called me and asked if I’d be interested in learning how to make the phantom mole, I jumped at the opportunity. I didn’t know the half of the treat that was in store for me – and for the other six aficionados of Mexican food.

Our group was comprised of Anglophones as well as Mexican – Americans, including Bricia López, co-owner of acclaimed L.A. Restaurante Guelaguetza. We gathered at the casa mid - morning. Seasonal, organic and 100% Oaxacan would be the order of the day, we came to learn as Pilar explained a little about each dish we’d be making. At the same time she provided brief, anecdotal lessons in cultural history. “Maize and zucchini have been grown together since time immemorial in Oaxaca, with squash runners climbing up corn stocks; so its fitting that sopa de guias is made with all the parts of the zucchini plant plus a piece of corn,” she explained.

“Friday is a great day to go to Sánchez Pascua market because it’s a day when people from mountain villages come to the market to sell produce picked early the same morning.” She continued: “I’m hoping we can still get wild mushrooms to sauté to put on the memelitas.”

As Pilar explained each dish and the ingredients we’d be buying, her continuing passion for her job became obvious. To a number we became excited about the day ahead of us. Sopa de guias, mole chichilo with chicken, memelitas with wild mushrooms, and still more. “We’re also going to make a salsa with chile de arbol for the guias; rajas of onion, lime juice and grilled chile de agua to accompany the chichilo [rajas are strips of vegetables invariably including chiles, marinated ], pay de requesón [Oaxacan cheesecake] with Oaxacan chocolate and hibiscus flower; and I have some chicatanas from earlier this season so we can make a salsa for the memelitas.”

Chicatanas are a truly rare Oaxacan delicacy of the insect order, in a class of their own. They’re easily distinguished from gusanos (the larvae referred to as worms) and chapulines (grasshoppers). After the first rains of the season the chicatana emerges from the ground, much like an ant but with more of a beetle appearance. Some years you’re lucky to be able to find a couple of pounds. Their season is the shortest of any foodstuff I’ve known, except for perhaps the oversized crawfish-like langostinos found near the banks of some freshwater Oaxaca rivers around the same time of year. Chicatanas make an exceptional salsa when combined with garlic, salt and chile de arbol.

Immediately upon arrival at the market we found wild mushrooms, then zucchini. “I want the small ones, we’re making guias,” she requested of the vendor kneeling on the ground, produce neatly displayed in small piles. Next we hunted down the remaining sopa de guias ingredients. Then a lesson on the subtle differences between avocado leaf with an anis aroma used to make tortilla soup and tamales, and hierba de conejo for beans.

We discussed the different Oaxacan quesos at the cheese lady’s stall, learned the best time of year to eat chapulines, and why the chicken was not bright yellow like in the supermarket. In about 40 minutes not only had we bought what we needed but learned dozens of tidbits of information about seasonal and organic production, traditional Oaxacan cookery, and the impact of 21st century change on the lives of Oaxaca’s residents.

Back at the casa Pilar’s assistants Mari and Uriel arranged ingredients for each recipe in a separate basket. Pilar then explained how we would be making each recipe. We put on our aprons, gathered round the island at the center of the kitchen, and began.

Pilar showed the novices how to clean dried chiles (no, you don’t put them under the tap and wash or soak them) and the more advanced what part of zucchini runners to use and why. “This is why we cut the zucchini lengthwise,” she explained, then “you know you don’t often find sopa de guias in a good restaurant because it’s so labor intensive and should be eaten at the moment.” Then “try the chichilo now, before we put in the final ingredients, like this,” she illustrated, waiting for someone to comment on its surprising sweet tones. And so the lesson progressed.

Although we were split up into twos or threes to expedite processes, invariably one group finished first so would chip in helping out the other group. In the end each of us had a hand in every dish. Pilar was present at all times, working with each group. Uriel and Mari did mainly pre-prep, ensured that all proceeded smoothly, and were continuously cleaning up our messes – compostable here, the rest there.

“Can you use bacon grease instead of manteca [pork fat] for the memelitas?” someone asked. “Yes, and if you can’t find different mushrooms, commercial ones will do or you can use potato pieces sautéed in olive oil,” Pilar divulged. For every ingredient which could conceivably not be sourced back home, Pilar provided alternative suggestions.

After a toast with mezcal and its traditional accompaniments we sat down at an exquisitely set table. For the first time I tasted sopa de guias the way it should be, and understood what Pilar meant by eating it at the moment; absent the excessive corn starch á la hot-and-soup soup – instead, fresh seasonal squash in a light broth ready for a bit of spice from our own salsa de chile de arbol. Memelitas with hongos silvestres with a dollop of salsa de chicatana smoothly ground to perfection in a molcajete. Mole chichilo con pollo with braised vegetables, rajas added to taste. For dessert, what can top a textured cheesecake encircled with Oaxacan chocolate and crowned with hibiscus flower?

Pilar Cabrera continues to maintain her cutting edge. She is as ardent as ever about Oaxacan cuisine and teaching the tools of her trade. When asked by a journalist to give one piece of advice to apprentice chefs she was about to teach at Stratford Chefs School in Canada, Pilar answered, “if you want to excel as a chef you have to enjoy what you’re doing and be passionate about it.” The name Pilar Cabrera is synonymous with culinary passion; there’s nothing more you could ask for in a Oaxacan cooking class.

NOTES:
• Pilar offers about 15 different complete menu options, by and large without insects, including several moles, chiles rellenos, quesadillas, and other more traditional fare. For me, this selection of dishes was perfect.
• For a photo gallery of the class, visit https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150327250478921.371634.651578920
Alvin Starkman and his wife Arlene operate Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.casamachaya.com). Alvin has written over 230 articles about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, including restaurant and cooking school reviews. He is a paid contributing writer for Mexico Today. Alvin leads families and couples into Oaxaca’s central valleys for day trips. He can be reached at oaxacadream@hotmail.com.

Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.

Rosario Maza’s beer store in the Oaxacan suburb of San Felipe del Agua has been operating for less than four months. The astute businesswoman is already preparing to open up another, this time downtown. Maza, a descendent of the famed Mexican Margarita Maza, wife of Mexico’s first indigenous president Benito Juárez, says that the time had come for Oaxaca, known more for production of mezcal and gastronomic excellence than beer consumption, to have its first beer store. Hence she opened Bier Stube, restricted to craft brews, otherwise known as beer produced in microbreweries.

Maza had been an event planner arranging for the needs of Oaxacans preparing to throw all manner of fiesta; weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, 15 años, and whatever other rite of passage came her way. But she was also the representative of the Mexican beer Cucapá.

“My customers liked Cucapá, and while the brewery has always produced a variety of beers, they began to ask for other artisanal beers, brews that weren’t available in Oaxaca, or at least not on a consistent basis,” she explains. “Then it just clicked,” she continues, “I knew that the time was right, and that I could supply a broad range of artisanal beer week in and week out, both domestic and international brands [with a view to avoiding definitions and the controversy surrounding the issue, I employ the terms craft, artisanal (most commonly used in Mexico) small batch and independent, interchangeably, cognizant of the politics regarding terminology].”

Indeed the problem in Oaxaca until now has been consistency. You can buy a modest diversity of craft beers in Sam’s Club, but once the shipment is sold out, you don’t know when that particular beer will next appear on the shelves. And supermarket chain Soriana has always had difficulty with keeping even staples in stock.

Although craft beer in Mexico is nothing new, at least in this part of the country the beer drinking public needs a helping hand in learning about the different independent brews, and pairing. Maza consults with a beer sommelier on a regular basis, and attends beer festivals out of state, mainly in Mexico City and Guadalajara. In addition she’s an avid reader of anything related to cerveza.

Maza spends a lot of time with her customers, educating and advising them, imparting them with the knowledge she’s gained over the years. Her buyers are still learning and honing their palates. Hence she tends to still be selling mainly single bottles, on average three or four bottles of small batch beer per customer, instead of cases. “But gradually they’re learning,” she beams, “and they’re coming back for cases of their favorite artisanal brews much more often now. I sell a lot of the German beer Paulaner Salvator by the case lot.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” Maza cautions,” Oaxacans do know about different flavors and other nuances, body, and so on. Having mezcal connoisseurs amongst my customer base has actually helped. It’s now simply a matter of training their palates in an alternate direction, extending their appreciation to beyond simply being able to discern between the different commercial beer products. Once I’ve accomplished that, more will start to return to buy their preferred artisanal brews by the case.”

Of the approximately 100 different beers in Bier Stube, German brews are the biggest seller, followed by Belgian beers and then Mexican. Maza actually carries between 13 and 15 Mexican brands of craft beer. They’re made by independent breweries in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Mexicali, Tijuana, Querétaro, and yes even Oaxaca. Other countries represented on the shelves include England, Czech Republic, Holland, Denmark, Poland, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, France, Scotland, Argentina and Cuba. Some of her beers have won international awards, such as Delirium Tremens.

Small batch brews range from stout and porter, to pale ale, lagers, wheat beers, pilsener and others. Bier Stube carries beers fermented with apple, banana, cherry, raspberry, coconut, coffee bean tequila barrel, and even a mandarin peel / star anise / cilantro fermentation. Pricing is anywhere from 28 pesos a bottle for the German Bitburger, to 90 pesos for a St. Peter’s Honey Porter. Maza is always prepared to order cases of beer not on her shelves. “I know far from everything about artisanal beer and all the products available on the marketplace, so getting in something special from an artisanal brewery for a customer helps me to learn as well.”

Restaurants in Oaxaca have also jumped on the beer bandwagon. Popular bistro – style eatery La Biznaga carries some of Maza’s products, even though the restaurant continues to buy from Sam’s and other stores – Maza tries to shelve beers not otherwise available in the city. La Biznaga carries about 45 different types of beer, roughly 35 of which are produced in microbreweries. Competitor restaurant La Jícara, another Maza client, also stocks both commercial and craft beers. When the restaurant holds special events it makes available upwards of 100 different beers, depending on the request of the particular patron. Downtown Oaxaca restaurant La Olla has held beer tasting evenings, most recently with representatives of Mexican microbrewery Tempus supplying the beer, and the restaurant providing appetizers for pairing.

Maza laments that it won’t be long before someone else opens a beer store in Oaxaca. That was part of her motivation for jumping ahead with a second brew outlet. “But I don’t worry about it too much,” she assures, “since I just have to keep my customers happy and stay ahead of the game when it comes to marketing and promotion. The more artisanal beers are accepted in Oaxaca, either purchased from me or someone else, the more it helps all of us,” she rationalizes. “After my second opening I’ll begin working on opening a bar which specializes in artisanal beer.”

Beer is a long way off from displacing mezcal as the alcoholic beverage of choice in Oaxaca. Clearly craft beer will never become as popular with the locals as mezcal, or even commercial Mexican beer brands. But a burgeoning Oaxaca craft beer market providing the diversity of small batch brews we’re now beginning to see, does give both visitors to and residents of Oaxaca more ways than before to both enhance even the most exceptional Oaxacan culinary experience, and sit back and imbibe with friends.

Bier Stube: Avenida de las Etnias 113, San Felipe del Agua, Oaxaca
T: (951) 520-0548
W: http://www.bierstube.com.mx

Alvin Starkman is a mezcal and pulque aficionado, living full time in Oaxaca. He takes visiting couples & families up into Oaxaca’s mountains to sample and learn about mezcal and pulque, as well as to more traditional tourist sights. Alvin is finally beginning to gain an appreciation for Mexican craft beers. Alvin is a paid contributing writer for Mexico Today, a program for Marca País – Imagen de México. He operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.casamachaya.com) with his wife Arlene, and Oaxaca Culinary Tours (http://oaxacaculinarytours.com) with Chef Pilar Cabrera.

Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.

While on vacation in Mexico, consider visiting a local molino (mill) to learn cooking techniques and about the food of Mexico that even the best cooking schools don’t teach. Of course there’s no substitute for a good cooking class. But while visiting Oaxaca in particular, whether you’re a novice cook, a student of Oaxacan gastronomy, or even a chef, you’ll learn valuable and important nuggets of information about the preparation of Mexican cuisine.

Part I: Not All Mexican Molinos are Created Equal
From its exterior the molino at Calle Porfirio Díaz 710, downtown Oaxaca, is as non – descript as could be; an open doorway on one half of a narrow, neatly painted powder blue building, with a laundromat occupying the other side. The mill has no name or other outside markings even hinting at its interior functioning; the churning out of some of the best milled food ingredients in all Mexico.

Using a diversity of different machines, some of which are dedicated to milling only one ingredient, this molino churns chiles for making chorizo and other typical Mexican meat mixtures, purées beans, liquefies aguas frescas (fresh fruit juices), mixes mole ingredients, and of course mills cacao for chocolate and corn for tortillas.

Opening before 7 a.m. and closing its doors at 5 p.m., one can come by for any type of milling at any hour of the day. By contrast, many molinos, particularly in the pueblos, have times for grinding different ingredients. For example a town mill with a brisk corn business might open its doors at 5 a.m. for the queued up tortilla, tamale and tejate crowd anxious to get breakfast under way; but the cacao molinos might not be operational until several hours later, once the morning rush has run its course.

Most Oaxaca city molinos which specialize in chocolate such as La Soledad and Mayordomo, often have an extensive lineup of mills dedicated to the two stages of the cacao, almond, cinnamon and sugar grinding process. But they also have a couple of other macerating machines just to service a select clientele; the owners of nearby market restaurant stalls who need ingredients prepared for making moles, black bean mixes and other eatery fare.

Molino 710 services restaurants, caterers and householders, from around the corner, across the city and throughout the suburbs; as well as both shoppers and vendors from the adjacent Sánchez Pascua market. The mill’s strategic location in front of the market, yet only a minute’s drive from both the heart of downtown and Oaxaca’s main east-west thoroughfare (Niños Héroes de Chapultepec), reveals only half the story of its success.

One would be hard-pressed to find another general purpose mill with higher standards of care for sanitary conditions and cleanliness. The floor is continually scrubbed with a squeegee; mills are washed down after each use to ensure not a hint of one client’s negro finds its way into another’s verde. As custom dictates, preparations which will ultimately end up cooking on the stove, comal or grill are mixed with tap water. However at Molino 710 there is also a separate mill with a purified water system. It’s used for grinding ingredients which will not be cooked, such as those used for making horchata, one of several aguas frescas.

Part II: Spend an Hour or Two of Your Vacation at a Reputable Mexican Molino; Experience Oaxacan Culture, Learn to Combine Ingredients & Cook Like a Mexican

We arrive at the molino at 1 p.m. with a large plastic bucket of fried, seeded chiles – mulato, pasilla mexicana and chilhuacle – and a smaller bowl with more than 20 other ingredients, some raw others roasted; everything for the recipe which must be ground. Chef Pilar Cabrera Arroyo is preparing a batch of mole negro paste to be packaged for sale in La Olla, her popular Oaxacan restaurant, or offered to students at her Casa de los Sabores Cooking School. Today I’ll learn from everyone but Chef Pilar. I’ll watch, ask, smell, then ask again to be sure, and as a last resort confirm with Chef Pilar that I finally got it right.

Several Oaxacans, mainly women, are in queue to have their beans, their chiles for making chorizo, mole and salsa ingredients, and of course their corn, all crushed to their exacting specifications. They are generous with their knowledge, advice, and secrets passed down to them through the decades by their mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers. They patiently await their turn, often the better part of an hour, longer if fiesta time is approaching. Accordingly, these connoisseurs of the craft of the kitchen have all the time in the world to impart their generational gems of knowledge.

A woman sits waiting to have a rather small batch of mole verde ingredients milled. “Why bring this here when you can easily grind it at home in a blender,” I ask. Her retort is more complete than I expect:

“Using a blender I lose some of the mix because it doesn’t grind it completely, the way I like it, and I then have to put it through a sieve and discard the little pieces. The mill grinds it all, and I end up with the texture I want. The stone wheels in each of these mills are made with volcanic rock, so I get the texture I used to get years ago with the molcajete [mortar and pestle]; and let me tell you, the flavor is different grinding with stone rather than a metal blade and plastic or glass blender jar.”

I next ask a youngish señora waiting to pay for having three buckets of boiled beans blended, why one of her mixtures is thicker than the rest, and about the ingredients used to make bean purée. This reply is just as clear and complete as the last:

“For the beans to make enfrijoladas I want the texture lighter, looser you can say, meaning more water is added to the beans as they’re being ground. I know the lady working the machine. She’ll just ask if I want them for the enfrijoladas or to use as an accompaniment for barbacoa or other main dishes, and she knows immediately how much water to add.”

“And what about the ingredients,” I ask. She continues:

“Well, I always use onion, chile de arbol to give it a bit of a bite, and either avocado or poleo leaves. But look at how small the avocado leaves are; they’re criollo, not from commercial avocado trees. It makes a huge different, gives the beans a nice hint of anis; that’s why we use avocado. But if I want a mild minty flavor instead, I use hoja de poléo [leaf of pennyroyal], a medicinal herb often made into a tea to resolve stomach problems. But here we use it to flavor beans.”

Before beginning to mill a batch of corn, the worker alongside the machine asks if the customer wants the corn for tortillas or tamales. After being told it’s for tamales she begins grinding, then hands her patron a sample to try, just to be sure the consistency and texture are right. Different Oaxacans make tamales with different textures. The customer is new to the mill so the miller wants to be sure to get it correct.

I question three or four other women about their mixes, and receive equally comprehensive answers. Finally it’s Chef Pilar’s turn with her own two batches of mole negro ingredients. She’s taught me before, so I don’t have to ask why it’s not all milled together at the same time, how to bring out the flavors, or the importance of the perfect texture. Anyway, the most I could ever hope to learn in one short lesson is but a fraction of what she’s been taught about food preparation in Mexico, by her own grandmother while growing up in a traditional Oaxacan household.

I’ll never learn it all, but the combination of taking Mexican cooking classes, and going to the mill in Oaxaca to watch, and to ask, sure helps.

Alvin Starkman operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.casamachaya.com) with his wife Arlene, and Oaxaca Culinary Tours (http://www.oaxacaculinarytours.com) with Chef Pilar Cabrera. Alvin takes couples and families into the central valleys of Oaxaca to visit the sights. He is a mezcal and pulque aficionado. A paid contributing writer for Mexico Today, a program for Marca País – Imagen de México, Alvin has written over 230 articles about life and cultural traditions in Oaxaca, including several restaurant and cooking school reviews.