The 12 best meals of the gastronomy of Oaxaca

Due to its traditions, infrastructure, culture and gastronomy, Oaxaca is one of the 30 most popular tourist destinations in Mexico.

I invite you to know why the food of this magical land is so famous in a top 12 of the best dishes offered to Mexico and the world.

1. The Land of the 7 Moles

Mole is a sauce of spices, chili and corn dough, which is added to vegetable and meat dishes. In Oaxaca, 7 different ones are prepared, each with a color that indicates the level of spiciness.

1. Red Mole

The spiciest of the 7. Only for resistant palates. It is the result of the combination of 6 national chiles, not very roasted, with which the red color is gained and the spiciness is preserved.

2. Yellow Mole

Sweet and spicy sauce that contains holy leaf, an aromatic plant that gives an anise flavor to the combination. Its yellow color is due to the ground chilhuacle chili.

3. Green Mole

The most common of the moles prepared throughout the country with a distinctive touch in each state. In Oaxaca, corn dough is added, which thickens the final mixture and gives it its characteristic flavor.

4. Black Mole

The most characteristic of the coastal state that adds 34 ingredients. Its preparation is adjusted to family recipes.

5. Coloradito Mole

With a bittersweet flavor and a soft touch provided by almonds. Its color is the result of the roasting time of the chiles.

6. Chichilo

The least known because it is only prepared for special occasions. It is a mixture of avocado leaves, miltomate, pasilla chili, black chilhuacle and spices.

7. Stain tablecloths

Famous stew that has sweet potato, pineapple, apple and pear. It is exquisite.

2. The Tlayudas

Cultural Heritage of Humanity dish by Unesco. It is a toasted and slightly smoked corn pancake thanks to its cooking on the griddle.

Although it can be accompanied by different ingredients, for the gastronomic experience to be completely from Oaxaca, eat them with Oaxacan cheese, molcajete chili sauce, a little chopped cabbage and jerky.

3. Guide Soup

Typical broth from Oaxaca. It is prepared with the stems and tips of vegetables such as chayotes and pumpkin. It is a dish usually accompanied with chochoyotes, corn flour balls with a hole in the center that are added to the soup when it begins to boil.

4. Broth with Seven Lives

It is a broth of onion, garlic, carrot, cabbage and rice, plus a protein that is usually beef.

The name of this dish, also known as “Caldo de Gato”, is due to the fact that it was the food of the humblest workers in the field, known as cats.

5. Water Chiles Stuffed with Oaxacan Cheese

Type of chili characteristic of the Oaxacan valleys with a mild spicy flavor and a bright orange tone that reaches when ripe.

Oaxacan cheese is a fairly soft type of string cheese that melts easily. Although subtle and low in salt, it goes perfectly with any side dish, especially chili peppers.

6. Tejate

Drink created by the Zapotec and Mixtec indigenous people to pay tribute to the gods during ceremonies.

It is prepared with fermented cocoa in a base of toasted corn paste with mamey seeds and cocoa flower. It is adjusted with sugar and cold water to share and toast.

To date, the custom of drinking it is maintained to honor traditions and “connect” with ancestors.

7. Oaxacan Fritter

Desserts are considered in the holidays. They are somewhat similar to round and thin flour tortillas fried in oil. After being cooked, sugar is added. They are tasty and quick to cook.

8. Oaxacan chocolate

Chocolate in Oaxaca is like coffee in any other city in the world. An obligatory breakfast companion that is taken at least once a day.

The tradition of chocolate has been maintained since Moctezuma, the Aztec emperor who used it to gain energy, perform in his activities and as an aphrodisiac.

9. Rice with Chepiles

Although the chepil is the star of Chiapas cuisine, in Oaxaca it also has its place by adding it to rice. This small shrub of Mesoamerican origin adds great nutritional potential thanks to its iron and calcium.

10. Chicatana Sauce

Famous sauce of Oaxacan cuisine for its preparation and ingredients that fascinate diners.

It is a combination of ants collected by the locals roasted in the comales, until they lose their wings. After being toasted they are taken to a molcajete with chiles, garlic and onion. The sauce is used to accompany other dishes from the area.

11. Tasajo

A snack that can become a main dish. It is dehydrated beef and strips, which stars in some dishes in the state.

The meat is hung covered in salt until it dries and hardens. It is sold in food stalls in the streets of towns or in restaurants.

12. Grasshoppers

The pre-Hispanic indigenous Mexicans learned that by eating insects they gained a good dose of protein. This is what the Chapulines are all about, a form of jumping cricket widely consumed in Puebla, Guanajuato, Tlaxacala and of course, in the coastal state.

The insects are roasted until crispy. Unlike the way they are eaten in other Mexican towns, in Oaxaca they are consumed in a molcajete accompanied by garlic, onion and lemon.

Oaxacan food, one of the richest in Mexico

Oaxaca adds variety and flavor to all its gastronomy, already very famous in Mexico. It is something that adds more interest to the state and its towns, which makes it one of the most visited gastronomic destinations. We invite you to try at least one of these dishes so you can say ownership, how delicious the food is in this place.