GASTRONOMY

Oaxaca City is famous for its strong culinary tradition, which is a fusion of indigenous and Spanish cuisine. Among the most popular dishes you can try are the tamales, prepared with corn dough and stuffed with mole or pork and wrapped in banana leaves. Mole, a rich mixture of spices, grains and chili peppers, is the king of Oaxacan cuisine. It comes in seven different varieties, depending on the kinds of ingredients and chili peppers used when it is prepared. Normally it is used as a sauce to top chicken or pork dishes and it comes accompanied with rice and beans. Also popular is Oaxaca?s famous cheese, a stringy cheese that is rolled into the form of a ball. You can eat this as a snack or it may come melted in various dishes. For more eccentric tastes, you can try the fried grasshoppers or maguey worms in salsa. These peculiar treats are usually served in tacos. Wash it down with some delicious agua de arroz (rice water) or agua de chia (sage water). There?s also the traditional tejate, a mix of cocoa and corn. For an after-dinner drink, order a shot of mezcal, a regional alcoholic beverage made in Oaxaca from the maguey plant.