00:00:00
(lively salsa music)
00:00:02
- This is the definition of a meat sauna.
00:00:04
This is an ultimate fiesta in here.
00:00:06
It's just a party in the
middle of the morning,
00:00:09
a meat party.
00:00:10
All the action, the energy in here.
00:00:12
The meat love is out of control.
00:00:14
(lively salsa music)
00:00:25
Good morning, I hope you're
having an amazing day.
00:00:27
It's Mark Wiens.
00:00:28
I am in Oaxaca City and Oaxaca is known
00:00:31
for having some of the best,
00:00:32
one of the ultimate food
cultures in all of Mexico,
00:00:35
so I'm thrilled to be here.
00:00:37
We're gonna walk around today,
00:00:38
we're gonna go visit some local markets.
00:00:40
We're gonna eat some amazing Oaxacan food,
00:00:42
we're gonna visit some attractions.
00:00:43
We have one full day in Oaxaca City.
00:00:46
We're gonna make the most of it
00:00:47
and I'm gonna share it all with you
00:00:48
in this video right now.
00:00:50
(speaking foreign language)
00:01:15
A cup of hot chocolate, mixes
it up twirling that stick.
00:01:19
Oh man, this is a frothy, bubbly cup
00:01:21
of fresh hot chocolate, Oaxacan-style.
00:01:28
Oh, wow.
00:01:31
(speaking foreign language)
00:01:46
We decided to try a Tamal de Mole,
00:01:48
and it's steamed in a corn husk.
00:01:52
There's the masa and then you
can see the Mole underneath.
00:01:55
Okay, let's try this.
00:01:59
Oh, oh it's so hot!
00:02:00
I love how that's just stuffed,
00:02:02
it's just packed, it's
just oozing with Mole.
00:02:04
And you can taste the
dried chilies in there.
00:02:08
You can taste a little
bit of a chocolatey flavor
00:02:11
and then it's all wrapped
up within that corn meal.
00:02:14
I need a sip of hot chocolate after that.
00:02:19
Oh, we are off to an amazing start.
00:02:20
That was just my first bite
00:02:21
and my first beverage
of the day in Oaxaca,
00:02:24
and it was fantastic.
00:02:26
Oh, and that's making me excited.
00:02:30
We need the bunny hat.
00:02:32
(people chattering)
00:02:35
Oh that hits the spot in the morning.
00:02:37
That's wonderful.
00:02:38
- Mark, Micah wants this hat.
00:02:40
- Micah.
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(upbeat music)
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It's 8:00 a.m. right now
00:02:44
and we're starting off this morning
00:02:45
at Mercado Abastos, which is the biggest,
00:02:47
it's the largest market in Oaxaca City.
00:02:49
It's absolutely gigantic.
00:02:51
You can find everything
here from fresh vegetables
00:02:54
and seafood, oh, lots and
lots of seafood, to fruit.
00:03:00
Anything, (speaking foreign language).
00:03:03
Also, we're gonna also find
a lot of pre-cooked food here
00:03:06
that we're gonna eat for breakfast.
00:03:09
If you need a new pair of underwear,
00:03:11
if you need a pet, if you
need fruits and vegetables,
00:03:14
this is the market to come to.
00:03:15
Oh, we're coming to the
food section right now.
00:03:18
(speaking foreign language)
00:03:27
(lively salsa music)
00:03:31
Some of the stalls are still opening
00:03:32
because I think they open
around eight or nine,
00:03:34
this whole entire market,
00:03:35
but this stall back here
is just absolutely packed.
00:03:38
It's called Comedor Lupita.
00:03:40
I'm not even totally
sure what they serve yet,
00:03:42
but there are a lot of people here.
00:03:44
You know it's gonna be delicious,
00:03:45
so we're gonna stop here
to eat whatever they serve.
00:03:48
(speaking foreign language)
00:03:51
Shrimp soup or fish soup?
00:03:53
Shrimp soup or fish soup?
00:03:55
(people chattering)
00:04:05
They put a ball of masa in the,
00:04:07
what is that called, a flattener,
00:04:09
and then they flatten it into a tortilla
00:04:12
and then the tortillas go
00:04:13
onto the comal,
00:04:13
which is a hot stone, and
then they just bubble up.
00:04:16
So we got fresh tortillas here,
00:04:17
we got the Caldo de
Pescado, which is with fish,
00:04:21
a fish soup, and then Caldo de Camaron,
00:04:23
which is the shrimp soup.
00:04:25
For the Caldo de Pescado,
it comes with a whole fish,
00:04:28
just overflowing over the bowl.
00:04:30
I'm just gonna taste that broth first,
00:04:31
before I add some seasoning.
00:04:33
(people chattering)
00:04:36
Mm, it's a little bit tomato-y.
00:04:38
You can taste some herb in there.
00:04:39
And you do taste the
full effect of the fish,
00:04:42
that's a little bit fishy.
00:04:43
I'm gonna squeeze in some lime.
00:04:45
(people chattering)
00:04:48
And they also have some onion
and peppers and cilantro,
00:04:50
which is all communal, which
you can add to your soup.
00:04:53
I'm gonna add a bunch of onions
and peppers and cilantro.
00:04:55
Oh yeah, this is gonna be amazing.
00:04:57
And then also some cilantro.
00:05:00
(dishes clattering)
00:05:04
Okay, and then for this bite,
I gotta go into the fish.
00:05:07
Oh yeah, I'm not sure
what type of fish this is,
00:05:08
but it's a whole fish in here.
00:05:10
Look at all that meat on the side.
00:05:13
Oh wow, that's hot.
00:05:15
(people chattering)
00:05:22
Mm, oh the fish is awesome!
00:05:25
Mm, it's really like silky in texture.
00:05:28
Actually the broth tastes
a little bit seafood-y,
00:05:30
but the fish is very
like pure, very clean,
00:05:33
not fishy tasting at all.
00:05:34
I can't wait to try one
of these fresh tortillas,
00:05:36
and I think the easiest thing
to do, is to just roll it up
00:05:39
and you kinda eat it
like bread on the side.
00:05:42
(people chattering)
00:05:45
Mm, mm-hmm, the tortilla's a
little bit on the drier side.
00:05:52
You can taste the fresh corn.
00:05:54
Actually it only tastes like pure corn,
00:05:56
maybe just with water in it.
00:05:57
It's good, it doesn't taste
like oily whatsoever at all.
00:05:59
Okay, one more addition to the soup
00:06:00
that I didn't know they even
had on the table is this salsa.
00:06:03
I gotta add some.
00:06:05
(dishes clattering)
00:06:09
(people chattering)
00:06:10
- [Man] This is what made
you want to come, right?
00:06:11
- Yeah, this market?
00:06:13
No, I had no clue where to come here.
00:06:14
We were just gonna walk around
and see whatever looks busy.
00:06:17
(speaking foreign language)
00:06:21
Oh, oh that salsa is nice.
00:06:23
A little bit sour, and
green chilies, which are,
00:06:26
I think they're roasted.
00:06:28
You can taste a smoky flavor to them.
00:06:30
Mm, this is a very soothing,
00:06:32
very warming dish to eat in the morning.
00:06:34
I'm loving it.
00:06:35
Next I'm moving over for the
Camaron, which is the shrimp.
00:06:38
Squeeze in a little more lime.
00:06:41
Okay, take a look at this.
00:06:42
This is the same soup base,
00:06:43
but full of big shrimp with
the head on, full shrimp.
00:06:50
So, I'll actually just take
this guy with my fingers,
00:06:53
pluck off that head.
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(lively salsa music)
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Yeah, that's a good fresh shrimp,
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then we follow with some of the soup.
00:07:07
Mm, yeah, this is a wonderful dish.
00:07:12
Taste that with a tortilla.
00:07:16
Both of the soups are excellent,
00:07:17
just depending if you want,
and they taste the same,
00:07:19
it just depends if you want
shrimp or if you want fish.
00:07:22
I like them both.
00:07:23
Probably I like the fish better,
00:07:25
it's a little more meaty.
00:07:28
Mm, mm, (speaking foreign language).
00:07:30
- [Woman] Ha, ha, ha.
00:07:32
Ha, ha, ha.
00:07:33
- One more thing that I
had to try is their coffee,
00:07:35
because of how they serve it.
00:07:37
They serve it with a spoon,
they serve it in a clay cup.
00:07:40
You can smell the coffee in there
00:07:43
and then you can also really
smell chocolate in there.
00:07:45
It's okay to pick this up, right?
00:07:47
(lively salsa music)
00:07:48
- [Woman] Oh.
00:07:49
- Ah!
00:07:51
It's very light.
00:07:53
It's not like a strong coffee,
00:07:54
it's a very, very light coffee,
00:07:55
almost like you're just drinking water,
00:07:58
hot water with a little
bit of coffee flavor
00:08:00
and then a little bit
of a chocolate flavor,
00:08:02
but I mean, you can't think
of it like an espresso,
00:08:05
or like a strong coffee.
00:08:08
And what's also cool is that
you can see your reflection
00:08:11
in this bowl of coffee.
00:08:12
If you look down you could
use it like a mirror.
00:08:15
Can you see my face down there?
00:08:18
This is a massive clay cup of coffee.
00:08:21
I'm gonna be peeing like
crazy in about an hour.
00:08:23
This was a great place.
00:08:25
They're really friendly,
00:08:26
very popular local place for breakfast,
00:08:28
and yeah, that just hit the spot.
00:08:30
It's, you know, it's like
very warm and soothing,
00:08:32
it's comforting.
00:08:34
That's what you need in the morning.
00:08:36
(people chattering)
00:08:40
(lively salsa music)
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Okay, and I am loving the produce here.
00:08:46
There are so many different
types of chilies, lots of fruit.
00:08:49
The passion fruit is gorgeous.
00:08:50
There are mangoes.
00:08:52
There are berries.
00:08:54
There's a lot of
interesting and unique herbs
00:08:57
and vegetables here, and especially things
00:08:59
that look like they're kind
of wild-foraged vegetables.
00:09:03
Yeah, this is a great market.
00:09:04
(people chattering)
00:09:07
(upbeat music)
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One of the things that
I notice just walking
00:09:17
around the market,
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especially the vegetable
and fruit section,
00:09:19
is that they have a lot
of both tropical fruits
00:09:21
and vegetables, as well
as more like dried,
00:09:26
arid-climate fruits and vegetables.
00:09:28
So it's a huge mix of such a diversity
00:09:31
of fruits and vegetables,
and that's why, I mean,
00:09:35
that's part of what makes
Oaxacan cuisine so diverse.
00:09:38
(upbeat music)
00:09:43
This is my kind of a market.
00:09:44
There's an entire lane that's just garlic.
00:09:47
There's so much garlic.
00:09:48
There's just an abundance
of everything actually
00:09:50
in this market.
00:09:52
(speaking foreign language)
00:10:00
We're just completely
lost within this network,
00:10:02
within this labyrinth of a market,
00:10:04
but we could see the smoke
pouring out of this stall,
00:10:08
and we knew it was a
place we needed to stop
00:10:09
for our next thing to eat.
00:10:11
(people chattering)
00:10:19
(tortillas sizzling)
00:10:21
She works so fast but you can
tell she loves what she does.
00:10:26
I can't wait.
00:10:27
I can't wait to try it.
00:10:28
And those salsas just look insane,
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in huge mortars, stone mortars.
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(speaking foreign language)
00:10:47
(people chattering)
00:10:51
(speaking foreign language)
00:11:13
In order to make our
Memelas, what she does is,
00:11:15
she first pounds the
masa, she pounds the masa,
00:11:18
then it grills over the hot metal plate,
00:11:21
which is sitting over charcoal.
00:11:22
And we got the one with meat,
00:11:23
so she takes a really thin strip of meat,
00:11:26
she puts it into a little grill.
00:11:27
She sticks it underneath the hot plate,
00:11:29
which is where the coals are burning.
00:11:31
So that roasts until it looks
like charred, fully charred
00:11:35
then she adds on something called asiento,
00:11:37
which is, she explained
to us, is sort of like,
00:11:39
I think it's a lard, a pork lard.
00:11:42
Spreads that on, then she
adds some of the salsa
00:11:45
from this giant salsa
stone bowl, stone mortar.
00:11:51
And then after that, she
sprinkles on some queso,
00:11:53
which is cheese and then finally we got
00:11:55
that piece of meat all on top.
00:11:56
It's so hot, it's so fresh.
00:11:58
Okay Carlos, you ready?
00:11:59
- [Carlos] Ready, let's do it.
00:12:00
- Yeah, these are so juicy,
00:12:01
they're just dripping with salsa.
00:12:04
(upbeat music)
00:12:09
Oh.
00:12:12
Mm, oh that is insane.
00:12:16
Carlos.
00:12:17
- Mm-hmm.
00:12:18
(speaking foreign language)
00:12:19
- Mm, good.
00:12:21
- It's so good.
00:12:22
You can really taste that salsa in there,
00:12:25
which is like very smoky,
a little bit spicy.
00:12:28
(speaking foreign language)
00:12:41
That's just outstanding.
00:12:42
Definitely my favorite part
00:12:43
of that entire Memela is that salsa.
00:12:46
The complexity of flavor in
that salsa will blow your mind.
00:12:50
(people chattering)
00:12:53
Whoa, I'm so happy right now.
00:12:55
Wow, that was absolutely phenomenal.
00:12:57
So flavorful, I absolutely loved it,
00:13:01
and she's so friendly, she's
so nice, she's so caring.
00:13:05
Oh man, what a wonderful lady.
00:13:07
I have no idea how I can
explain where this stall is.
00:13:11
It's somewhere within
the thick of the market.
00:13:15
You just gotta walk around
00:13:16
but you will find little gems
like that without a doubt.
00:13:19
What a market.
00:13:21
This is a place you have to visit
00:13:22
when you're in Oaxaca City.
00:13:23
This is the type of market I
could literally just hang out
00:13:26
for the entire day, just
explore, walk around,
00:13:29
see new things, and eat!
00:13:31
But we have a lot more to do today,
00:13:34
so we gotta move on and we're gonna head
00:13:35
to the center of the city now.
00:13:37
(car horns honking)
00:13:40
The weather is actually perfect today,
00:13:42
and it's actually not that far
00:13:44
to El Zocalo,
00:13:45
which is the (speaking foreign language),
00:13:47
so we're just walking over there,
00:13:48
and we're about to reach the old town.
00:13:50
(tapping)
00:13:52
(people chattering)
00:13:54
(speaking foreign language)
00:13:57
(tapping)
00:14:02
We cannot make it very far in Oaxaca
00:14:04
without finding more food.
00:14:05
The food here is so good!
00:14:06
So she has this giant pot
00:14:09
of slow-bubbling pork and
pig parts, which is Carnitas
00:14:14
and then they're just
braising in their juices.
00:14:17
Right as we were walking past,
00:14:19
she pulled out the bubbling heart,
00:14:21
and Carlos and I decided that we needed
00:14:23
to have a quick taco
before we continue on.
00:14:26
We cannot make it far!
00:14:27
She chopped up the heart then
she added it into the tortilla
00:14:30
and then she added some
guacamole, some cilantro,
00:14:34
and maybe a little bit of salsa.
00:14:36
Or maybe that's some green salsa as well.
00:14:39
(people chattering)
00:14:44
Oh man.
00:14:46
Mm, oh that's delicious.
00:14:48
Heart is so tender.
00:14:49
It's not even iron-y at all,
00:14:51
and then that guacamole in there.
00:14:53
There's a little bit of salsa
00:14:55
and the cilantro comes in nicely.
00:15:02
Oh man!
00:15:04
That heart is so tender,
it's not even like,
00:15:08
you know heart can sometimes
be a little crumbly and dry?
00:15:12
That is so moist.
00:15:14
(speaking foreign language)
00:15:17
Wow, that was superb.
00:15:19
It's so (chuckling),
00:15:21
that was one of those
impulse food purchases
00:15:25
that there was just absolutely
no way we were gonna pass by
00:15:28
on the sidewalk without tasting that.
00:15:30
We had to.
00:15:31
Okay, we're on our way to El Zocalo now.
00:15:33
Oh, there's just so much food.
00:15:34
Okay, we can't stop,
00:15:36
we can't stop, we gotta keep on moving.
00:15:38
But I want to so, I wanna stop so badly.
00:15:40
(laughing)
00:15:41
There's so much good food, it's endless.
00:15:44
(upbeat music)
00:15:52
(people yelling)
00:15:57
We're almost to the
center but we came into a,
00:16:00
it's a huge protest.
00:16:02
Many of them are doctors and nurses.
00:16:04
I think protesting some
kind of a health issue,
00:16:07
but we're gonna just
kinda walk along with them
00:16:09
to the center there
00:16:11
and then visit the main
plaza of Oaxaca City.
00:16:15
(people yelling)
00:16:21
It looks like the entire
city of Oaxaca has gathered
00:16:25
in the center there and it's
so busy that we don't even,
00:16:28
I think we're gonna avoid it right now.
00:16:30
Maybe we'll have a chance
to come back later today,
00:16:33
but instead we're gonna go eat some more
00:16:34
at another market which is a
very, very well-known market,
00:16:37
especially for their grilled meat.
00:16:38
This is the place I was looking forward,
00:16:40
have been looking forward
to coming for years!
00:16:43
(upbeat music)
00:16:51
Welcome to Mercado 20 de Noviembre,
00:16:53
which is also known as the
Grilled Meat Alley of Oaxaca.
00:16:57
There's so much meat here!
00:16:58
You choose your meat, they
grill it for you fresh.
00:17:01
Oh, this is the place for
meat lovers, that's for sure.
00:17:05
(lively salsa music)
00:17:09
(speaking foreign language)
00:17:12
(lively salsa videos)
00:17:15
(speaking foreign language)
00:17:24
(lively salsa music)
00:17:32
(speaking foreign language)
00:17:41
- Enchilada.
00:17:42
- [Mark] Enchilada, ah.
00:17:45
(lively salsa music)
00:18:02
There's about 40 or 50
or maybe more stalls,
00:18:05
all with an assortment of different meat
00:18:07
and I think they all pretty
much have the same things.
00:18:10
There's beefsteak, there's pork steak,
00:18:11
there's longanisa, the sausages,
00:18:15
there are some other things.
00:18:16
Finally, you just gotta
choose one of the stalls.
00:18:19
We went with a very friendly lady.
00:18:20
She offered us the whole mixed plate,
00:18:22
so we got the mixed plate.
00:18:23
What they do is they weigh
it all out, and I loved,
00:18:26
my favorite part of the entire process was
00:18:28
how she takes the meat and she
just kinda lightly tosses it
00:18:32
onto the grill, chucks it onto the grill.
00:18:34
It lands perfectly onto the grill,
00:18:36
then they grill everything
up in a cloud of smoke
00:18:38
over just flaming hot charcoal.
00:18:41
This entire alley is a meat paradise.
00:18:44
This is the definition of a meat sauna.
00:18:47
(people chattering)
00:18:50
(speaking foreign language)
00:18:54
Yes, yes, (speaking foreign language).
00:18:56
(meat sizzling)
00:19:02
(people chattering)
00:19:07
(speaking foreign language)
00:19:09
We're taking our tray
of meat down the alley.
00:19:12
Oh man, it's just filled with
meat smoke all over the place.
00:19:17
And we're going to the
vegetable section I think.
00:19:19
It's a little confusing and
hectic in here and I love it!
00:19:22
(people chattering)
00:19:23
We got a table at the
back of the market now,
00:19:25
and they serve you just the entire tray.
00:19:28
It's an entire basket of
meat with the tortillas.
00:19:31
Oh, we got some salsas to go with it
00:19:32
and we got some red paper to eat off.
00:19:35
The meat aromas within
this hall will just,
00:19:38
your mouth will
immediately start to water.
00:19:41
Okay, I'm gonna try a
piece of that beef first.
00:19:44
(lively salsa music)
00:19:48
Oh wow.
00:19:51
Oh that's insane.
00:19:53
Oh, it's salty.
00:19:54
It's tender but you feel
the texture of the meat,
00:19:58
the stringiness of that meat.
00:20:01
You can taste how it's been grilled
00:20:02
over such a hot charcoal fire.
00:20:04
It has such a smokiness to it.
00:20:06
And with that saltiness,
00:20:08
that produces such an
incredible meat tsunami.
00:20:12
(lively salsa music)
00:20:17
Wow.
00:20:21
That's absolutely stunning.
00:20:23
I love those roasted
vegetables to go with the meat.
00:20:26
(people chattering)
00:20:30
Oh, I love the roasted peppers, too.
00:20:34
This is an ultimate fiesta in here.
00:20:36
It's just a party in the
middle of the morning,
00:20:39
a meat party.
00:20:40
All the action, the energy in here.
00:20:43
The meat love is out of control.
00:20:45
Okay, next up this is a marinated pork
00:20:47
that she said it's in a chili marinade.
00:20:50
(lively salsa music)
00:20:54
I love that marinade.
00:20:56
It's a little bit on the
dry-ish, like roasted side.
00:21:02
You can taste the dried chilies in there.
00:21:04
You can taste it's already
sour, maybe from lime juice.
00:21:07
(lively salsa music)
00:21:24
Next up, I'm gonna try the longanisa,
00:21:25
which is the sausage that she grilled.
00:21:27
When she was grilling that,
00:21:28
you could just see the flames shooting up
00:21:30
because of all that juicy
fattiness coming out
00:21:33
as it was grilling.
00:21:34
Okay, I'm gonna put the longanisa
00:21:35
into a little piece of tortilla,
00:21:37
add some of that salsa, it's
like a Pico de Gallo salsa
00:21:40
with tomatoes and chilies and onions.
00:21:43
(people chattering)
00:21:47
Wow.
00:21:49
Mm-hmm, it's just meat
after meat of deliciousness.
00:21:54
(lively salsa music)
00:22:11
That sausage is so smoky.
00:22:13
(people chattering)
00:22:19
Those onions are so sweet.
00:22:22
- [Carlos] That's like a bar.
00:22:23
(laughing)
00:22:24
Mark, there's one more left on there.
00:22:25
(laughing)
00:22:27
(speaking foreign language)
00:22:31
- Oh wow, oh that's delicious.
00:22:34
That's so smoky.
00:22:37
It's a little bit chewy,
00:22:38
but that releases so much juicy flavor.
00:22:41
Yeah, I love intestines,
intestines are awesome.
00:22:44
(people chattering)
00:22:52
We are now walking out into,
00:22:54
oh, the market sort of
opens up once you get out
00:22:56
of Meat Alley, and they
have a lot more food.
00:23:00
Oh, this place is amazing!
00:23:03
There's still so much amazing
food to eat at the market,
00:23:06
but we're getting kind of full,
so we're gonna take a break.
00:23:09
We're gonna walk around,
00:23:10
we're gonna go back to the main plaza
00:23:12
and to a couple of churches
and then after that,
00:23:15
hopefully we'll eat some more.
00:23:17
We've only been walking
around for half the day so far
00:23:20
and already this Mexican
food tour of Oaxaca,
00:23:23
the city has been outstanding.
00:23:25
I love this city, people are friendly,
00:23:27
the food is incredible, the culture.
00:23:30
It's such a food-based culture.
00:23:32
(upbeat music)
00:23:35
(Micah blows raspberry)
00:23:36
- [Woman] Micah (chuckling).
00:23:37
- We walked back over to El Zocalo
00:23:39
which is the main public
square plaza of Oaxaca City
00:23:43
and today, yeah, it's still
bustling from the protest,
00:23:47
but things have quieted down a little bit.
00:23:50
People are wandering off
00:23:52
but even if there's not a protest here,
00:23:55
it's still a bustling
public space in Oaxaca.
00:23:57
It's just an overall very pleasant area.
00:24:00
(upbeat music)
00:24:03
We're walking up the walking
street towards the mountains.
00:24:05
You can see all the
mountains in the background
00:24:08
and we are walking towards Santo Domingo.
00:24:11
(upbeat music)
00:24:27
This entire Plaza Santo Domingo,
00:24:29
it's an incredibly
beautiful part of Oaxaca.
00:24:33
You can come here just to relax,
00:24:35
sit on the walls of the plaza.
00:24:38
The church, the architecture is gorgeous.
00:24:42
It's calm, they have the
whole Oaxaca sign here.
00:24:46
You can take your photos.
00:24:48
But it's a beautiful place.
00:24:50
This is a great place to spend some time,
00:24:53
when you are full after
eating a lot of food,
00:24:55
and take a little break
before your next meal,
00:24:57
when you're in Oaxaca.
00:24:58
We're walking out of old town
00:24:59
and we're on our way to go eat at,
00:25:01
it's a restaurant that serves
a very famous Oaxacan dish.
00:25:05
Okay, you'll see what it is.
00:25:06
(car motor humming)
00:25:08
This is the spot and I
think they just opened.
00:25:11
(speaking foreign language)
00:25:15
Oh yeah, it's really quiet right now,
00:25:17
but I think it will really
get packed in tonight,
00:25:19
but we're gonna have other plans tonight,
00:25:20
so we're here as soon as they
open, which I'm okay with.
00:25:24
(upbeat music)
00:25:41
Tlayudas are one of the
ultimate snack foods in Oaxaca.
00:25:45
Put on a thin layer of
beans, and then after that,
00:25:48
she adds on some cabbage and then,
00:25:50
the famous Oaxacan cheese,
00:25:52
which is like a mozzarella string cheese,
00:25:54
and she really strips it into thin strips
00:25:57
but puts a lot of cheese on the inside.
00:25:59
Then it goes over the hot
coals and so it grills.
00:26:02
But you can smell like that very fast,
00:26:04
kinda almost burning aroma to it,
00:26:07
but they keep flipping it
so that it doesn't burn,
00:26:09
but that cheese starts to
melt and all mingle together.
00:26:12
And then you can order it
00:26:13
with your variety of different meats,
00:26:16
which then they also grill
over the really hot fire.
00:26:18
And then they put it
all together on a plate.
00:26:21
So we got some fresh
tlayudas to try right now.
00:26:24
(upbeat music)
00:26:28
I think they're all the same on the inside
00:26:29
but then they just come with
different meats on the top.
00:26:31
This one is the marinated pork.
00:26:33
But yeah, you can see
these are pretty huge
00:26:35
and they're folded up.
00:26:36
It comes with some garnishes.
00:26:38
There are some salsas and some
onions on the side as well.
00:26:40
That's pretty heavy!
00:26:41
You can really smell the burnt,
like roasted flavor of this
00:26:43
'cause they keep it on such a hot fire
00:26:45
but they just keep flipping it.
00:26:46
We gotta take a look inside.
00:26:49
Oh yeah.
00:26:50
Look at all of that.
00:26:52
Oh, there's so much cheese!
00:26:53
That's like a giant mouth
opening full of cheese.
00:26:57
(upbeat music)
00:27:07
That cheese is so elastic-y, and then,
00:27:12
it does have an amazing like
roasted, fire aroma to it.
00:27:15
You can taste the
crunchy cabbage in there.
00:27:17
The beans sort of give
it some creamy richness,
00:27:20
and then, yeah, that's just delicious.
00:27:27
Okay, and let me add on some of the salsas
00:27:29
and a squeeze of lime, and
also you gotta have some
00:27:33
of those onions on here, with some,
00:27:36
they kinda look like pickled onions.
00:27:38
Okay, let me pick this
whole thing up again.
00:27:42
- [Man] Getting heavy.
00:27:43
- [Woman] Yeah.
00:27:47
- Mm, oh, mm-hmm.
00:27:51
Oh, that really enhances it.
00:27:52
The guacamole, the squeeze of lime
00:27:54
to make it sour, the onions.
00:27:55
I think that's the touch it needed for me,
00:27:57
because it was lacking that
like sour, acidic touch to it.
00:28:00
Some of this garnish.
00:28:01
I don't know what this is.
00:28:06
Mm, slightly onion-y but without the,
00:28:09
like a grassy-tasting onion.
00:28:10
I think this is the same meat
00:28:11
that we just ate an entire platter of.
00:28:16
Oh, yes it is.
00:28:17
We got three different types,
00:28:18
but really they're all exactly the same.
00:28:20
The only thing that's different
is the topping of meat.
00:28:23
So it kinda doesn't really
matter which version you get.
00:28:26
I like how the cheese,
00:28:28
I mean, the cheese is not too salty.
00:28:30
They use a lot of cheese,
00:28:31
so you think it's gonna be
really rich and really salty,
00:28:33
but actually the cheese is kinda light.
00:28:34
Not too salty, it has a nice
rubbery elasticity to it.
00:28:40
(people chattering)
00:28:44
From here, we're gonna jump in a taxi.
00:28:46
It's a little ride away.
00:28:47
We're gonna go to a
place called Monte Alban.
00:28:52
(upbeat music)
00:29:18
(child vocalizing)
00:29:22
There it is.
00:29:23
This site, Monte Alban, is
on the 20 pesos Mexican note.
00:29:27
It's at the top of the mountain.
00:29:28
It overlooks the valley and
you can see all of Oaxaca.
00:29:31
It was a pretty nice drive to get here.
00:29:33
And I was just reading
00:29:34
that it is the largest, pre-Hispanic city
00:29:38
in the Oaxaca region.
00:29:39
Something else that's very
fascinating about this site is
00:29:41
that it's the first urban, planned city.
00:29:44
So actually where they took time
00:29:46
to plan the entire city out
and the different buildings.
00:29:51
I don't know, everything is planned.
00:29:52
This is the first urban
planned city in the Americas.
00:29:55
So it says this is the main plaza,
00:29:58
and it dates back to around 500 to 800 AD,
00:30:05
and it's a 40-meter wide stairway.
00:30:09
Okay, I'm climbing up.
00:30:11
(footsteps clicking)
00:30:13
Whoo!
00:30:17
(upbeat music)
00:30:24
It's 5:00 p.m., that's when they close.
00:30:26
I wasn't really sure what
to expect when we came here,
00:30:29
but it was well worth a visit.
00:30:30
And what I like is that you're able
00:30:32
to climb up some of the ruins,
00:30:33
get the view of the whole city.
00:30:35
That was great!
00:30:36
(people chattering)
00:30:38
We're on our way back to Centro now.
00:30:41
(lively music playing)
00:30:45
You just gotta love the
quality of those speakers.
00:30:48
That music.
00:30:49
We made it back to El
Zocalo, which is the center,
00:30:51
and it's perfect.
00:30:53
It's in the evening,
00:30:55
this is the time when
people are out and about,
00:30:57
when they're hanging out,
when they're walking around.
00:30:59
And we came here actually last
night just to walk around.
00:31:02
I wasn't filming but we
stumbled into this stall
00:31:05
where they're making Elotes.
00:31:07
And Elotes, it's corn
with lots of toppings.
00:31:09
It's one of the most
common street food snacks
00:31:12
and you'll find it all over.
00:31:14
Like, in the evening,
it's all over the place.
00:31:15
You'll find it everywhere, but this guy,
00:31:18
he has the longest line of any Elotes cart
00:31:23
in the entire city.
00:31:24
And then we asked some
of the people standing
00:31:26
in line last night why,
00:31:28
and they said it's because of his style.
00:31:30
(upbeat music)
00:31:46
(speaking foreign language)
00:31:47
All the best things.
00:31:49
(speaking foreign language)
00:31:51
Had a lot of things.
00:31:53
(upbeat music)
00:31:55
(speaking foreign language)
00:31:56
I would make a guess to say
00:31:57
that he probably has the most
skill in the entire world
00:32:01
at seasoning a cob of corn.
00:32:05
He just flies!
00:32:06
Is Micah allowed to taste it?
00:32:07
- [Woman] No.
00:32:08
- Sorry, Micah, you can't taste this
00:32:10
'cause there's lots of
different chili sauces on it
00:32:12
and a lot of mayonnaise so
I think Micah will just have
00:32:14
to watch this one.
00:32:15
But it looks beautiful.
00:32:18
It's just covered in so many things,
00:32:19
this has to be the
fanciest corn on the cob
00:32:22
I've ever had in my life.
00:32:24
(people chattering)
00:32:30
Mm!
00:32:33
Oh, it's young corn,
00:32:34
so it's really soft and tender and juicy.
00:32:36
Full of mayonnaise.
00:32:37
There's so much mayonnaise on it.
00:32:38
Then you got the cheese which
is really finely shredded.
00:32:42
You've got all those different chilies,
00:32:44
which are kinda salty.
00:32:45
The lime juice on there
comes in really nicely,
00:32:47
and then, you know, just
those mix of chilies.
00:32:50
(upbeat music)
00:32:56
That's so good.
00:32:58
And you'll see, like, so
many people walking around,
00:33:01
eating this at this time.
00:33:03
Another thing that I
just love about him is
00:33:05
how, you know, he sells
something that's so common,
00:33:10
that's so typical, yet he
does it with such style.
00:33:13
He takes such pride in what he does,
00:33:16
and I fully respect that,
00:33:17
and I'm fully willing to wait in line
00:33:19
'cause he takes such
pride in what he does.
00:33:21
(upbeat music)
00:33:23
I think I got a little
mayonnaise on my nose.
00:33:27
It's been a very long day,
but there's one more thing
00:33:30
that we have to eat to make
this day complete in Oaxaca.
00:33:34
We are back at Mercado 20 de Noviembre
00:33:37
for one last plate of food.
00:33:39
On the opposite side of the
market from the meat hall,
00:33:41
you'll find, it's kind
of a big food court area
00:33:44
where you'll find all sorts
of local Oaxacan food.
00:33:47
This is a great environment
00:33:48
and actually a lot of the
stalls are starting to close
00:33:50
because they're mostly, I think,
00:33:52
they're most popular at lunch.
00:33:54
But you can come here to
get your plates of Mole,
00:33:57
Oaxacan-style,
00:33:58
and we're gonna try a couple
different ones right now.
00:34:01
Starting off with is Mole negro.
00:34:03
Oh (speaking foreign language).
00:34:04
And this is one of the
ultimate dishes of Oaxaca.
00:34:09
It's, yeah it's probably one,
00:34:11
I mean, it's a dish you
absolutely cannot miss.
00:34:13
They're famous for Mole here
00:34:15
and it's an exquisite blend of spices.
00:34:18
I know there's nuts in the sauce.
00:34:20
I think with the Mole negro
there's also some chocolate.
00:34:23
That aroma is insane, you
can smell those red chilies.
00:34:26
Such a dark, rich, like
chocolatey-looking sauce.
00:34:31
(people chattering)
00:34:33
Mm!
00:34:34
It has a little bit of a sweetness to it.
00:34:36
So then you can taste the
rich, smoky, like blackened,
00:34:41
slight bitter-y flavor to it.
00:34:43
You can taste all those chilies in there.
00:34:45
The nuttiness of it.
00:34:47
It's such a complexity of flavor.
00:34:50
(upbeat music)
00:34:54
Mm-hmm, a great way to end the day.
00:34:56
Carlos and I are splitting the
Mole negro and the Mole rojo,
00:34:59
so this is the red Mole version,
00:35:03
which I don't think it includes chocolate,
00:35:05
or some of the other spices.
00:35:06
It's a totally, actually
totally different blend
00:35:08
of spices and mixture.
00:35:09
Mix that with some of the rice.
00:35:11
(upbeat music)
00:35:14
Mm!
00:35:16
Mm, that's like totally different.
00:35:19
It's more on the saltier,
without being sweet at all.
00:35:25
I really like it.
00:35:26
It's almost like a curry sauce.
00:35:28
We've come to the end of the day.
00:35:30
I'm running on my last steam
00:35:32
but I have a little bit more energy now
00:35:33
after that Mole, that final plate.
00:35:36
Oh, that was delicious.
00:35:37
I like both versions
actually, were fantastic.
00:35:40
We only had one full day in Oaxaca City,
00:35:42
so we wanted to make the most of it.
00:35:44
I think it was an amazing success.
00:35:48
I'm very, very happy and
that was some amazing food.
00:35:51
And I'll leave all the
information of what we did
00:35:54
and the things we ate in
the description box below
00:35:56
so you can check all that out.
00:35:57
And I wanna say a huge thank
you for watching this video.
00:35:59
Please remember to give it a thumbs up.
00:36:01
Also remember to subscribe.
00:36:02
I'm gonna be publishing lots
more food and travel videos
00:36:05
and click the little bell icon
00:36:06
so you get notified of all future videos.
00:36:08
Good night from Oaxaca.
00:36:10
Thanks again for watching
00:36:12
and I will see you on the next video.
