View From Casita Colibrí

As the name implies, the Feria del Tejate y el Tamal also featured tamales, along with yesterday’s blog post subject, Tejate, “Drink of the Gods”.

Tamal vendors from San Andrés Huayapam stood behind long tables lined with tin buckets, giant pots, and baskets covered with colorfully embroidered towels hiding every kind of tamal imaginable.  There were mole negro (black mole) tamales wrapped in banana leaves…

And… flor de calabaza (squash blossom), amarillo (yellow mole), verde (green mole), chapulín (grasshopper), frijol (bean), and chepil (a wild herb) wrapped and steamed in corn husks.  The local newspaper reports there were also fish and shrimp tamales.  Darn, I didn’t even see them!  Though not a surprise because it was quite a scene as crowds amassed in front of the vendors placing their orders.  It reminded me of the lyrics from the Neil Diamond song, Sweet Caroline:  Hands, touching hands, reaching out…

I don’t really have a favorite — they are all so uniquely special.  However, because chichilo mole originated in San Andrés Huayapam and is only served on special occasions (weddings, christenings, harvesting of crops), I always make sure to bring home a couple.  Chichilo mole is made from chilhuacle negro, mulatto, and pasilla chiles; blackened tortillas and seeds of the chiles; and avocado leaves, the latter imparting a subtle anise flavor.  They are so yummy!

The prehispanic riches of tejate and tamales — a couple of reasons why Oaxaca is a food lovers paradise.

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