Offbeat cuisine: Oaxacan

by Sarah J. Gim, Posted Mar 14th 2006 @ 9:53PM

mole We're certainly all familiar with Mexican food, especially here in LA. However, Mexican food isn't just the giant burritos and enchiladas dripping with cheese that we're so accustomed to. And don't even say anything about Taco Bell.

Oaxaca (wah-HA-ka) is a state of Mexico toward the southern end of country, and borders the Pacific Ocean. The food and cooking of Oaxaca is unique from just plain "Mexican food," just as many of the other regional cuisines of Mexico that reflect the differences in locally available ingredients and cultural histories.

Oaxacan cuisine is labor-intensive. The hallmark of the cuisine is mole. "Mole" is a general term for a type of incredibly complex sauce made with as many as 20, sometimes 30 ingredients, including chocolate and spices like cloves and cinnamon. The sauce can vary in sweetness,and can go from mild to fiery hot.

Though I grew up on Mexican food in San Antonio (Tex Mex), and now here in LA, I am fairly new to this specialty cuisine from Oaxaca. I found the moles to be very earthy, and the mole verde over chicken that I ordered was very mild. There's no monstrous plate of refried beans, no dry red Mexican rice, but a simple focus on vegetables and meats.

Filed Under: Raves & Reviews, Ingredients
Tags: america, chocolate, food, food and drink, food and wine, mesican cuisine, mexican food, oaxaca, oaxacan cuisine, oaxacan food, spices

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-15-2006 @12:06AM Huffy said... We are truly lucky to have a Oaxacan restaurant in our area, and your assessment of the cuisine is an apt one. The flavors are sophisticated, subtle and complex in one dish; in another, they're earthy, in-your-face and almost pristine in their simplicity. The food of Mexico is as rich and varied as its many regions.

And now I'm craving some mole!
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