This intensive workshop is geared towards chefs and serious cooks who want to learn in depth about heirloom corn and its uses in Oaxacan gastronomy. During our 3 days of classes we focus on nixtamalization and two grinding techniques in two different communities where we will be cooking with regional varieties of heirloom corn.
In Teotitlán del Valle we will learn to do a quicker nixtamalization process to make tostadas de maíz quebrajada, ground by hand on the stone mill (metate) and make three textures of tortillas: blandas, tlayudas, and tostadas. We will also prepare the pre-Hispanic drink tejate, whose main ingredients of corn and cacao are some of the most important in the region. We´ll also learn to make a traditional dish amarillo (often referred to as yellow mole) which is thickened with heirloom corn masa. During this class we will work with four types of heirloom corn grown on site by our teacher, traditional cook, natural dyer, and weaver Aurora.
In Miahuatlán we cook on a traditional mezcal farm with a team of cocineras tradicionales, where heirloom corn, beans and squash are grown alongside agaves for small scale mezcal production. We will cook a dish that features dried corn (segueza, cracked corn mole), nixtamalized corn masa (tamales), and fresh corn (esquites). Here we will learn the long form of nixtamalization (letting our nixtamal soak overnight), perfect our tortilla-making skills, and learn about the five different types of atole in the region and choose which to prepare.
If you schedule your visit over a Sunday or Monday, we will incorporate a trip to the regional weekly market (día de plaza) in either Tlacolula or Miahuatlán. The día de plaza highlights the importance of the region´s food system and helps to understand corn’s important role in each region’s gastronomy.
Itinerary:
5 days/4 nights
Cost per person:
$1,200 USD/22,700 MXN (Open Outing 5-8 participants)
Dishes learned:
Tortillas: blandas, tlayudas, and tostadas
Main and side dishes: yellow mole, tamales, segueza, esquites
Drinks: tejate, atole
Skills learned:
Short-form and long-form nixtamalization techniques with cal (calcium hydroxide) and ash used by cocineras tradicionales in Teotitlán and Miahuatlán
How to grind nixtamalized corn by hand on a metate (stone mill) and how an electric stone mill works (molino)
How to create different tortilla textures based on grinding technique and heat control (blandas, tlayudas, and tostadas) on a clay comal over a wood burning fire
Have an understanding of how to form tortillas with a press and by hand
How to work with dried corn, nixtamalized corn, and fresh corn
Includes:
Personalized guide and translation (Spanish/English)
Comfortable transportation round trip from Oaxaca city
Three days of cooking classes which include learning different nixtamalization techniques, different grinding techniques, how to work with fresh, dried, and nixtmalized corn; in total learning 7 different Oaxacan corn based dishes and 2 traditional corn based beverages
Visit to a traditional mezcal palenque where will learn about the history in the region and production from a mezcal producing family
Tasting of traditional mezcal at the palenques
A chance to buy mezcal directly from the producer (price not included), our help packing in for travel
7 meals
Four nights stay: 3 nights accommodation at El Diablo y La Sandia and 1 night accommodation at Rancho Los Nahuales (double occupancy)
Take home kit of basic tools for tortilla making tools
Drinking water and light snacks
Donation to future community youth center
Donation to women´s cooperative annual project