So Grateful

Oaxaca is celebrated throughout Mexico for its gastronomy. It was precisely for this reason that I decided to visit this city and to indulge in an instinctive passion of mine: food.

I am not patriotic, neither to England, nor to Italy (both part of who I am) but one thing that I am proud of is the beauty and the love that is lavished over Italian cuisine. It is what nursed me when I was ill. It is what makes me happy when I am sad. It is what unites my family and friends on a Sunday afternoon. The smell of simmering tomatoes and the delicate seasoning of basil encapsulate the essence of food. This is why I am grateful to Mexico, the home of the tomato, because without it, Italy would be a hundred times worse off.

This is why I am grateful to Mexico, the home of the tomato, because without it, Italy would be a hundred times worse off.

As soon as I arrived, I booked a cookery class with Casa Crespo, a charming bed and breakfast on Calle Crespo. Oscar, the owner, also runs a restaurant which must be part of your trip to Oaxaca. i would whole heartedly recommend attending one of his cooking classes. I travel to discover new cultures and food is a fundamental part of Mexico.

Oaxaca is famous for its moles. Moles are basically sauces which accompany meats and are served either with rice or with tortillas. The most interesting that I have tasted so far is a mole made of cocoa and chilies. I couldn't imagine the taste before I tried it. The sauce has a thick, rich consistency, like melted chocolate. It tastes slightly burnt, a piquant, bitter sweet mix that stimulated every part of my sense of taste. Although interesting, I am not sure that I enjoyed the mix of diverse tastes.

Oscar told me that moles are used for every occasions. For weddings, a mole made of meat, cocoa, pineapple, almonds and other fruits are stewed together to celebrate this union. Moles have a variety of different influences: pre hispanic ingredients such as cocoa are combined with what the Spanish brought over. Almonds are a corner stone of Mexican cuisine. So too are courgette and pumpkin flowers. In turn, I detected Arab influences such as hibiscus, which is used to make a drink called Agua de Jamaica. Rose petals are used to make sorbets and nuts of course, constitute a important part of Arabic cooking. As in Italian cuisine, the tomato and the chilli are unequivocally important elements of Mexican food.

We decided to make courgette flower and cheese quesidillas. To follow this, we cooked enchiladas suissas, which are corn flour tortillas filled with chicken and covered in a green sauce of tiny green tomatoes blended with coriander and garlic. This is topped off with a generous dollop of sour cream and fresh cheese. We learnt how to make courgette flower soup which contains boiled tomatoes, onions and a herb which appears to have no corresponding name in English. As if this wasn't enough, Oscar taught me how to make a mole of tomatoes and almond and seasoned with thyme, cinnamon, all spice and cloves. Finally, the piece de resistance, a sorbet of rose petals, milk and almonds. I left Oscar's kitchen with the feeling that my senses had been exhausted.

The aromas of coriander take me back to my travels and remind me of where I ate certain dishes. It is a taste and smell that has now become part of my kitchen and like basil, it conjures up good memories. The smell and taste of chilies too are familiar ingredients but now, my burning red lips are what I have come to associate with Mexico.

I have come to realise that there is no comparison for Mexican food. Tex Mex is not a worthy replacement and the restaurants that I have been to in London, in no way reflect the variety of ingredients that I have come across here. I had an image of Mexicans eating chilies all day. For breakfast, dinner, lunch. But not all Mexican dishes are spicy. They are aromatic and simple, combining delicate flavors and using them to balance heavier ones.

Following my lesson, I went to the local market and had another couple of Oaxacan delicacies: fried crickets and hot chocolate. I didn't consume these together. Surprisingly, crickets taste of lime. Perhaps for the flavouring. There is nothing disgusting about them apart from the idea. Though crunchy, they left me slightly indifferent.

The hot chocolate, on the other hand, was a heavenly delight that you have to experience. It arrives thick and creamy, with with milk or without. I love dark chocolate and so the combination of this with milk, cinnamon, cloves and other spices was a dream come true. If not for the culture, you should come to this amazing city purely for the hot chocolate.