Below is a wonderful article by Volaris that fully describes the amazing and delectable drinks of my husbands home state of Oaxaca, hope you enjoy! Should you want to read it in Spanish here's the link http://revista.volaris.com/eventos/bebidas-tradicionales-de-oaxaca
The region of the isthmus has always been characterized by its varied, complex and wonderful cuisine. For that reason, today we want to talk a little about the traditional drinks of Oaxaca, which although they are not as mentioned as their main courses, form an important part of the province, both historically and gastronomically. Oaxaca is such a beautiful and diverse state that it is impossible not to talk about it whenever someone wants advice to go on vacation, or when someone mentions a gastronomic recommendation. Apart from good food, good times are guaranteed in this state of the republic. Here is a list of the drinks you should try if you are in Oaxaca. Some are more popular, so you probably already tried them without knowing that their origin is in this place, and others may seem strange, but they are delicious. TRADITIONAL BEVERAGES OF OAXACA Tejate Despite being made with chocolate, the tejate is ideal for the high temperatures that suffocate the area in spring and summer. Its origin dates from pre-Hispanic times, and is made with flour, grains and cocoa flower. All these ingredients are ground together and dissolved in water. It is a super refreshing drink. And since we know you'll love it, you can buy the powder already prepared and take it home so you can make this drink whenever you want. Mezcal The fashion drink par excellence! Although now you can find many types of mezcal in practically the whole country, the original drink is from Oaxaca, and it is a distillate of a very Mexican plant: the agave. You can travel to Matatlán and know the small farms that the lieutenants created for the visitors, who arrive eager to know the town where the best mezcal in the state is made. Although this is not a tourist place, it is worth visiting just to discover the process of creating mezcal and taste this drink. Whether it is aged, rested, white, breast or rabbit, the best way to enjoy it is with a slice of orange, salt of worm and chili powder. Remember to take with measure. Hot chocolate. Whoever has never drank a hot chocolate from Oaxaca has simply not lived. Oaxacans usually drink this drink during breakfast or dinner, and accompany it with delicious yolk bread. Whether water or milk, this drink also of pre-Hispanic origin is attributed effects against cancer, circulatory problems, migraine, gastritis, and even aphrodisiac effects! Sweet and delicious. Horchatas Another drink inevitable for the heat of Oaxaca are its delicious horchatas, which are accompanied by melon, rice, walnut, almond, tuna or chilacayota. You can find them in any market in the state, and they are not like the horchata waters you know. There is nothing like it! A panele of brown sugar Panela is the juice of dried sugar cane before going through the process to turn it into sugar, so it is completely natural. The Oaxacans take it regularly at breakfast time; You can enjoy it with a delicious oaxaqueño tamal, a yolk bread or simply sipping it little by little from a jarrito. Remember these recommendations to taste drinks on your next visit to Oaxaca, and enjoy the cultural and gastronomic legacy of the isthmus by tasting some of the most indigenous flavors of our culture. You dare?
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Living in Portland one lives the coffee life. From the morning cup of Joe to the evening digestif living here definitely gives one appreciation for caffeine; and there is no shortage of coffee shops, since you can literally find one in every other corner of the city. Needless to say I drink my fare share of the dark, liquid gold. I, just like many of my fellow Portlanders, have my favorite spots to acquire my daily fix. I'm a creature of habit so regardless of where I go I typically order the same drink. That changed after one simple sister date.
Ariana (my sister) showed up at my place with a hot drink in her hand. After some basic chit-chat she handed the cup to me. "here, try this" she said. I took the cup from her hand and sipped. "Guess what the drink is" she asked. "I don't know... a latte?" I responded. "No! it's a Mexican mocha" she said in a sarcastic tone. "What makes it Mexican?" I asked "Cinnamon!" she answered with an almost offended tone. Seriously? the thing that made this regular old mocha "Mexican" was cinnamon? I will admit I got a bit offended because in my mind I thought "do only Mexican people use this spice or what?" I was curious to find out if this was the case for other coffee shops and their version of "Mexican" anything. To my surprise the majority of places that claimed to have "Mexican" anything did in fact admit that the one thing that made it Mexican was cinnamon. Wow, I could not believe it. This was like saying that anything with tomato is Italian or anything with rice was Asian. I would not stand for it. Mexican beverages are made up of far more than cinnamon. What makes them special and unique are more than the ingredients, it's the cooking process and the pride that comes from making them from scratch. This is where the idea to look more into traditional Mexican drinks came into play. Originally the plan was to open up a bakery just like my Mami Agapita, but after this discovery I knew it had to be more than that. Bread itself would not be enough it needed to be paired with warm delicious drinks. Hence I've taken it up on myself to educate the locals about true "Mexican" beverages. The goal being that if someone went into my establishment and asked "what makes it Mexican?" I could give them a brief history and explanation of each particular drink and not just respond with cinnamon. |
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