Culinary Educator: CENTRAL MEXICO: A CULINARY ADVENTURE Rick Bayless itinerary: ® THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA SEPTEMBER Presentedby Travel Programs 20-27, ® 2008 mexico city – tlaxcala – puebla itinerary Mexico City has been the center of the culinary world of Mexico since it was the Aztec capital situated on islands in the middle of a shallow lake. Then named Tenochtitlan, it was a magnificent city of great size – by 1519 it was five times larger than London. To feed its many people, farmers encircled the islands with small floating gardens separated by canals on which they grew fresh vegetables, herbs, and chiles. This was also the hub into which all roads led, bringing different types of food from distant parts of the country to sell and trade at the huge market in the center of the city. With the conquest by the Spaniards, another layer of culinary achievements was added, for these settlers brought with them the ingredients and memories of a cuisine infused by 28 generations of Moorish control. The food found today in Mexico City, the largest city in the world, still reflects its origins with enormous varieties of the centuries-old masa snacks found in the city’s markets and from street vendors. Then there are the traditional dishes, such as moles and pipianes, as well as the exciting dishes that are being created by chefs using traditional Mexican ingredients in new ways. Day 1: Saturday, September 20 (Mexico City) Arrive at the Hotel Maria Cristina before 5:00 p.m. The hotel is located near the Zona Rosa with many shops and art galleries. The trip will officially start with a 6:00 p.m. orientation with Mexican culinary experts Rick Bayless and Roberto Santibáñez. They will share insights into the cuisine and culture of Mexico City and the surrounding area. We will continue on to one of Rick’s favorite restaurants for a classic Mexican cena. Hotel: Maria Cristina, D Day 2: Sunday, September 21 (Mexico City – Tlaxcala) We will enjoy a festive breakfast at El Bajio, which is owned by our good friend, Carmen Titita Ramirez, and features the foods of her native Veracruz. We will discuss regional chiles, herbs, fruits, and vegetables that we’ll shop for at the exciting Merced market, one of the largest in the world and the largest in Mexico. Everyone will be in a small group, each responsible for buying and bringing back the ingredients on their shopping list for a “show and tell.” We will depart for Tlaxcala, stopping along the way for a typical Tlaxcalan comida. After eating, we will check into the Hotel San Francisco, an old 19th century mansion built right on the zocalo of this historic small city. You will have time to unpack, and then we will walk to the home of food anthropologist, Yolanda Ramos. She lives on a small plaza near our hotel and has turned one of the rooms into an excellent teaching kitchen where we will hold many of our classes. Yolanda will show us how to grind corn, how nixtamal is made, and we’ll finish with a festive buffet of typical Tlaxcalan food. Although centrally located between the states of Mexico and Puebla, Tlaxcala is usually overlooked by most tourists. It is Mexico’s smallest state, but its historical influence is major. Tlaxcalan warriors allied with Cortes against the Aztecs, 1 their oppressors, and were essential in bringing about their defeat. As a reward for their loyalty, the Tlaxacalans were granted a noble city status and were exempt from paying taxes, and the region prospered. The city of Tlaxcala, with its sienna-orange and rose-colored colonial buildings, has been restored – including the oldest civic building in Mexico. Located in a neighboring part of the state, it is one of the major pulque regions of Mexico, and the massive maguey plants continue to dominate the landscape. One of the distinguishing dishes of the region is a barbacoa of mixiote, which is lamb or kid. It is blanketed in a rich chile paste and wrapped in mixiote, the outer layer of the membrane from the sword-like leaves of the maguey plant, and then steamed in a pit. Hotel: Hotel San Francisco, B, L, D Day 3: Monday, September 22 (Tlaxcala) In the Nahuatl language, Tlaxcala signifies “land of corn” or “place of bread of corn” (tortillas), making it a fitting place to start our exploration of the major role of corn in Mexican cooking. We will start with a demonstration of the molino grinding our softened corn into masa, and learn how different varieties of corn are utilized for specific purposes. Then our teacher will make and serve these antojitos for our first meal of the day. Next will be a walking tour of the historical center of Tlaxcala, including a visit to the chapel where Christianity supposedly began in the New World when Cortes witnessed the baptism of four Tlaxcalan noblemen. When we return, there will be a class with Rick featuring mole Poblano. Near Yolanda’s house there is a marvelous small ethnological museum. Among other things, it has a very complete walk-through tour of making pulque, and a special one will be arranged for us. Our evening class will be with Roberto on preparing tamales. Hotel: Hotel San Francisco, L, D Day 4: Tuesday, September 23 (Tlaxcala) After breakfast on your own, we will meet to learn more about mole poblano from Rick. Next we will visit Cacaxtla, an archeological site near the southern border of Tlaxcala. We will dine on authentic tacos for lunch after a demonstration on the ancient craft of popping amaranth seeds for the making of alegria. In the afternoon we will return to Tlaxcala, and you will have time to relax or explore the city on your own. Our evening class will be with Roberto on Mexican cooking fundamentals. Hotel: Hotel San Francisco, L, D Day 5: Wednesday, September 24 (Tlaxcala) Rick will teach his last class today after breakfast. It will be followed by continued emphasis on the role of the maguey in the culinary world, including dishes such as mixiote, where the outer membrane from the sword-like leaves of the plant are used to wrap the meat for a delicious barbacoa. Yolanda will demonstrate the process of preparing mixiote before we take off for a restored pulque hacienda, where we will spend the rest of the day. Pulque, the ancient alcoholic beverage of the indigenous people, is made from the agua miel, or honey water, from the heart of the maguey, plant and fermented. We will see first-hand how pulque is made, and we will sample it later as we participate in what may be the highlight of the trip—a fiesta in our honor. There we will enjoy lots of mixiote and other good foods, good drinks, and of course, good company. Hotel: Hotel San Francisco, B, L, D Day 6: Thursday, September 25 (Tlaxcala – Puebla – Tlaxcala) We will become acquainted with Puebla, considered by many as the birthplace of Mexican food as we think of it today. The city of Puebla, unlike many of the other major cities in Mexico, was not built over the ruins of conquered ceremonial centers and communities of the indigenous people. The Spanish founded it in 1531 as a fortress, religious center, and haven for travelers between the capital and the ports of Veracruz and Acapulco. Today it is the fourth largest city in Mexico. Although it is a major industrial center, the central part of the city is incredibly beautiful and has buildings riotously encrusted with tile and many ornately decorated churches. It was in the convents, which were used as a place for special guests to be entertained, that the lavish dishes were created that now are so well known, such as mole poblano and the chiles en nogada. 2 In Puebla we will visit the tile-clad kitchen of the ex-convent of Santa Rosa where mole Poblano was said to be first created. We will also visit one of the leading Talavera stores to see how this exquisite pottery is made by hand, and there will be time for shopping. We will graze throughout the day on the incredible street foods of Puebla, and in the market we will eat cemitas, Puebla’s version of tortas. They are fat rolls filled with just about everything good to eat. Next we’ll market shop again, and your group will select ingredients to prepare dinner for everyone back in Tlaxcala. The evening will also include a tasting of Mexico’s prime tequilas and Rick will talk a bit about the versatile maguey plant. Also known as agave, it is the source of tequila, as well as mezcal and pulque. Hotel: Hotel San Francisco, L, D Day 7: Friday, September 26 (Tlaxcala – Mexico City) After our last class with Roberto, we will depart for México City. After we check into the hotel, the Colonia Polanco, you will have the rest of the afternoon to relax or shop. In the evening we will have our last dinner together — an innovative meal prepared for our group at one of México City’s much-acclaimed restaurants. Hotel: Intercontinental Hotel, L, D Day 8: Saturday, September 27 The trip will end and everyone will be on their own to explore Mexico City further, fly home, or visit other parts of Mexico. CULINARY EDUCATOR: RICK BAYLESS Rick Bayless, one of America’s foremost practitioners of Mexican cooking, earned an unprecedented honor in 1995 when he was named Chef of the Year by both the James Beard Foundation and the International Association of Culinary Professionals.