Cooking Class Corn & Nixtamal. We start with a visit to the market to choose fresh ingredients. we will cover the process of corn and its derivatives. We have many varieties in Oaxaca, so you’ll be able to choose your preferred color. Then, we’re going to make Tortillas, Memelas, and then make other dishes like Tacos, Quesadillas, and fill them with some delicious ingredients like the traditional Quesillo (not Queso Oaxaca, that’s a misspell made in the rest of Mexico). It’s important to note that until further notice, this class is given only in Spanish, the other two classes can be taught in English with the help of a translator.
We usually also make some delicious traditional soup like Sopa de Guías, which is something we make to use everything from the Milpa (you might know it also as the Three Sisters) to use everything, the vines, the corn ears, the pumpkins or squashes and the Quelites (greens). The outcome is a light, delicious and nutritious soup.
First, we are going to meet and go to the biggest market in Oaxaca (Mercado de Abastos) to buy all our fresh ingredients. Then we are going to head to my kitchen in the mountains of Oaxaca, close to Monte Alban area. Once we are settled and refreshed with a traditional drink, we are going to start preparing the food, I’ll assign to the participants different tasks and responsibilities in order to achieve our main goal; having our three-course-meal menu prepared. When the food is ready, we are going to share the table and finish the journey while enjoying the delicious things we worked on.
We are also going to learn about the availability of organic heirloom corn today compared to the past, things have changed a lot in the last decades with the presence of agrochemicals and hardship from farmers to define a decent pricing to make a living. In the Cooking Class Corn & Nixtamal we are also going to learn how to process the corn with the Nixtamalization process which is an ancestral process that gives us the best of nutrients of corn and makes them nutritionally available. During this Tortilla making class we are going to learn how to cook it properly.
Prehispanic cooking is gluten-free and meat-free, thus is compatible for people with dietary restrictions. The class can be adapted to vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diets.
$1,600 4 hours
Remember this class is offered only in Spanish and during the mornings. For an English experience and other times like late lunch or dinner, please check the other classes:
