Eating Around: Regional Mexican Cuisine in El D.F., Part I

Mexican food is not one cuisine, but a conglomeration of many. Like Italy or China, differences from region to region are great, and ingredients are influenced by climate, geography, and patterns of immigration. While most states in Mexico have at least some distinctive dishes, several stand out for their truly distinctive and highly elaborated gastronomic traditions: Puebla, Oaxaca, and the Yucatan are the best known, and Mexico City is the one place where you can find it all.

Puebla
Everyone thinks of mole poblano when they talk about Puebla. This dark rich sauce, made of dried chillies, nuts, seeds, tomatoes onions, and spices—and the famous touch of chocolate--is most often served over chicken, or as enchiladas (sometimes called enmoladas). But it is only one of the exquisite dishes from this state, south-east of Mexico City. Another highlight of Puebla’s cuisine is chile en nogada, a stuffed poblano chile smothered with a cremy sauce of ground nuts and dotted with pomegranate seeds. The red, white and green of this dish—the colors of Mexico’s flag-- make it a favorite around Independence Day. Pipian (green or red) is a simpler sauce with a base of ground pumpkin seeds.
My favorite place for cocina poblana in Mexico City is Casa Merlos (Victoriano Zepeda 80, Colonia Observatorio, Tel. 5277-4360, open Thursday-Sunday from 1-4 pm). Although located in an out-of-the-way neighborhood west of the centro, it is worth the effort to reach. Start with chalupas (literally “little boats”), which are essentially another form of sopes. Manchamanteles (“tablecloth stainers”) is a juicy stew of pork cooked with dried and fresh fruit (often pineapple or apples). Pipian, and of course, the renowned mole poblano are also excellent here. The family-run Casa Merlos features several seasonal festivals: in October up to 10 different moles are offered.


Oaxaca
The state of Oaxaca has a large indigenous population and its cuisine reflects this. An enormous variety of chilies (amarillos, chilhuacles, chilcostles and costeños are some of the most popular), herbs, particularly the anis-flavored hoja santa, exotic fruits such as..., unusual meats like armadillo and iguana, and insects (those famous chapulines or grasshoppers) are eaten here. Known as the "Land of the Seven Moles," Oaxaca is, along with Puebla, the state most famous for this sauce.
Delicious Oaxacan food can be found at La Bella Lula, (Río Lerma, betweem Río Rhin and Río Sena in Colonia Cuauhtémoc. Tel. 5207-6356, There is also a branch at Miguel Angel de Quevedo 652 in Coyoacán. Both are open daily from 10am-7pm). This popular restaurant, around the corner from the Hotel María Cristina, has been serving authentic southern specialties since 1982. There are always a few of Oaxaca’s seven moles on the menu; my favorite is the almendrado, mildly sweet and tart, yet complex. For a real taste of Oaxaca, don’t miss the tlayudas con asiento, large, thin, crisp tortillas spread with unrefined manteca (better than it sounds), or the tasajo, tender strips of pork marinated in chile and spices. Their hand-made tortillas are top-notch, the ambience populár and festive.

Yucatán
The Yucatan peninsula is geographically isolated from the rest of the country, so its culture, heavily influenced by Mayan civilization (as well as Spanish, Carribean and Lebanese) has remained quite distinct. It is characterized by very hot sauces (typical of very hot places), and local ingredients like achiote (or anatto, a fragrant red spice) lima (an aromatic lime), and naranjas agrias (sweet-sour orange). Turkey, wild boar, and shark provide the protein .
I love Yucatecan cuisine and have tried many places in the city, but my favorite is Coox Hanal (Isabel La Católica 83, 2nd floor, near Mesones, open daily from 10:30am to 6pm), a simple place in the centro. Start with a sopa de lima, (chicken soup perfumed with those special lemons and tortilla strips), then move on to panuchos (tortillas with black beans and cochinita pibil, a spicy marinated pork), papadzules (tortillas rolled up with chopped eggs and an earthy, green pumpkin seed sauce--a good option for vegetarians) and my favorite, pan de cazón, (tortillas layered with fish, black beans and a light, spicy tomato sauce) Beware the fiery chile habanera that sits on top (also used in one of the salsas you find on the table)—it is the world’s hottest chile. Wash it all down with their ice-cold horchata, a milky-looking drink made from ground almonds and rice.

Regional Cuisine from Tlaxcala: Restaurante San Francisco

Tlaxcala, the smallest state in Mexico, is a mountainous area east of Mexico City, surrounded on three sides by the state of Puebla. The nahuatl name means "place of bread made with corn” (i.e. tortillas). Its capital city (also called Tlaxcala) is a pretty colonial gem filled with 17th and 18th century architectural marvels.
Naturally, this landlocked states’ food utilizes meats, fowl and herbs found in the area and is similar to, if less varied than that of Puebla. Hearty stews, thickened with seeds and nuts, habas (fava beans) and corn dishes reminiscent of pre-colonial times are the norm – it is a truly Mexican cuisine very much based on ancient tradition.
Near the Museo San Ildefonso, one of the city’s best contemporary art venues, I recently discovered Restaurante San Francisco, which specializes in the cuisine of Tlaxcala. Set within Casa Tlaxcala, a cultural center housed in a fine old colonial building, it’s a pleasant respite from the hustle and bustle of the city center. Open only for lunch, the reasonably priced menu offers some of the best known dishes from the region.
Start with a jarra verde Tlaxcala – a punch made with pulque (the

fermented sap of the maguey refined to produce tequila and mezcal), mint and lime. It’s refreshing and delicious, the yeasty flavor of the pulque not overwhelming. There are a number of appetizers to start your meal – a good choice is the platón Tlaxcalteco offering a selection of regional cheese, “antojitos” such as tamales and quesadillas, and chorizo – it’s large and can easily be shared by four people. While the salads are nicely presented, they are standard, nothing special, although the nopal (cactus) salad is particularly good, seasoned with cilantro and sprinkled with fresh cheese. Soups are more interesting: The sopa de habas con nopales (fava bean with cactus) is my favorite – it is a light cream, like split pea, the small shreads of cactus providing a nice tang; crema de cilantro, a mild but aromatic creamed soup.
The featured main dish is the pipian Tizatlán – made with either pork or chicken. The smooth green sauce of ground pumpkin seeds, chilies and aromatic green herbs is satisfying and earthy – you can tell this is Tlaxcalan ‘comfort food’. It differs from its Poblano cousin in the perfumy herbs used which give it an exotic and complex aroma.
The pollo Tocatlán may be Tlaxcala’s best known and most unusual dish. This savory stew is made with chicken and potatoes. The sauce, rich with roasted onions and tomatoes, smoky chayote chilies and perfumy cinnamon, is thickened with amaranth, a grain widely used in the region. It is a hardy dish worth trying.
Mole de olla, a soupy version of the Puebla classic is filled with fava beans, a variation particular to the region – it’s perfect food for a chilly day.
For those in a carnivorous mood, try the pit roasted barbacoa, popular all over central Mexico, or the cecina Zauapan, the Tlaxclala version of this popular dried and pounded meat.
Vegetarians don’t need to despair here – little burgers of huazontle, a green herb that tastes of asparagus, are bathed in a spicy sauce made with dried shrimp. Squash blossom flowers stuffed with fresh cheese with flecks of epazote, the odd medicinal tasting herb used all over central Mexico, are delectable.
There are some unusual desserts worth trying. Espuma de agave (a mousse made with tequila), panque de nopal (a sweet cactus cake), and my favorite, the refreshing gelatina de jamaica (flavored with dried hibiscus flowers)– Jell-o never tasted so good.
Nothing on the menu costs more than 100 pesos --a full meal will be around 150 per person, tops.
On the street a chalkboard announces a 48 peso “comida corrida”, but you won’t find it on the menu inside, so ask your waiter for details.
After your meal, be sure to check out the small gift shop selling crafts from the region – prices are reasonable.
San Francisco is a perfect place to bring out-of-towners during a tour of the sights – relaxing, and “muy mexicano”....try it, you’ll like it.

Restaurante San Francisco
San Ildefonso 40, Centro
Tel. 5702-9110
Open Monday through Saturday, 9-6PM

This article previously appeared in The News: Mexico City