Tamales!

Almost 15 years ago, K and I planned our first trip to Oaxaca because of a special we saw on the food network, so it shouldn't be too surprising that this trip was scheduled to coincide with many different food festivals. Sure, the Guelaguetza is most well known for being a celebration of dance and music, but there are also a ridiculous number of Ferias dedicated to different kinds of food.

We got sold out of the mole festival (ARRRRRGGGHHHH) and we chose to skip the mushroom festival altogether, but we did make it out to Etla for a cheese festival and we have so far been to two different festivals dedicated to tamales -- one of them we even went back to a second time!

When you combine these with the tamales we have bought from various street vendors and markets, it is fair to say that we have eaten a lot of tamales. But one if the cool things about the festivals was trying new types -- who knew you could put mussels in tamales? Or a Piccadilly-esque filing with almonds and raisins? That said, there have been two new types of tamales that I have loved and will seek out in the future.

The first was called Tamala, and we were under the impression that it was filled with pumpkins and beans -- sort of a savory version of the pumpkin rolls that I am a big fan of. After doing some internet research, I think that Tamalá is the kind of squash that it was filled with, and that they were actually Tamales Miahuatecos from the Sierra Sur region of Oaxaca. One recipe is at http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/recipes/detail/oaxacan-pumpkin-tamales and there is supposed to be another in Zarela's cookbook. In any event, I will be trying to make these soon.

The second kind was made with chicken and a type of mole that I do not recall ever having before, Chichilo. From what I gather, Chichilo is one of the rarest of the seven traditional moles, and is normally only broken out at special occassions. It is special because it has some burnt chilis, giving it some if the smoky flavor but in a more subtle way than a mole negro. It also uses the avocado leaves that are so wonderful in Oaxacan cuisine. Pilar Cabrera's recipe is online at
http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/3753-mexican-beef-chichilo-by-pilar-cabrera-chichilo-de-res-por-pilar-cabrera and is probably the recipe I will try to replicate whe we get home, but I cannot image it is as good as the one made by the abuela I bought tamales from in the Plaza de la Danza earlier today.