What’s on the Menus
* Agua de chilacayota--A sweet brown drink that contains strands of the chilacayota squash, bits of fresh pineapple and lime peel.
* Barbacoa--Goat or lamb cooked in a red chile sauce flavored with avocado leaves.
* Chilaquiles--Tortilla pieces that are fried, then mixed with tomato-chile sauce. In Oaxaca, torn-up clayudas are sometimes used.
* Chocolate--Hot chocolate is made with either water or milk and is served with a sweet, anise-seasoned bun called pan de yema.
* Clayuda--A large, thin, chewy corn tortilla that is seasoned with asiento, then coated with black bean puree and topped with quesillo and vegetables, or with cecina (chile-marinated pork), tasajo (cured beef) and/or chorizo.
* Empanada--Not the familiar pastry turnover but a large, handmade corn tortilla folded around a filling such as huitlacoche, squash flowers with quesillo or chicken with mole amarillo, then grilled.
* Entomatadas--Folded tortillas that are fried, then dipped in a tomato-chile sauce.
* Enfrijoladas--Folded tortillas that are fried, then dipped in a sauce made of black beans seasoned with chiles and avocado leaves.
* Horchata con tuna y nuez--A white drink made from ground rice or almonds, topped with chopped pecans, diced cantaloupe and cactus fruit marmalade.
* Memela--Flat, oval cake of corn masa that is pinched up at the edges, spread with asiento and sprinkled with cheese. Memelas are often topped with tomato sauce or black beans.
* Mole--Oaxaca is known as the land of the seven moles, but there are many more, taking into account variations from cook to cook. Moles served in restaurants here include:
* Mole negro--The leading Oaxacan mole, black mole is composed of chiles, nuts, seeds, bread, bananas, raisins, tomatoes, chocolate and other ingredients.
* Mole amarillo--A yellow mole seasoned with cumin and cloves and thickened with masa.
* Mole coloradito--A slightly sweet orange mole.
* Mole estofado--A slightly sweet mole made without chiles.
* Mole rojo--A red version of mole negro that is not as dark because the proportions are different and the chiles are not toasted.
* Mole verde--Green mole, colored and flavored with fresh ingredients such as tomatillos, green chiles and the leaf hierba santa.
* Nicuatole--A pudding that is similar to flan but based on corn and coated with cerise coloring instead of caramel syrup.
* Pan de yema--A lightly sweetened bun or round loaf seasoned with anise and topped with sesame seeds.
* Tamales--Oaxacan tamales are often, but not always, wrapped in banana leaves. A favorite filling is chicken in black mole. For chepil tamales, the tiny chepil leaf is mixed into the dough. Tamales are also made with rajas (chile strips), mole amarillo and mole verde. Black bean tamales often contain an avocado leaf. Fruits such as pineapple and raisins are added to sweet tamales.