From Tacos to Moles: Mexico City to Oaxaca

This week, instead of sharing a recipe, I want to share an experience. My trip through Mexico City and Oaxaca was nothing short of inspiring—not only for the flavors I discovered, but for the way food and ritual live side by side in daily life.

In Mexico City, tacos weren’t just food; they were a moving, spinning ritual of flavor. On nearly every corner, trompos of marinated pork roasted slowly on vertical spits, carved into tortillas, and finished with pineapple, onion, and cilantro. You don’t search for tacos in Mexico City; they’re already waiting for you at every turn.

Street vendors fried up fresh flautas—crispy rolled tortillas stuffed with potatoes or meat—served hot with all the toppings you’d expect. Tacos de canasta, soft tortillas layered with beans, chicharrón, or potatoes and kept warm inside cloth-lined baskets. Quick, simple, and full of character, they showed me how street food here is as much about rhythm as flavor.

From there, I traveled south to Oaxaca, long known as one of Mexico’s culinary capitals. Walking its cobblestone streets as someone who loves to cook was endlessly inspiring. Food was everywhere. Vendors lined the sidewalks, mercados overflowed with smoke, and each corner seemed to carry its own dish waiting to be discovered. Some of the most famous Oaxacan foods are the ones that linger in memory:

• Moles layered with smoky chiles, nuts, chocolate, and spice.

• Tlayudas, giant crisped tortillas piled with asiento, beans, quesillo, and grilled meats.

• Flor de calabaza (squash blossoms), delicate and earthy.

• Tamales wrapped in banana leaves, carrying both flavor and fragrance.

• Quesillo, the stringy cheese that Oaxaca proudly calls its own.

• And of course, chapulines—fried grasshoppers seasoned with salt and lime. They add a complex crunch to a taco or can even be ground into salsa.

My favorite bite of the trip was cabeza de puerco—pork head meat served on a crispy tostada with shredded cabbage, radishes, bright tomatillo salsa, and a fiery habanero salsa for heat. Rustic, balanced, and unforgettable.

The mercados were some of my favorite places to wander. At Mercado 20 de Noviembre, the famous Pasillo de Humo (“Hall of Smoke”) fills the air with the scent of grilled meat. You choose your raw cuts, hand them over, and moments later they’re fire-grilled in front of you. From there, you assemble your own tacos, picking up fresh tortillas from one vendor and piling on toppings and salsas from others, each stall adding its own flavor to the experience.

And then there’s the coffee culture. Cafés are tucked onto nearly every street, pouring drinks made from locally sourced beans. Many restaurants serve café de olla for breakfast—the coffee brewed in clay pots and kept warm over woodfire grills. The kind of coffee that doesn’t just wake you up—it anchors you in the morning ritual of the city. Fresh pan dulces—conchas, cuernitos, and other sweet breads—often sit alongside, making mornings feel complete.

Oaxaca reminded me why I love to cook. Each dish tells a story, each bite is an invitation to slow down and taste what fire, time, and tradition can do. Back home, I can’t wait to try recreating some of these dishes.

This trip left me inspired, and I’ll be carrying Mexico’s fire—both from the city streets alive with tacos in Mexico City and the smoky mercados of Oaxaca—into my own kitchen.

Disclaimer: This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.