Other places known for outstanding food are (IMO): Merida (Mexico), Lima (Peru), Chaguanas (Trinidad & Tobago), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Thessaloniki (Greece), Gaziantep (Turkey), the Coorg region of India (their pork dishes like pandi curry are outstanding), Bangkok (Thailand), Penang (Malaysia), Padang (Indonesia), and Chonju (South Korea). But I am sure there are many others that I'm missing.
In rural Washington where I grew up, the local Mexican community was primarily from Oaxaca, and I loved their food. When I moved to San Diego, I discovered Baja Mexican, which is so entirely different, and now that I live in Texas, the local Mexicans in my area come mostly from Hidalgo. Each of these cuisines are so different, they don't use the same cheeses, the same cuts of meat, the same salsas, or the same breads, and they are all delicious... that said, I am homesick for Oaxacan food.
This is why I'm waiting for Searching for Mexico with Eva Longoria to debut! I think early next year. I'm so curious about the regional Mexican foods and traditions.
I am in houston, and I so miss CaliMex. The best thing about TexMex is fajitas, and it is hard to find good fajitas, for some reason. They tend to be very greasy, and over-marinated. Oh, well. Have a great day!🤗💋💐🫶🏻
If you have friends from Hidalgo, ask them to prepare any or all of the following dishes: mixiotes, pastes from Pachuca and guajolotes from Tulancingo. This last has nothing to do with the bird except that they have the same name. You’ll love Hidalgoan cuisine!
@@philoctetes_wordsworth Texas has great fajitas and tacos, equal or better than what I had in California, but man do I miss burritos and shrimp diablo. Also, carne asada was just better in California, though Texas has excellent milanesa, and pollo asada.
Indeed, there are so many varieties of the same ingredients, similar food, yet also very different in the different states of Mexico - I am always amazed - there is just no way to ever fail to find something new and wondrous to eat!
There was a funny moment that I sadly didn't capture on camera: Minerva asked Eva to say a sentence in Italian. Eva did so and Minerva looked confused. "No, say it in Italian this time." 😂
in southern Italy it's common for schools to teach spanish as a third language instead of French, mainly because of our Spanish roots. In high school i went to Spain and had no problems speaking Spanish there.
Italian and Spanish are very close. My Mexican and Venezuelan friends took Italian in high school because it was an easy A and if fulfilled the language requirement.
I am from México 🇲🇽 and I am currently learning Italiano 🇮🇹 and I don’t loose my hopes that one day I can travel to Italia and get to know such amazing country, so much like my own México 🇲🇽 😊
That plate of tomatoes looked amazing! We Italians have Mexico to thank for the tomato since domestication of the wild plant points to the Aztecs and other peoples in Mesoamerica. Grazie Messico!
I heard someone say once that the key to romance is finding someone you enjoy eating with. I wasn’t sure what they meant but looking at Harper and Eva flying to Mexico just to try the food together, now I get it.
THANK YOU so much for paying respect to Mexican food, especially the rich culture of the state of Oaxaca! Watching your videos I always draw comparisons between southern Italy and aspects of Mexican culture, so I love seeing you both experience our cuisine! Eva’s Spanish is excellent! Also, cafe de olla is very delicious, sweetened with piloncillo (sugar cane), and worth trying!
Having an Italian American background on my mom's side of the family and growing up in an area with a large Hispanic population I've always noted that the two cultures are pretty similar in a lot of ways especially in terms of the importance of food, approach to festivities, religion, family and language. So I'm really excited to see Eva experience the culture and food on this video !!! Thank you for sharing 💓
Many Italians (from Italy) actually consider themselves Latino for this reason. I was actually surprised once when someone asked an Italian if they considered themselves Latino and their reaction was something akin to “well of course! What kind of ridiculous question is that!?”. I know this isn’t a universal sentiment but much more common than one would expect especially since Italian Americans mostly don’t consider themselves Latino but that’s a totally different topic altogether.
Am watching this in Oaxaca & am so pleased to see you enjoying our food. Mexican culture is so diverse & that is reflected in our cuisine. The last time I was in the United States, a friend took me out to eat at what she called the BEST Mexican restaurant around....I almost wept at what passed for Mexican food there. I imagine my feelings were much as yours are when you see what passes for Italian food there😪
It warms my heart to see Eva appreciating Mexican culture and cuisine. I'm telling you, Mexico and Italy are long-lost siblings, and they're finding each other on this channel. Eva speaks Spanish so naturally. It was nice to see her find Italian traces here and there; the festival, the sausages... Mexicans and Italians need to come together more often. Thank you for this wonderful video. What a wonderful coming together of cultures! Even the flags are similar! 🇮🇹🇲🇽
The watery hot chocolate made me think of the book "Like Water for Chocolate" a Mexican novel. The emotions of the sister who cooks for the family are transmitted in her dishes to those who eat them. A great corollary to Pasta Grammar.
This is very timely and I salute you for showing the wonderful people culture, and food in Oaxaca! Edit: the stuff you called “lye” is not lye. It is lime, or “cal”. It is used for a lot of things, and it’s what was put on the comal (the white, floury looking stuff) to help keep the tortillas from sticking when you cook. The process of using the cal for making the dried corn edible is called nixtamalization, and is super important to reduce mycotoxins and to free up stores of niacin (B3), which in turn prevents a disease called pellagra.
Very interesting! It didn't make it into the video but there was a lengthy discussion where we were all trying to figure out it was they were using and what the best translation was. Clearly we got it wrong!
Good post but your facts are a little off. Many folks often refer to it as Lye or Lime water especially in the Southern United States (so Eva and Harper are spot on in general terms). We use it to make real Hominy Grits (Sooo not polenta). CAL being calcium hydroxide is your best choice though originally potassium hydroxide in the form of wood ash water was used by our ancestors. Some here in the United States have even used Sodium Hydroxide but it leaves a soapy aftertaste that is flat out disgusting and I find inedible. I've been Nixtamalizing mostly "Dent Corn" for 40 Years (I'm 56 years old). Maseca is okay in a pinch but fresh nixtamalized dent corn is always best in any dish.
I LOVE OAXACA! One of the best Italian meals I've ever had I had in Oaxaca, cooked by an Italian ExPat. A grilled octopus with some sort of amazing sauce! Everyone should have the opportunity to experience this wonderful city at least once in their lives. It is SAFE, culturally interesting and wonderful beyond belief in so many ways! The markets, the arts, everything just exceeds the imagination!!!
I was born in Oaxaca, but now live in Texas. I’ve always loved Italian food, but I was always specially drawn to the spicier southern Italian flavors. A few years ago I found out my father’s family originated from Sicily, so it makes sense why I was drawn to it. I am happy that Eva enjoys my home state’s cuisine, as a southern Italian herself, just how I, a native Oaxacan enjoy her region’s cuisine. Much love from Texas
My families came from Spain to Mexico and later to New Mexicoin the 1500's. One of my Grandmothers wayyyy back in those days was an Italian Jew. We were kicked out of Spain and Portugal some of us fled to Mexico. We were called marranos/Sephardi. Many of us New Mexicans and Mexicans have Jewish roots. Many of us also have Italian Jewish roots as well. Our Atole in New Mexico is from blue corn meal. It's blue and sweet with cinnamon, our churro's are dipped in chocolate. It is said by a food historian it was the Spanish Jew who brought flour to the region to make their mitzvah for Passover, which was like a flour tortilla. So we are the ones who brought flour tortillas with us. The history of the Inquisition was brutal for us in Mexico. They actually followed us and set up shop there. Mexico is a beautiful country with delicious food. Have fun guys
I’m Salvadoran and we share many dishes and traditions with the rest of Mesoamérica, including Gigantonas (those big dancing street puppets), tamales, chocolate, quesillo, chiles rellenos, the use of pumpkin seeds and many other things.
We don’t share the same traditions, central Americans like other countries have copied Mexicans traditions, food culture, etc…everything origins in Mexico.
@@alalesc3796 Respectfully, I would suggest you learn more about Mesoamérica, its history, culture and traditions, before writing things like what you just posted.
@@TheCatWitch63 what can you expect from a Salvadoran? I could write a big big comment trying to explain and make you understand but it would Be impossible, ignorant people speak without real facts. Quick example you said chiles rellenos 100% Mexicans. Since there are of MILLIONS of Salvadorans in theUSA and in Mexico! You take what you see and eat and take it to your country but that doesn’t make Salvadoran. Got it?! Most of Mesoamérica was Mexico also called the new Spain. Just because your country was in Mesoamérica it doesn’t make it/ have the food, traditions, culture like Mexico. Last thing and the best thing is that we Mexicans know our country and foreigners from all over the world know all those things are Mexican.STOP SPREADING Lies/fake news!
@@alalesc3796 yes, but Mayan, aztec and the Incas did share foods like potatoes and pineapple the American native in the north used the three sisters corn, beans, squash and turkeys.
Now that you live in Arizona, more Mexican content would be cool. Eva would likely really enjoy exploring more regional foods, and it would be fun to watch.
I would especially appreciate that. After spending time in the Yucatan, I almost always now include about a quarter tomatillos to 3/4 tomato. in fact I am canning tomatoes this way tomorrow. I add a generous garlic clove and a large sprig of basil. A dear friend ships me up Mexican oregano from outside the pyramids, definitely a regional sub-taste because of the geology. a marvelous fusion sauce, interchangeable in both cultures.
Dios mio! Thank you Sr. Harper y Sra. Eva. Am from Morelos, Mexico, I have been here many many years. By far You folks have given the TH-cam world True authentic southern Mexican food, pozole, atole, chocolate verdadero, and masa de molino para tortillas, just like My grandmother made for us at her house. Again thank You so much for this video of food I us to eat as a child.
I'm a half-Mexican-American guy who grew up in Southern California and the border region of Texas, so I'm most familiar with Northern Mexican and Tex-Mex, which were part of my daily diet. I currently live in Sri Lanka, and the thing I crave the most, that I miss the most, is Mexican food. Whenever I fly home, whomever picks me up at the airport knows that the very first thing I want to do, before going home and showering even, is have some Mexican food. Thus far none of my friends or family have dared to insist we do otherwise, and heaven help him/her who does so in the future. I'm able to do a little Mexican cooking here, as there are some ingredients in common, but some very basic ingredients (masa for example) can't be found. So I do my poor best here, but as soon as I board that first flight in Colombo, Mexican food is all I think about. I'm so happy that you guys enjoy the food so much, bu then again, I'm not surprised.
I am glad you guys did it. I am sure being an american and an italian our food in Mexico was totally unsuspected, unpredictable and it is simply AMAZING for foreigners. My favorite one is the oaxacan chorizo you tried at the market and of course the mole variety you tried. The comment you made about the tlayuda spot in that corner makes me believe you truly got what mexican food is all about: honesty, flavour, simplicity, rawness and richness.
I would love to try those foods that Eva & Harper tried in this video - I have had some tlayudas in Chiapas, but they have more things than what was shown here, I am eager to try Oaxaca's version!
I’m really proud of my country Mexico, our traditions and food. Also I’m a Italian food love but Mexican food is the love of my life, you are really lucky to enjoy with Minerva the real experience of prehispanic food. I was so happy to saw you both enjoy your visit. And our food 💕
Love, love this episode. While in nursing school, I spent one semester in Oaxaca with a wonderful host family. This brought back so many special memories.❤
I love that you guys are starting to do this and eating foods that are other than just Italian! There’s so many wonderful cultures and food ways in the world!
Oaxaca food is amazing but Mexico in general has some of the best food in the world and it varies by region, every state has a different gastronomy in Mexico. Mexico it’s a world on its own. Great video!
My daughter lived in Oaxaca last year for six months. She loved it, not just the amazing food but the wonderful lifestyle. I really want to go, even just for a week!
Yeeeeei! I loved this video! I really enjoyed how you guys went for the real food. Of all México, Oaxaca has one of the most diverse, intense, beautiful, tasty, surprising and colorful foods. Also, if you go to Puebla, yo can have another famous mole "mole poblano", that has peanuts and chocolate in it; and also lots of baroque dishes and also lots of bread. And in Yucatán the food is totally different, but equally diverse, fresh, spiced (with spices and with chile) and funky. We really have good food all over this country. 💖
I'm so glad you chose to visit Oaxaca. I'm from Juarez Mexico, and Oaxaca is known to have the very best food in all of Mexico because of all the different ingredients you can't find anywhere else. Thank you. I love this video. I loved Eva's Spanish, and yours too. Love you both❤️❤️🙏🙏
I saw "Oaxaca" and automatically had to click and watch this video! I'm from another state but I grew up in Oaxaca! And yes, there's a lot of great food there... quesillo, chorizo, memelas, tlayudas, chapulines, literally everything.
I am from El Salvador and I remember going across the street where we lived there was a woman who cooked tortillas the same way Minerva cooked hers, the flavor is unforgettable.
Water and LYE…Oh my!!! These are my favorite types of travel and food videos - when you meet the indigenous local people. Another excellently produced video!
@@nodezsh I know right but it's how it's done. I don't know the ratio of how much lye they use but it's what they do. I'm SO envious of them. I've had Mexican food but nothing like what I've eaten on the border by a Mexican family restaurant. It was so so good. That process is called nixtamalization.
Treating corn with lye or lime water is called Nixtamalization. The Mayans used slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) and lye (potassium hydroxide). It does a couple of things, one of which is making the corn able to to be made into a dough, something untreated corn meal can't do. Then you can make a tortilla. But more importantly it releases the otherwise bound up niacin, an important dietary necessity if you don't want to get pellagra or kwashiorkor. Eating beans, which provide some missing amino acids, along with corn treated with lye makes a complete protein. So rather than killing the ancient people of that region, it kept them alive. Just because something has a chemical name or is used for other purposes, like drain cleaning, doesn't make it bad. Consider sodium and chlorine, both deadly poisons. Together they make table salt.
This is a corn preparation method that has existed for millenia in the New world, it is called nixtamalization and it greatly improves the nutritional value of corn and this thought to be the primary reason as to why Maize is the most important crop in pre/post colombian American cultures, originating from south to mezo American civilizations, then spreading to nearly the entirety of north American precolombian civilizations through now lost and presumably very complex trade methods. I did a research paper on corn for my College Humanities American History class, and i found how fascinating it was, some notable things being how the nixtamalization was developed and used. I learned that long before clay pottery in the Americas was used, some of the utensils ancient Americans used were made completely out of limestone, with some wonderfully preserved artifacts being found with corn residue and heat damage made completely out of carved limestone which is thought to be where the nixtamalization method originated as by processing via grinding and boiling the corn using these utensils. The nixtamalization effect was observed to work by just boiling corn with any available base which includes limestone. Whgen pottery in the Americas began widespread use, they switched to more effective bases such as pot-ash or by converting the limestone into lime. In more modern days, a cheap and efficient base that is used is lye, but is still a remnant of millennias old technique.
Loved this one guys! I am 2nd generation but Mexico is the home of my people and I'm so happy when people can appreciate and share it without cliche. BTW, Eva has the best Spanish prounciation of any non native speaker ever! I hope as a Spanish speaker I could speak Italian as well.
This was a lot of fun to watch, learning different cultures and how they cook is so interesting. If you use good fresh ingredients it could be simple but taste amazing. Everything looked wonderful.
@12:24 "I´m probably pronouncing it wrong, my apologies", nope Harper, every single Spanish word that came out of your mouth was perfect!!! I´m Mexican and I was really impressed, yes of course you have a slight accent but the pronunciation was spot on!! you did a great job, and by the way thanks for appreciating our culture, I´ve never been to Oaxaca myself and I feel ashamed for not having been there yet, you guys make me learn more about my own country and culture, New subscriber here, you guys are awesome , keep up the good work!!
Im so happy and honored to watch this video. You guys are amazing, Eva's Spanish is awesome and they way you treat the food, the people and the culture with so much respect, it just make me very happy, thank you.
you two have such magnetic personalities and your mutual respect and love of pure delicious food of all kinds is just perfection in a cooking show. really - i have never come across such a fascinating duo on youtube. you are top tier and your videos are interesting, informative, fun and char. thank you SO much for your channel and the work you put out!
What a fantastic video!!! I sit in London on a very grey day and watch you enjoying all those lovely delicacies. I would love to go to Mexico but at 67 years old feel it is out of my reach. However, I am very pleased you both had such an enjoyable time. Thanks for sharing.
I'm from Mexico city. I've been living in Spain for the last four years and I have to say watching you enjoy my country's food and culture made me quite nostalgic and cry 😬. That's a good thing though.
Great vid! Tomatoes were introduced to Italy in 1548. The Mesoamericans had them about 500 B.C. or 2000 years before since they are native there. The original species had fruit varying from the size of a pea to a small grape, far smaller than even our cherry tomatoes today. Their flavor was more concentrated and tart. They did not milk any animals in the earliest times so there is pretty much zero chance they had any pizza-like dishes, having no dairy-type cheese. And we remember our history, Naples-type Margarhita, tricolor pizza dates only to 1889 while New York pizza is just 16 years younger from 1905.
Tomatoes came from de south Andes. That's South not Mesoamerica. Andean cultures domesticated corn too and potatoes. Then trade them for Mesoamerican crops, like aguacates or cacao. Some part of Northamerica (Mexico) did the same so we all share similar products. America was a very alive continent before the european invasion.
@@Angelopithecus Every culture and peoples around the world traded actively. Why so mad at European settlers and ‘colonisation’ which brought many benefits, yet not a mention of all the slavery (including hereditary) in North American and MesoAmerican cultures and society. Not to mention sacrifices.
We grilled at work today. I work construction in Arizona. It was Carne Asada, and pollo. rice and beans. All the side salsas.... Pico, roja, verde, and guacamole. Grilled onions and fresh sliced radishes. Corn and flour tortillas. Grilled corn. I ate 2 large plates and when that was accomplished had a quesadilla with Oaxacan cheese that was handed to me hot off a comal...its a great cheese, perfect for quesadillas for those who don't know.
Some of my favorite meals are the simplest dishes. Respect the ingredients and you can make marvelous things. Now I gotta go visit Oaxaca haven't been there in ages.
I have been to Oaxaca. That was 40+ years ago. It is still quite off the beaten path for most tourists, so I am glad that you made a point of going there. In particular, I found Tehuantepec very interesting. It is a very different culture. You travel with open minds and open hearts, and that is what maximizes the learning experience that only travel can provide.
I remember hunting for chapulines in Puebla when I first started dating my now wife. I really need to go back. The tears just started flowing remembering the Mercado in Amozoc. I'm so glad you enjoyed your trip to Oaxaca, please announce your next trips to the Tierra del Sol!
Thank you for sharing your experiences in Oaxaca. If there was confusion about the tomatoes with Minerva it's because in Mexico, the red tomato = jitomate and tomatillos = tomate. And yes Eva, the freshly ground corn tortillas are so much better than what we typically find in the states.
*In SOUTHERN México you call them “jitomates”; we Norteños and pretty much everything North of the Sierra Madre call it “tomate” and “tomatillo”or “tomate de fresadilla”. As for the corn tortillas, there’s some weird NAFTA reason why tortillas and tostadas can’t be imported wholesale from Mexico but I always stack up 2-3 kilos when I visit
@@mc3v804 Our family members are from Nayarit, Sinaloa, Jalisco, Zacatecas and Michoacan. They all call the red ones jitomate. Shall we put central Mexico in the jitomate camp? They refer to the green ones as tomates or tomatillos.
@@veronicaluna7369 I think it’s simply because further north there’s less variety in general and possibly there might’ve been more prefixes for “tomatl” in addition to xi-. The name “fresadilla”, which is declining, probably refers to the fact that leaves resemble strawberry’s
The "tortillas a mano" is better than the "maseca tortillas" i have seen in so many places. I love it whenever I get a handful of "tortillas a mano" and eat the first few - the fresh and hot taste straight from the comál...
I live in LA-Los Angeles has the largest Oaxacan community in the U.S., I’m surprised you hadn’t tried crickets and moles while you lived here. This was a great video, thank you for sharing 😊
Oaxacan here. The question about bread lol, we eat it for breakfast and dinner with coffee or hot cocoa. That’s why there’s a lot of it haha. Normally with Tlayudas they have more toppings and more meats but I’m glad you guys tried a form of it.
A large percentage of people in Mexico do use instant coffee for their breakfast. Also, kind of amazing that you didn't get hit with Moctezuma's revenge.
You guys “need” to go to Peru, for foodies like yourselves it is a must ❤ there is so much Italian influence in Peruvian cuisine, you will love it. As a Peruvian of Italian descent, I am extremely happy to have found your channel, Eva is a delight and an awesome teacher. I have learned so much from you, thank you! 🥰
I love this video so much! I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to see you both visit Mexico, and Oaxaca is on my bucket list of places. If you ever get a chance to visit Mexico City, take a short trip to Teotihuacan and see the pyramids of the Moon and Sun. They are magnificent and the food and markets there are phenomenal too!!
The best mole I’ve had was in Oaxaca. I had this mole negro tamal that was huge I had to split it between my friends. Oaxaca was one of the best food places I’ve visited. Enjoy your trip!
I never thought I'd consider trying insects. But seeing how enthusiastic you both were, inc Harper comparing the taste to sardine, I'll be open if I get to Mexico one day!
It is so funny to see Oaxaca as a travel destination. Back 35 years ago my Spanish professor (said with the correct accent) in high school went there to help because they were really not doing well. Starvation and living in very bad conditions was all over. Now, tourists go there to visit which I think is amazing.
A suggestion for Eva from an Italian that went to a ton of other places in the world! If you want good true Italian espresso coffee in places that don’t have good espresso just go to a McDonald, they all have at least one Lavazza coffee machine and Lavazza’s capsules! That cheap trick will save your mornings! ❤
A visit to Mickey D in another country means that you lose one chance to try the local food. Stay away from corporate run places, mom and pop places need the support.
If you want a real good mexican coffee Eva should not had gone into the "Italian Coffee Company". Original Oxaca Coffee is just as good as any other good coffee place in the world.
@@davelester1985 I didn’t mean “go to McDonald to eat” I meant “Getting an espresso and leave”, since, as an Italian that visited 90% of Europe, I swear I’ve never found an acceptable Italian Espresso anywhere except McDonald.
I would love to go to Mexico and experience all the awesome food and culture. I wouldn’t know how to pronounce the names of the foods and drinks either 🥺 loved the video guys
Very cool video you two! I am a retired military vet. Something I cherished was going all over the world and enjoying the culture and food of others. Looks like you guys really had fun and that's what counts. God Bless 🙏
Oaxaca looked beautiful and delicious. You made such a good point about traveling closer to the ground. The more money you spend the more space you put between yourselves and an authentic expierience. Thank you for the gorgeous video.
I must share some of my memories of Oaxaca that this video brought back to me. I took my last Spanish class for Spanish, which was one of my majors, through a program at my college where you go to Mexico for a month with one of the professors who would teach whatever class you needed. We stayed in Mexico City for a week sight-seeing then went to Oaxaca where we stayed with local families. We would have classes in the morning, and then we would often go sight-seeing as a group, or we would roam the city. After the professor, I was the best Spanish-speaker on the trip so if you hung out with me, it was an adventure. 1. The grasshoppers/chapulines. The professor gave us a list of things of which he suggested we do as many of them as we could - take a taxi somewhere by yourself, haggle with a vendor, etc. I was often the first to do things including stuff not on the list like take the metro to the bus station to go to Puebla where I visited a family I stayed with during a high school interchange. In Oaxaca, it was try grasshoppers. In el Mercado Benito Juarez, there was a little girl with a big bowl of them that we could try free samples of. I joked that Oaxacans don't actually eat grasshopper - they just pretend they do, and the vendors would take bets on which gringos (Oaxaca has a lot of independent Spanish-language schools) would eat the grasshoppers first. (I also maintain this is true of escargot in France). 😁 I later felt somewhat validated in this because I found (and bought) a shirt that said in Spanish, "I Ate Grasshoppers in Oaxaca, Mexico." The shirt had a cartoon Americanized grasshopper on it - wearing expensive looking sneakers, a fanny pack, and ball cap. I was in fact wearing expensive sneakers, a fanny pack, and ball cap when I bought it. 2. We were there during the Guelaguetza - a city wide festival that has different things going on during the entire month of July including the titeres (large costumes/puppets). We first came across them at night about a block from the Santo Domingo church you showed. They were just practicing moving with no music, their steps echoing on the cobblestones bathed in eerie orange glow that came from light reflecting off of nearby walls. We got pictures with some of them, including an 8-year-old wearing a costume that was about five feet tall, which enabled us to give the costume bunny-ears like the Americans we are. 3. The one dish I wish you had gotten to try was chilies en nogada - essentially stuffed peppers but with a creamy walnut sauce with pomegranate seeds in it. I believe it's mostly in season during the Guelaguetza. I ate it as much as possible and up to a few years ago, I could still imagine the taste. I don't know why that has faded from my memory, but alas it has. 4. More than a quarter of a century later, I'm still good friends with the Mexican-American woman on the trip that I secretly was dating (we didn't want anyone to feel weird around us), and it was funny when we went out together because she looked like a native, and people would talk to her, and she would turn to me to translate. 5. We went to several archeological parks including Monte Alban, which had the best pyramids for the Slinky I brought on the trip with me. 😆 Thanks for this video, and I hope I didn't bore you with this love letter.
Points in common between Italy and Mexico: - Flag colours - Beautiful nature - Long culinary tradition that has been popularised and butchered worldwide - Uncomfortable, not so humble neighbours in the North border (with similar flag colours too) ...any more suggestions?
@@charliesargent6225 you’re totally free to hate. The comment intended to highlight points in common, not that they are entirely similar, though. And at the end of the day, the most interesting parts of Mexico from my pov, originate from pre-columbian Mesoamerica, as shown in the video.
I first went to Oaxaca on a long leisurely road trip from San Diego to Tegulcigapa with my American-Honduran Yale roommate and first boyfriend. I was studying Meso-American archaeology, and he was studying journalism and had a passion for documenting what remained of pre-Columbian culture. And he was an avid foodie! That was 50 years ago; I long too return.
That's how I feel about PF Changs or Panda Express as Chinese foods. I live in an area (near San Jose, CA) with a big Hispanic population but it's not as fun as the Oaxacan foods! It's pretty much universally al pastor, chili verde or rojo, beans and rice with choice of flour or corn tortilla, salsa verde or rojo, pico de gallo.... so I don't know the region it comes from.... The Asian restaurants are horrible here, but just 1/2 an hour north of me in the hear of Silion Valley there are so many more authentic versions of various specific regional Asian cuisines that often I walk into a restaurant and spoken to in Mandarin or Cantonese since I am Japanese American and can pass for Chinese. These are the restaurants that I love!! Even though there's a lot of Hispanics in my area, I don't think our Mexican restaurants are that good here compared to what I see in this vid!
I was in Oaxaca when I was young. The most vivid memories I have of it was the market but moreover, the chile pequin that grew in the garden of our host family. The father was a medical doctor and, at the dinner table, would pop in one after another out of a bowl full of the fresh-picked, diminutive peppers while he ate his meal. Completely stoic, he encouraged me to try one. All I remember was just biting and breaking the skin. It was like putting a hand grenade in my mouth and pulling the pin! So, Eva, if you think Calabria has hot peppers, these will give the Calabrians a run for their money anytime... One other memory of Oaxaca was getting caught in a major earthquake there. I was raised in California and was used to earthquakes but this one got me educated. Trying to get out of the house was like trying to go for a walk on a moving roller coaster. Great, great memories of this place and wouldn't mind going back some day...
Can you please visit Perú? My father is from Meta di Sorrento but I was born in Perú and believe me, we have AMAZING food! If you ever come to visit I'd be delighted to be your guide
As a brazilian I feel pride in the cuisine and culture of our mexican cousins! A cuisine that even a hardcore italian foodie like Eva can appreciate! Just a short note, we also have those giant puppets in Brazil. They are very traditional in the city of "Olinda" in the Pernambuco state, in northeastern Brazil. About the "chapulines", my first reaction is to think about my favorite superhero of all! El Chapulin Colorado!
Buenos días from Oaxaca City, Mexico! This has been a BIG item on Eva's bucket list. What place should we travel to next in order to try the food?
How about Greece?
Try getting eva to search some Irish foods ? :)
Other places known for outstanding food are (IMO): Merida (Mexico), Lima (Peru), Chaguanas (Trinidad & Tobago), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Thessaloniki (Greece), Gaziantep (Turkey), the Coorg region of India (their pork dishes like pandi curry are outstanding), Bangkok (Thailand), Penang (Malaysia), Padang (Indonesia), and Chonju (South Korea). But I am sure there are many others that I'm missing.
@@davoap1268 When they are in Italy, it is easier make a trip to Greece. ;)
Great video, hope you guys do more travel videos
In rural Washington where I grew up, the local Mexican community was primarily from Oaxaca, and I loved their food. When I moved to San Diego, I discovered Baja Mexican, which is so entirely different, and now that I live in Texas, the local Mexicans in my area come mostly from Hidalgo. Each of these cuisines are so different, they don't use the same cheeses, the same cuts of meat, the same salsas, or the same breads, and they are all delicious... that said, I am homesick for Oaxacan food.
This is why I'm waiting for Searching for Mexico with Eva Longoria to debut! I think early next year. I'm so curious about the regional Mexican foods and traditions.
I am in houston, and I so miss CaliMex. The best thing about TexMex is fajitas, and it is hard to find good fajitas, for some reason. They tend to be very greasy, and over-marinated. Oh, well. Have a great day!🤗💋💐🫶🏻
If you have friends from Hidalgo, ask them to prepare any or all of the following dishes: mixiotes, pastes from Pachuca and guajolotes from Tulancingo. This last has nothing to do with the bird except that they have the same name. You’ll love Hidalgoan cuisine!
@@philoctetes_wordsworth Texas has great fajitas and tacos, equal or better than what I had in California, but man do I miss burritos and shrimp diablo. Also, carne asada was just better in California, though Texas has excellent milanesa, and pollo asada.
Indeed, there are so many varieties of the same ingredients, similar food, yet also very different in the different states of Mexico - I am always amazed - there is just no way to ever fail to find something new and wondrous to eat!
I’m impressed by Eva’s Spanish skills. Really goes to show that the Spanish and Italian languages are close cousins.
There was a funny moment that I sadly didn't capture on camera: Minerva asked Eva to say a sentence in Italian. Eva did so and Minerva looked confused. "No, say it in Italian this time." 😂
@@PastaGrammar Brilliant!
in southern Italy it's common for schools to teach spanish as a third language instead of French, mainly because of our Spanish roots. In high school i went to Spain and had no problems speaking Spanish there.
Italian and Spanish are very close. My Mexican and Venezuelan friends took Italian in high school because it was an easy A and if fulfilled the language requirement.
I am from México 🇲🇽 and I am currently learning Italiano 🇮🇹 and I don’t loose my hopes that one day I can travel to Italia and get to know such amazing country, so much like my own México 🇲🇽 😊
That plate of tomatoes looked amazing! We Italians have Mexico to thank for the tomato since domestication of the wild plant points to the Aztecs and other peoples in Mesoamerica. Grazie Messico!
also pumpkins, chocolate, Vanilla, chile peppers, corn it goes on and on.
@@edmundooliver7584 True. It's just that tomatoes are what's most associated with Italian cuisine the world over.
De nada, prego, not many people know that.
And Caesar salad!!!!!
I mention this to friends and they think im full of shit lmao
I am sobbing just seeing you guys enjoy Mexican food… every Mexican culture appreciation makes me really happy
I heard someone say once that the key to romance is finding someone you enjoy eating with. I wasn’t sure what they meant but looking at Harper and Eva flying to Mexico just to try the food together, now I get it.
It warms my heart that you two focus more on the heart of the culture rather than the flash. Brava!!!
I love Eva’s enthusiasm, open mind, and excitement when she discovers new and great food. She made me smile all through the video. 🥰
Can I just say you guys are probably my favorite TH-cam creators.
THANK YOU so much for paying respect to Mexican food, especially the rich culture of the state of Oaxaca! Watching your videos I always draw comparisons between southern Italy and aspects of Mexican culture, so I love seeing you both experience our cuisine! Eva’s Spanish is excellent! Also, cafe de olla is very delicious, sweetened with piloncillo (sugar cane), and worth trying!
I make and drink cafe de olla everyday - my favorite daily start! Eva and Harper did an excellent, excellent job with this video!
Yes, Eva’s Spanish is fantastic
Having an Italian American background on my mom's side of the family and growing up in an area with a large Hispanic population I've always noted that the two cultures are pretty similar in a lot of ways especially in terms of the importance of food, approach to festivities, religion, family and language. So I'm really excited to see Eva experience the culture and food on this video !!! Thank you for sharing 💓
Very true. I have dated hispanic women most of my life and they are similar.
Many Italians (from Italy) actually consider themselves Latino for this reason. I was actually surprised once when someone asked an Italian if they considered themselves Latino and their reaction was something akin to “well of course! What kind of ridiculous question is that!?”. I know this isn’t a universal sentiment but much more common than one would expect especially since Italian Americans mostly don’t consider themselves Latino but that’s a totally different topic altogether.
I know this is supposed to be an Italian themed channel, but this is by far Eva and Harpers best video yet!
Am watching this in Oaxaca & am so pleased to see you enjoying our food. Mexican culture is so diverse & that is reflected in our cuisine.
The last time I was in the United States, a friend took me out to eat at what she called the BEST Mexican restaurant around....I almost wept at what passed for Mexican food there. I imagine my feelings were much as yours are when you see what passes for Italian food there😪
It warms my heart to see Eva appreciating Mexican culture and cuisine. I'm telling you, Mexico and Italy are long-lost siblings, and they're finding each other on this channel. Eva speaks Spanish so naturally. It was nice to see her find Italian traces here and there; the festival, the sausages... Mexicans and Italians need to come together more often. Thank you for this wonderful video. What a wonderful coming together of cultures! Even the flags are similar! 🇮🇹🇲🇽
IT IS A REASON IF YOU AND WE HAVE THE SAME FLAGS COLOURS, NO?!?
Viva Mexico
The watery hot chocolate made me think of the book "Like Water for Chocolate" a Mexican novel. The emotions of the sister who cooks for the family are transmitted in her dishes to those who eat them. A great corollary to Pasta Grammar.
This is very timely and I salute you for showing the wonderful people culture, and food in Oaxaca! Edit: the stuff you called “lye” is not lye. It is lime, or “cal”. It is used for a lot of things, and it’s what was put on the comal (the white, floury looking stuff) to help keep the tortillas from sticking when you cook. The process of using the cal for making the dried corn edible is called nixtamalization, and is super important to reduce mycotoxins and to free up stores of niacin (B3), which in turn prevents a disease called pellagra.
Very interesting! It didn't make it into the video but there was a lengthy discussion where we were all trying to figure out it was they were using and what the best translation was. Clearly we got it wrong!
I had been trying to learn what "cal" was and what it used for! Thank you for providing that information.
picking lime or sake lime is CAL in spanish just make sure its FOOD GRADE for human consumption
Good post but your facts are a little off. Many folks often refer to it as Lye or Lime water especially in the Southern United States (so Eva and Harper are spot on in general terms). We use it to make real Hominy Grits (Sooo not polenta). CAL being calcium hydroxide is your best choice though originally potassium hydroxide in the form of wood ash water was used by our ancestors. Some here in the United States have even used Sodium Hydroxide but it leaves a soapy aftertaste that is flat out disgusting and I find inedible.
I've been Nixtamalizing mostly "Dent Corn" for 40 Years (I'm 56 years old). Maseca is okay in a pinch but fresh nixtamalized dent corn is always best in any dish.
I LOVE OAXACA! One of the best Italian meals I've ever had I had in Oaxaca, cooked by an Italian ExPat. A grilled octopus with some sort of amazing sauce! Everyone should have the opportunity to experience this wonderful city at least once in their lives. It is SAFE, culturally interesting and wonderful beyond belief in so many ways! The markets, the arts, everything just exceeds the imagination!!!
Hola soy de Oaxaca en qué restaurante está el cocinero italiano?
Thanks. I’m going to Oaxaca tomorrow. Great video. I wish you all the best life possible.
I was born in Oaxaca, but now live in Texas. I’ve always loved Italian food, but I was always specially drawn to the spicier southern Italian flavors. A few years ago I found out my father’s family originated from Sicily, so it makes sense why I was drawn to it. I am happy that Eva enjoys my home state’s cuisine, as a southern Italian herself, just how I, a native Oaxacan enjoy her region’s cuisine. Much love from Texas
I Father ne it interesting, so many Mexicans cans are Italian in origin, but are unaware! I can tell by their facial features!
Soy Mexicana. Thank you for going and appreciating the people, culture and the food. This actually made me emotional. ❤️
Oaxaca has the BEST food in Mexico, no doubt, so glad you tried it ❤🇲🇽
My families came from Spain to Mexico and later to New Mexicoin the 1500's. One of my Grandmothers wayyyy back in those days was an Italian Jew. We were kicked out of Spain and Portugal some of us fled to Mexico. We were called marranos/Sephardi. Many of us New Mexicans and Mexicans have Jewish roots. Many of us also have Italian Jewish roots as well.
Our Atole in New Mexico is from blue corn meal. It's blue and sweet with cinnamon, our churro's are dipped in chocolate. It is said by a food historian it was the Spanish Jew who brought flour to the region to make their mitzvah for Passover, which was like a flour tortilla. So we are the ones who brought flour tortillas with us.
The history of the Inquisition was brutal for us in Mexico. They actually followed us and set up shop there.
Mexico is a beautiful country with delicious food. Have fun guys
The joy in Eva's face with each bite. Me gusto mucho!
I’m Salvadoran and we share many dishes and traditions with the rest of Mesoamérica, including Gigantonas (those big dancing street puppets), tamales, chocolate, quesillo, chiles rellenos, the use of pumpkin seeds and many other things.
We don’t share the same traditions, central Americans like other countries have copied Mexicans traditions, food culture, etc…everything origins in Mexico.
@@alalesc3796 Respectfully, I would suggest you learn more about Mesoamérica, its history, culture and traditions, before writing things like what you just posted.
@@TheCatWitch63 what can you expect from a Salvadoran? I could write a big big comment trying to explain and make you understand but it would Be
impossible, ignorant people speak without real facts. Quick example you said chiles rellenos 100% Mexicans. Since there are of MILLIONS of Salvadorans in theUSA and in Mexico! You take what you see and eat and take it to your country but that doesn’t make Salvadoran. Got it?! Most of Mesoamérica was Mexico also called the new Spain. Just because your country was in Mesoamérica it doesn’t make it/ have the food, traditions, culture like Mexico. Last thing and the best thing is that we Mexicans know our country and foreigners from all over the world know all those things are Mexican.STOP SPREADING Lies/fake news!
@@alalesc3796 yes, but Mayan, aztec and the Incas did share foods like potatoes and pineapple the American native in the north used the three sisters corn, beans, squash and turkeys.
@@edmundooliver7584 I know that, but again, the mayas or Aztecs having potato’s like the Inca doesn’t mean the food is the same….etc…
Los felicito por este bellísimo video. Gracias por apreciar las costumbres y la comida autóctonas de Oaxaca. Gracias por su respeto.
Eva is holding her laughter and smile because she is very impressed and likes it. It's a form of stubbornness of admitting it's really good.
Now that you live in Arizona, more Mexican content would be cool. Eva would likely really enjoy exploring more regional foods, and it would be fun to watch.
Yes, I would think after a while. They will run out of Italian topics
I would especially appreciate that. After spending time in the Yucatan, I almost always now include about a quarter tomatillos to 3/4 tomato. in fact I am canning tomatoes this way tomorrow. I add a generous garlic clove and a large sprig of basil. A dear friend ships me up Mexican oregano from outside the pyramids, definitely a regional sub-taste because of the geology. a marvelous fusion sauce, interchangeable in both cultures.
Thanks for appreciating Oaxaca. I'm from Mexico and it's delightful that foreigners get interested in my country! 💫
Dios mio! Thank you Sr. Harper y Sra. Eva. Am from Morelos, Mexico, I have been here many many years. By far You folks have given the TH-cam world True authentic southern Mexican food, pozole, atole, chocolate verdadero, and masa de molino para tortillas, just like My grandmother made for us at her house. Again thank You so much for this video of food I us to eat as a child.
I'm a half-Mexican-American guy who grew up in Southern California and the border region of Texas, so I'm most familiar with Northern Mexican and Tex-Mex, which were part of my daily diet. I currently live in Sri Lanka, and the thing I crave the most, that I miss the most, is Mexican food. Whenever I fly home, whomever picks me up at the airport knows that the very first thing I want to do, before going home and showering even, is have some Mexican food. Thus far none of my friends or family have dared to insist we do otherwise, and heaven help him/her who does so in the future.
I'm able to do a little Mexican cooking here, as there are some ingredients in common, but some very basic ingredients (masa for example) can't be found. So I do my poor best here, but as soon as I board that first flight in Colombo, Mexican food is all I think about.
I'm so happy that you guys enjoy the food so much, bu then again, I'm not surprised.
The food looked amazing... great move on getting a local guide that gave you the experience of a local... and that tortilla press looked insane...
It was such a treat to see you guys in my home country 🇲🇽 You chose one of the best places for Mexican food. 💜
I am glad you guys did it. I am sure being an american and an italian our food in Mexico was totally unsuspected, unpredictable and it is simply AMAZING for foreigners. My favorite one is the oaxacan chorizo you tried at the market and of course the mole variety you tried. The comment you made about the tlayuda spot in that corner makes me believe you truly got what mexican food is all about: honesty, flavour, simplicity, rawness and richness.
Tlayuda! I was trying to remember the actual name for that dish, knew I had heard it before; thanks!
I would love to try those foods that Eva & Harper tried in this video - I have had some tlayudas in Chiapas, but they have more things than what was shown here, I am eager to try Oaxaca's version!
I’m really proud of my country Mexico, our traditions and food. Also I’m a Italian food love but Mexican food is the love of my life, you are really lucky to enjoy with Minerva the real experience of prehispanic food. I was so happy to saw you both enjoy your visit. And our food 💕
Love, love this episode. While in nursing school, I spent one semester in Oaxaca with a wonderful host family. This brought back so many special memories.❤
11:00 watching his smile made me feel sooo good! These two really warm your heart.
I love that you guys are starting to do this and eating foods that are other than just Italian! There’s so many wonderful cultures and food ways in the world!
Oaxaca food is amazing but Mexico in general has some of the best food in the world and it varies by region, every state has a different gastronomy in Mexico. Mexico it’s a world on its own. Great video!
VIVA MEXICO!!!!..Love it there..and food A++++....lots to do every day!..Thanks for the video.
My daughter lived in Oaxaca last year for six months. She loved it, not just the amazing food but the wonderful lifestyle. I really want to go, even just for a week!
Yeeeeei! I loved this video! I really enjoyed how you guys went for the real food. Of all México, Oaxaca has one of the most diverse, intense, beautiful, tasty, surprising and colorful foods. Also, if you go to Puebla, yo can have another famous mole "mole poblano", that has peanuts and chocolate in it; and also lots of baroque dishes and also lots of bread. And in Yucatán the food is totally different, but equally diverse, fresh, spiced (with spices and with chile) and funky. We really have good food all over this country. 💖
I'm so glad you chose to visit Oaxaca. I'm from Juarez Mexico, and Oaxaca is known to have the very best food in all of Mexico because of all the different ingredients you can't find anywhere else. Thank you. I love this video. I loved Eva's Spanish, and yours too. Love you both❤️❤️🙏🙏
I saw "Oaxaca" and automatically had to click and watch this video! I'm from another state but I grew up in Oaxaca!
And yes, there's a lot of great food there... quesillo, chorizo, memelas, tlayudas, chapulines, literally everything.
OAXACA IS AWESOME!!! So glad y'all made the trip, so worth it!!
I am from El Salvador and I remember going across the street where we lived there was a woman who cooked tortillas the same way Minerva cooked hers, the flavor is unforgettable.
Water and LYE…Oh my!!!
These are my favorite types of travel and food videos - when you meet the indigenous local people. Another excellently produced video!
I'm actually surprised treating the corn with lye hasn't killed these people for so long.
But I'll take their word that it is delicious.
@@nodezsh I know right but it's how it's done. I don't know the ratio of how much lye they use but it's what they do. I'm SO envious of them. I've had Mexican food but nothing like what I've eaten on the border by a Mexican family restaurant. It was so so good.
That process is called nixtamalization.
Treating corn with lye or lime water is called Nixtamalization. The Mayans used slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) and lye (potassium hydroxide). It does a couple of things, one of which is making the corn able to to be made into a dough, something untreated corn meal can't do. Then you can make a tortilla.
But more importantly it releases the otherwise bound up niacin, an important dietary necessity if you don't want to get pellagra or kwashiorkor. Eating beans, which provide some missing amino acids, along with corn treated with lye makes a complete protein. So rather than killing the ancient people of that region, it kept them alive.
Just because something has a chemical name or is used for other purposes, like drain cleaning, doesn't make it bad. Consider sodium and chlorine, both deadly poisons. Together they make table salt.
This is a corn preparation method that has existed for millenia in the New world, it is called nixtamalization and it greatly improves the nutritional value of corn and this thought to be the primary reason as to why Maize is the most important crop in pre/post colombian American cultures, originating from south to mezo American civilizations, then spreading to nearly the entirety of north American precolombian civilizations through now lost and presumably very complex trade methods.
I did a research paper on corn for my College Humanities American History class, and i found how fascinating it was, some notable things being how the nixtamalization was developed and used. I learned that long before clay pottery in the Americas was used, some of the utensils ancient Americans used were made completely out of limestone, with some wonderfully preserved artifacts being found with corn residue and heat damage made completely out of carved limestone which is thought to be where the nixtamalization method originated as by processing via grinding and boiling the corn using these utensils. The nixtamalization effect was observed to work by just boiling corn with any available base which includes limestone. Whgen pottery in the Americas began widespread use, they switched to more effective bases such as pot-ash or by converting the limestone into lime. In more modern days, a cheap and efficient base that is used is lye, but is still a remnant of millennias old technique.
@@nodezsh It hasn't killed the Germans, either, who use it to make pretzels.
Loved this one guys! I am 2nd generation but Mexico is the home of my people and I'm so happy when people can appreciate and share it without cliche. BTW, Eva has the best Spanish prounciation of any non native speaker ever! I hope as a Spanish speaker I could speak Italian as well.
This was a lot of fun to watch, learning different cultures and how they cook is so interesting. If you use good fresh ingredients it could be simple but taste amazing. Everything looked wonderful.
That "pizza" from the street vendor looks absolutely delicious! Wow.
@12:24 "I´m probably pronouncing it wrong, my apologies", nope Harper, every single Spanish word that came out of your mouth was perfect!!! I´m Mexican and I was really impressed, yes of course you have a slight accent but the pronunciation was spot on!! you did a great job, and by the way thanks for appreciating our culture, I´ve never been to Oaxaca myself and I feel ashamed for not having been there yet, you guys make me learn more about my own country and culture, New subscriber here, you guys are awesome , keep up the good work!!
Im so happy and honored to watch this video. You guys are amazing, Eva's Spanish is awesome and they way you treat the food, the people and the culture with so much respect, it just make me very happy, thank you.
You two are precious honestly!! Also Eva speaking spanish was awesome!! Can't wait for your next trip, always a pleasure watching you!
you two have such magnetic personalities and your mutual respect and love of pure delicious food of all kinds is just perfection in a cooking show. really - i have never come across such a fascinating duo on youtube. you are top tier and your videos are interesting, informative, fun and char. thank you SO much for your channel and the work you put out!
What a fantastic video!!! I sit in London on a very grey day and watch you enjoying all those lovely delicacies. I would love to go to Mexico but at 67 years old feel it is out of my reach. However, I am very pleased you both had such an enjoyable time. Thanks for sharing.
Street food and the local joints are almost always the memorable experiences in any culture.
You need to checkout the beaches in Oaxaca. Puerto Escondido, Huatulco, Puerto Angel. The water is gorgeous and the people are amazing.
im tearing up. what a wonderfulful meeting of cultures.
Su siguiente parada debe ser Yucatán. La comida yucateca también es deliciosa. Gracias por visitar México 🇲🇽
I'm from Mexico city. I've been living in Spain for the last four years and I have to say watching you enjoy my country's food and culture made me quite nostalgic and cry 😬.
That's a good thing though.
Great vid! Tomatoes were introduced to Italy in 1548. The Mesoamericans had them about 500 B.C. or 2000 years before since they are native there. The original species had fruit varying from the size of a pea to a small grape, far smaller than even our cherry tomatoes today. Their flavor was more concentrated and tart. They did not milk any animals in the earliest times so there is pretty much zero chance they had any pizza-like dishes, having no dairy-type cheese. And we remember our history, Naples-type Margarhita, tricolor pizza dates only to 1889 while New York pizza is just 16 years younger from 1905.
Tomatoes came from de south Andes. That's South not Mesoamerica. Andean cultures domesticated corn too and potatoes. Then trade them for Mesoamerican crops, like aguacates or cacao. Some part of Northamerica (Mexico) did the same so we all share similar products. America was a very alive continent before the european invasion.
@@Angelopithecus Every culture and peoples around the world traded actively.
Why so mad at European settlers and ‘colonisation’ which brought many benefits, yet not a mention of all the slavery (including hereditary) in North American and MesoAmerican cultures and society. Not to mention sacrifices.
We grilled at work today. I work construction in Arizona. It was Carne Asada, and pollo. rice and beans. All the side salsas.... Pico, roja, verde, and guacamole. Grilled onions and fresh sliced radishes.
Corn and flour tortillas.
Grilled corn.
I ate 2 large plates and when that was accomplished had a quesadilla with Oaxacan cheese that was handed to me hot off a comal...its a great cheese, perfect for quesadillas for those who don't know.
Some of my favorite meals are the simplest dishes. Respect the ingredients and you can make marvelous things. Now I gotta go visit Oaxaca haven't been there in ages.
I have been to Oaxaca. That was 40+ years ago. It is still quite off the beaten path for most tourists, so I am glad that you made a point of going there. In particular, I found Tehuantepec very interesting. It is a very different culture. You travel with open minds and open hearts, and that is what maximizes the learning experience that only travel can provide.
México hermoso I miss you 😭
I remember hunting for chapulines in Puebla when I first started dating my now wife. I really need to go back. The tears just started flowing remembering the Mercado in Amozoc. I'm so glad you enjoyed your trip to Oaxaca, please announce your next trips to the Tierra del Sol!
Looks like Eva feels quite at home in Mexico😁
Your value is the food qualities that you represent for the rest of us to learn. Well done!
Thank you for sharing your experiences in Oaxaca. If there was confusion about the tomatoes with Minerva it's because in Mexico, the red tomato = jitomate and tomatillos = tomate. And yes Eva, the freshly ground corn tortillas are so much better than what we typically find in the states.
*In SOUTHERN México you call them “jitomates”; we Norteños and pretty much everything North of the Sierra Madre call it “tomate” and “tomatillo”or “tomate de fresadilla”. As for the corn tortillas, there’s some weird NAFTA reason why tortillas and tostadas can’t be imported wholesale from Mexico but I always stack up 2-3 kilos when I visit
@@mc3v804 Our family members are from Nayarit, Sinaloa, Jalisco, Zacatecas and Michoacan. They all call the red ones jitomate. Shall we put central Mexico in the jitomate camp? They refer to the green ones as tomates or tomatillos.
@@veronicaluna7369 I think it’s simply because further north there’s less variety in general and possibly there might’ve been more prefixes for “tomatl” in addition to xi-. The name “fresadilla”, which is declining, probably refers to the fact that leaves resemble strawberry’s
The "tortillas a mano" is better than the "maseca tortillas" i have seen in so many places. I love it whenever I get a handful of "tortillas a mano" and eat the first few - the fresh and hot taste straight from the comál...
I believe that simple foods are often the most satisfying. Great video, nice to see you two enjoying other cultures.
I live in LA-Los Angeles has the largest Oaxacan community in the U.S., I’m surprised you hadn’t tried crickets and moles while you lived here. This was a great video, thank you for sharing 😊
I've definitely had mole in LA, but never the chapulines! Out of curiosity... where are they available in LA? Asking for a friend 😂
@@PastaGrammar Check out Guelaguetza. It’s the most popular Oaxacan restaurant in LA. Lots of moles and they def serve chapulines a couple ways.
Oaxacan here.
The question about bread lol, we eat it for breakfast and dinner with coffee or hot cocoa. That’s why there’s a lot of it haha.
Normally with Tlayudas they have more toppings and more meats but I’m glad you guys tried a form of it.
A large percentage of people in Mexico do use instant coffee for their breakfast. Also, kind of amazing that you didn't get hit with Moctezuma's revenge.
You guys “need” to go to Peru, for foodies like yourselves it is a must ❤ there is so much Italian influence in Peruvian cuisine, you will love it. As a Peruvian of Italian descent, I am extremely happy to have found your channel, Eva is a delight and an awesome teacher. I have learned so much from you, thank you! 🥰
I love this video so much! I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to see you both visit Mexico, and Oaxaca is on my bucket list of places. If you ever get a chance to visit Mexico City, take a short trip to Teotihuacan and see the pyramids of the Moon and Sun. They are magnificent and the food and markets there are phenomenal too!!
The best mole I’ve had was in Oaxaca. I had this mole negro tamal that was huge I had to split it between my friends. Oaxaca was one of the best food places I’ve visited. Enjoy your trip!
I never thought I'd consider trying insects. But seeing how enthusiastic you both were, inc Harper comparing the taste to sardine, I'll be open if I get to Mexico one day!
Yeah, they looked dubious about it at first, but I had no doubt they'd love 'em; chapulines are delicious, spicy-sour little crunchy bites.
The ones they tried were grasshoppers.
@@ivetterodriguez1994 Ah, right.
Yuck I say. The legs are like coconut they get stuck in your teeth. They do taste good. Salty spicy and dirt in the best way, but no way never again
It is so funny to see Oaxaca as a travel destination. Back 35 years ago my Spanish professor (said with the correct accent) in high school went there to help because they were really not doing well. Starvation and living in very bad conditions was all over. Now, tourists go there to visit which I think is amazing.
A suggestion for Eva from an Italian that went to a ton of other places in the world!
If you want good true Italian espresso coffee in places that don’t have good espresso just go to a McDonald, they all have at least one Lavazza coffee machine and Lavazza’s capsules! That cheap trick will save your mornings! ❤
Grazie ♥️
A visit to Mickey D in another country means that you lose one chance to try the local food. Stay away from corporate run places, mom and pop places need the support.
@@davelester1985 I agree
If you want a real good mexican coffee Eva should not had gone into the "Italian Coffee Company". Original Oxaca Coffee is just as good as any other good coffee place in the world.
@@davelester1985 I didn’t mean “go to McDonald to eat” I meant “Getting an espresso and leave”, since, as an Italian that visited 90% of Europe, I swear I’ve never found an acceptable Italian Espresso anywhere except McDonald.
The people of Mexico work sooooo hard.
I would love to go to Mexico and experience all the awesome food and culture. I wouldn’t know how to pronounce the names of the foods and drinks either 🥺 loved the video guys
I'm so glad y'all got to go to Oaxaca.
The food and the people are really hermoso.
I’m Blessed by GOD
Very cool video you two! I am a retired military vet. Something I cherished was going all over the world and enjoying the culture and food of others. Looks like you guys really had fun and that's what counts. God Bless 🙏
Wow Eva speaks great Spanish! Spanish and Italian are sister languages
Oaxaca looked beautiful and delicious. You made such a good point about traveling closer to the ground. The more money you spend the more space you put between yourselves and an authentic expierience. Thank you for the gorgeous video.
Complimenti! Video bellissimo
I must share some of my memories of Oaxaca that this video brought back to me.
I took my last Spanish class for Spanish, which was one of my majors, through a program at my college where you go to Mexico for a month with one of the professors who would teach whatever class you needed. We stayed in Mexico City for a week sight-seeing then went to Oaxaca where we stayed with local families. We would have classes in the morning, and then we would often go sight-seeing as a group, or we would roam the city. After the professor, I was the best Spanish-speaker on the trip so if you hung out with me, it was an adventure.
1. The grasshoppers/chapulines. The professor gave us a list of things of which he suggested we do as many of them as we could - take a taxi somewhere by yourself, haggle with a vendor, etc. I was often the first to do things including stuff not on the list like take the metro to the bus station to go to Puebla where I visited a family I stayed with during a high school interchange. In Oaxaca, it was try grasshoppers. In el Mercado Benito Juarez, there was a little girl with a big bowl of them that we could try free samples of. I joked that Oaxacans don't actually eat grasshopper - they just pretend they do, and the vendors would take bets on which gringos (Oaxaca has a lot of independent Spanish-language schools) would eat the grasshoppers first. (I also maintain this is true of escargot in France). 😁 I later felt somewhat validated in this because I found (and bought) a shirt that said in Spanish, "I Ate Grasshoppers in Oaxaca, Mexico." The shirt had a cartoon Americanized grasshopper on it - wearing expensive looking sneakers, a fanny pack, and ball cap. I was in fact wearing expensive sneakers, a fanny pack, and ball cap when I bought it.
2. We were there during the Guelaguetza - a city wide festival that has different things going on during the entire month of July including the titeres (large costumes/puppets). We first came across them at night about a block from the Santo Domingo church you showed. They were just practicing moving with no music, their steps echoing on the cobblestones bathed in eerie orange glow that came from light reflecting off of nearby walls. We got pictures with some of them, including an 8-year-old wearing a costume that was about five feet tall, which enabled us to give the costume bunny-ears like the Americans we are.
3. The one dish I wish you had gotten to try was chilies en nogada - essentially stuffed peppers but with a creamy walnut sauce with pomegranate seeds in it. I believe it's mostly in season during the Guelaguetza. I ate it as much as possible and up to a few years ago, I could still imagine the taste. I don't know why that has faded from my memory, but alas it has.
4. More than a quarter of a century later, I'm still good friends with the Mexican-American woman on the trip that I secretly was dating (we didn't want anyone to feel weird around us), and it was funny when we went out together because she looked like a native, and people would talk to her, and she would turn to me to translate.
5. We went to several archeological parks including Monte Alban, which had the best pyramids for the Slinky I brought on the trip with me. 😆
Thanks for this video, and I hope I didn't bore you with this love letter.
Points in common between Italy and Mexico:
- Flag colours
- Beautiful nature
- Long culinary tradition that has been popularised and butchered worldwide
- Uncomfortable, not so humble neighbours in the North border (with similar flag colours too)
...any more suggestions?
Incredibly corrupt governments who have partnered with ruthless, murderous organized criminal cartels.
😂 I laugh because it’s true…surely there’s plenty more similarities if one looked for them. Cheers!
No, they're no where near similar, Italy is miles ahead in every respect. This is a fallacy perpetrated by Mexicans that they are Europeans/white.
@@charliesargent6225 you’re totally free to hate. The comment intended to highlight points in common, not that they are entirely similar, though. And at the end of the day, the most interesting parts of Mexico from my pov, originate from pre-columbian Mesoamerica, as shown in the video.
I dont think Italy has any uncomfortable neighbors to the north , like there is Austria and Switzerland
I first went to Oaxaca on a long leisurely road trip from San Diego to Tegulcigapa with my American-Honduran Yale roommate and first boyfriend. I was studying Meso-American archaeology, and he was studying journalism and had a passion for documenting what remained of pre-Columbian culture. And he was an avid foodie! That was 50 years ago; I long too return.
Oaxaca has the best food in Mexico, and it's for sure, one of the best cities in the world to eat.
I Love her reaction with the Domino's pizza "no way forget it not pizza"
That's how I feel when I see taco bell
Not TACOS
That's how I feel about PF Changs or Panda Express as Chinese foods. I live in an area (near San Jose, CA) with a big Hispanic population but it's not as fun as the Oaxacan foods! It's pretty much universally al pastor, chili verde or rojo, beans and rice with choice of flour or corn tortilla, salsa verde or rojo, pico de gallo.... so I don't know the region it comes from.... The Asian restaurants are horrible here, but just 1/2 an hour north of me in the hear of Silion Valley there are so many more authentic versions of various specific regional Asian cuisines that often I walk into a restaurant and spoken to in Mandarin or Cantonese since I am Japanese American and can pass for Chinese. These are the restaurants that I love!! Even though there's a lot of Hispanics in my area, I don't think our Mexican restaurants are that good here compared to what I see in this vid!
I was in Oaxaca when I was young.
The most vivid memories I have of it was the market but moreover, the chile pequin that grew in the garden of our host family. The father was a medical doctor and, at the dinner table, would pop in one after another out of a bowl full of the fresh-picked, diminutive peppers while he ate his meal.
Completely stoic, he encouraged me to try one. All I remember was just biting and breaking the skin. It was like putting a hand grenade in my mouth and pulling the pin! So, Eva, if you think Calabria has hot peppers, these will give the Calabrians a run for their money anytime...
One other memory of Oaxaca was getting caught in a major earthquake there. I was raised in California and was used to earthquakes but this one got me educated. Trying to get out of the house was like trying to go for a walk on a moving roller coaster.
Great, great memories of this place and wouldn't mind going back some day...
Great video..Eva's Spanish is wonderful. So many similarities between Italy and Mexico. Glad you both had a great trip.
This was so fun!!! I love when Eva is overjoyed with different foods. So adorable!!!
Guys I hope you practised enough spanish in Mexico to speak with me in about a month and in the next tour hahaha. See you soon!
Claro que sì! 😂😂😂
My aunt is from Oaxaca. I love coming over for dinner.
Can you please visit Perú? My father is from Meta di Sorrento but I was born in Perú and believe me, we have AMAZING food! If you ever come to visit I'd be delighted to be your guide
This is interesting. There's a program called Little Big Italy and they went to Perú and I was surprised what a large Italian community was there.
Thank you guys for be very open minded with our culture. From tasting the real traditional and real street food to the more touristic one. ❤❤❤❤❤
Love your videos Eva is awesome! Harper your a lucky man and very smart , love you both 😊😊😊
As a brazilian I feel pride in the cuisine and culture of our mexican cousins! A cuisine that even a hardcore italian foodie like Eva can appreciate!
Just a short note, we also have those giant puppets in Brazil. They are very traditional in the city of "Olinda" in the Pernambuco state, in northeastern Brazil.
About the "chapulines", my first reaction is to think about my favorite superhero of all! El Chapulin Colorado!