Another day, another taste treat. Make that too many to sample taste treats. And so it was at the annual feria of tamales and tejates, all presented and produced by the ladies from nearby San Andrés Huayapam and held in the Plaza de Danza.
I am not much on tejate, kinda a take or leave it thing for me. However, this very traditional drink made from corn, mamey seeds, toasted cacao beans, and cacao flowers is very popular and one can find it everywhere, in every market, every day. However, these ladies are las maestras of the concoction.
The other drink served is chilacayote, a drink made of stringy squash and
pineapple pulp, usually sweetened with honey and cinnamon. It is served
with a spoon to best scoop out the delicious squash
Now the other half of the equation is tamales and those I know something about, like how to eat them.
Lemme at 'em.
Tamales are lots of work to prepare and these women had made hundreds and hundreds of them. It's hot work.
How can one resist?
There had to be thirty women selling tamales and the choices were overwhelming.
In order to do it right, one would have to get one of each variety from each of the ladies and let's see, that would mean a mere 180 tamales. I remember eating ten little ones out in Teotitlan del Valle while my host ate 28, but there were small, just a bite or two. These were much fatter. I got a couple of rajas, my favorites, but then I was full.
More or less, it was all about eating and people certainly were into it.
I love the look on this lady's face. "Gimme that thing. I cannot wait another second."
And I even got a couple of twofers, tamales and T-shirts.
This guy's shirt is gonna take a bit before he does.
What a feast. Oaxaca at its best. A good time was had by all.
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