A Culinary Adventure

What you see to the left is a Tlayuda. (The "T" and "L" are pronounced very quickly, almost like saying "Clayuda" but with a "T." In fact, for a long time, that's what I thought it was.)

It's a traditional food from the natives of Oaxaca, Mexico, which is where Alba, my fiancee, is from.

Oaxaca is known for its cuisine. It's nothing like what you'd eat in Texas or California. It's true Mexican food, often dating back to the days before Spanish colonization.

The tlayuda is kind of like a big chalupa…sort of. It's over a foot in diameter and made of white corn, then baked to a crisp. Over this, you put black bean paste, which is AMAZING, especially when flavored with toasted avocado leaves. Then you add meat such as carne asada, salchichon (a very tasty type of sausage) or chicken. Then add shredded cabbage, avocado, and queso de patate (a type of cheese).

Pure heaven.

Each element has a unique flavor. The tortilla. The black bean paste. The meat. The cheese. It's become one of my favorite dishes.

Here are some other foods Alba has introduced me to (or introduced me to a different variant):

Queso de Patate: Or “cheese of basket.” A crumbly type of cheese that’s cured in a weaved basket. It’s very good and has a unique flavor.

Quesillo: Like a string cheese, but much more tasty than American string cheese. It’s wound up in a ball.

Frijoles sabor Avocate: toasted avocado leaves which are ground up and mixed with refried black beans. Very unique and wonderful flavor. Excellent with queso de patate. This is the black bean paste I was referring to earlier.

Salchichon: a type of sausage that is very tasty.

Chorizo: much different than the store-bought variety here in the states. This stuff is hard, like other sausage, spicy, and very tasty.

Wonderful salsas and salads…with plenty of cilantro.

Tortas: Like a sandwich…made from a bolillo (a piece of bread). You can put beans, cheese, whatever on it.

Tapatío and Cholula. I’ve really developed a taste for these sauces since being with Alba. She uses them on EVERYTHING!

Teas made from all kinds of strange herbs and spices.

The most wonderfully tasty black beans cooked with onion, cilantro, and ham.

Homemade tamales! Awesome!!

Papas rellenos: stuffed mashed potatoes (with meat), flattened, then fried.

Chile rellenos: very different from the typical Mexican restaurant. These were large chiles stuffed with vegetables, or meat, or fish. Then baked. Very tasty.

But not everything was a hit...

Salsa de Gusanito: Or, “worm salsa.” Literally made from worms. I thought it was quite good until I found out what “gusanito” meant.

Salsa de Chapulín: Or, “locust salsa.” Literally made from locusts. I thought it wasn’t that great both before and after I found out what “chapulín” meant.

Other than those two notable exceptions, the last three years has been VERY good to my stomach!

(Actually, a little too good, but not because of Alba. Most of her food is very healthy, or she prefers a more healthy variant. Like baking instead of frying those chile rellenos. Plus, she's practically a vegetarian. So I can't blame her for my spare tire!)

The Stan