Mexico City er muligvis en af verdens mange undervurderede foodie -destinationer. Fra gadesideboder, der klynger tacos og tamales ud til restauranter i verdensklasse, der serverer tusind år gamle retter med en moderne vri, er denne kaotiske hovedstad et fødevarelovers paradis.
Mexico er en nation dybt forankret i gastronomi. Køkkenet består hovedsageligt af en fusion af oprindelige mesoamerikanske madlavningsteknikker og europæisk (især spansk) indflydelse, der har gennemsyret madkulturen her, fordi deres erobring af det aztekiske imperium i det 16. århundrede.
Når vi kom til hovedstaden i en af verdens kulinariske giganter, vidste vi, at vi ville opleve en madtur, der ville instruere os lidt meget mere om dette fantastiske køkken, og da vi fandt Eat Mexicos La Merced Market Tour, vidste vi At det var den ideelle ekspedition til at tilfredsstille de uærlige rejsende inde i os.
Dariece nyder is med Anais og Lydia
Vi mødte Anais, vores guide og Lydia, Eat Mexicos manager uden for det spektakulære Palicio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts), som kun var en kort gåtur fra Amigo Suites Hostel, hvor vi boede. De gav os en hurtig oversigt over, hvad vi kunne forvente på turen, og inden vi vidste det var vi væk, faldt ned i den vanvittige underjordiske blodlinje i Mexico City … metroen.
Fra det øjeblik, vi kom ind i det underjordiske metrosystem, føltes det som om vi blev pumpet gennem venerne med den frenetiske puls i denne enorme megaby. Vi kom af toget og steg op ad trappen for at komme ind i et af byens største markeder, La Merced. Dette er det primære engrosmarked, og dets travle gang var i live med lokale fødevarer og forbrugere, der jagede efter de bedste tilbud på bulk mad.
Det travle Merced -marked
Lydia advarede os om, at vi burde holde os sammen, fordi tingene kan blive lidt travlt i centrum af markedet. Dariece og jeg prøvede at holde tæt på, men vi blev kontinuerligt distraheret af seværdighederne, lyde og lugte, der omringede os.
Mexicanske skillets, comals og cazo -pander sizzled og poppede, mens vi gik forbi, hvor hver enkelt vaftede den velkendte aroma af chilie, kalk og grillet kød mod os. I de mest overbelastede hjørner af markedet blev vi påtaget at tage på med det mexicanske folk, der skyndte sig at købe, pakke, sælge eller lagre deres varer.
☞ Se meget flere Mexico -indlæg:
Ting at gøre i Puerto Vallarta – 20 fantastiske ting, du ikke vil gå glip af!
Ting at lave i Playa del Carmen – en liste over de øverste 21
Ting at gøre i La Paz, Mexico – En liste over de øverste 21
Ting at gøre i Cabo San Lucas – en liste over de øverste 21
Ting at gøre i Guanajuato – en liste over de 10 bedste
Ting at gøre i San Pancho – en liste over de 15 bedste
Backpacking Mexico – 8 grunde til at rejse her nu
Bedste steder at tjekke ud i Mexico
Manzanillo Colima – Den øverste rejseguide
Kvinder pressede af os iført traditionel kjole og bærer masser af dagligvarer på deres hoveder, mens korte, faste mænd hylede mod os til flytning af vejen, da de hjulede med med tunge dukker fulde af produkter. I handlingens tykke var luften varm og klistret med kropsvarmen fra adskillige mennesker, og dampen fra kaotiske køkkener, der kastede måltider til deres sultne kunder som velolierede maskiner.
En travl madbås
Vi fulgte Lydia og Anais som lydige får, helt tabt i kaoset. Vi stoppede ofte midt i vanvid for at smage noget af den fantastiske mad, der tilbydes. Vi spiste alt fra græshoppere til Gorditas, og hver skål var lækker (ja, græshopperne var lidt sværere at vænne sig til).
We stopped at a pre-hispanic food stand where a typically clad woman proudly described each of her exotic ingredients to us in Spanish. Anais translated and we were surprised by what we heard. The woman’s colorful table included delicacies like pond flies, frogs, crickets, crayfish and agave worms. Not items that you’d usually find in your mother’s cupboard, but each ingredient packed a distinct punch and all had a place in numerous traditional Mesoamerican dishes.
The Pre-Hispanic ingredients Stand
We also walked through what Anais called “The Hallway of Terror” where every animal carcass you can imagine was strung up, hooked and dissected for everyone to see. The smell of raw flesh and blood was palpable and we were reminded that seeing goat stomach and cow testicles is not something we’ve gotten used to, even though we’ve went to dozens of markets like this one.
We were able to sample anything we wanted while we navigated our way through the maze of fruit venders, taco stands, butcheries and candy stores. If something caughtour eye, Anais would purchase it up before we could decide if it was something we even wanted to taste. There was literally no limit to the samplings on offer. We were pleased that she had her main stands to take us to, but also loved that we were able to pick out our own snacks wherever we went.
The trip took our palate on a rollercoaster ride of sweet, salty, savoury and sour. nothing tasted bland and everything offered a different experience for our tastebuds. many of the dishes we tried were things that we had never seen in 4 months of travelling around Mexico. The candy section was, of course, one of our favourites and the coconut stuffed candied lime is our new go-to Mexican desert. The typically tart skin of the green fruit was made sweet by the liquid sugar-coating and the sticky shaved coconut stuffing.
Everything we tasted on this food trip was delicious. There were some much more common snacks like tacos and huaraches, mixed in with some stranger Mexican cuisine like grasshoppers and fermented pineapple juice. Anais explained each ingredient in detail, breaking down the ancient recipes and teaching us about the unique cooking techniques. After four hours of walking around La Merced and the surrounding neighbourhood, our senses were numbed, but we were finally able to unwind in a beautiful restored mansion where we delighted in a cold beer and yet another conventional snack of salty cream cheese topped with… you guessed it… grasshoppers.
Grasshoppers & cream Cheese… An Appetizer You may Not find At Home.
The Market trip was wonderful and we left with a new appreciation and knowledge of Mexican cuisine. Eat Mexico has numerous different culinary expeditions to choose from and while the Merced Market may be overwhelming for some, there are easier, much more gringo friendly trips on offer, including Anais’s favourite, the Late night Tacos & Mezcal Tour.
As always, we’ll try to give some pros and cons for the Merced Market trip to help you better decide if it is best for you. Our experience was excellent and we will certainly be recommending this trip to any food-lovers planning to check out Mexico City.
Pros:
Limitless tastings and samplings
Anais was a terrific guide
Lots of information, but not too much that it was overwhelming
Lækker mad
The trip was just long enough, without being too long
Anias explained when it was / wasn’t suitable to take photos
The beer was the ideal finish to an exciting day!
The market was hectic, but we felt safe and protected the entire time
There was the ideal mix of savoury and sweet
While the market was chaotic, Anais brought method to the madness with a planned route and a well thought out progression of meals
Ulemper:
The cost is a little high compared to other food trips we’ve done in Mexico ($85 / person)
The trip could be overwhelming for some (but less busy experiences are on offer)
We weren’t taken back to our area of the city at the end of the tour, but Lydia & Anais did give us good directions to get home.
For much more about each individual dish that we tried on this tour, don’t miss the video below!
A special thanks To: eat Mexico for hosting us on this fantastic market tour. As always, all thoughts and opinions remain our own, despite any complimentary services offered. check out their site for much more about their outstanding food tours.
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