The protagonists of the new Mexican cuisine, part two

 

2. see part one

Of course, Mexican cuisine is also feminine. The most famous female chef is Martha Ortiz. For years now, restaurant Dulce Patria has been enhancing the flavours and colours of Mexico. With her impeccable taste, Martha represents the female side of her country, showing that there’s beauty, sensuality and elegance in Mexico. Through her dishes, she explains how Mexican cuisine has a history of overlapping countries, a very complex and deep history. Remarkable recipes in her restaurant are Ceviche vampiro con sangrita or National guacamole with pomegranate and fresh cheese, recalling the colours of the national flag.

Toluca is 70 km from the Mexican capital: here Pablo Salas, chef at Amaranta, presents the culinary tradition and products of the region where he was born. His creations celebrate the local context, enhancing typical elements of the area: chile manzano, trout, crayfish, pork, mushrooms, rabbit. His most emblematic dishes are Beef tongue in peanut sauce and Texcaltitlán salmon trout.

Without any doubt, Mexico’s culinary capital is Oaxaca, one of the Mexican states with the greatest culinary diversity. All the greatest chefs have come here, at some moment in their career, to find inspiration; Olvera himself admits that he’d like to live in Oaxaca at some point. Oaxaca is also the location for the restaurant of chef Alejandro Ruiz, Casa Oaxaca. Classic dishes interpreted in a unique way like Guacamole with chapulines (grasshoppers), Mole negro with turkey (mole is a very complex sauce made with numerous elements including various types of chilli peppers and spices) or Caldo de piedra (a traditional fish soup cooked with the heat of a scorching stone put inside the plate with the other ingredients so as to cook them).

Mexican cuisine is now increasingly popular even thanks to many successful restaurants outside Mexico, such as Enrique Olvera’s Cosme in New York and, recently opened in the British capital, Martha Ortiz’s Ella Canta; it has many young and ambitious chefs such as Francisco Ruano of restaurant Alcalde in Guadalajara ("One to Watch Award 2016" in the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants), Rodolfo Castellanos of restaurant Origen in Oaxaca (winner of the first season of Top Chef Mexico) or Adriana Cavita of Peyotito, also in London.

Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso

2. The end