Exploring the Cuisine of Mexico

In the southern highlands of Mexico lies the vibrant state of Oaxaca, home to some of the country's best-preserved regional cooking. The Oaxacan kitchen owes much to its Zapotec Indian roots. Even today, many dishes reflect the merging of indigenous ingredients and methods with colonial Spanish ideas. In the capital city—Oaxaca—the sprawling Abastos market could keep a visitor busy for days. There, you will find the native Zapotec women selling their handmade rugs and woven baskets alongside food stalls packed to the rafters with dried beans, fresh pork and all the other essentials of Oaxacan cuisine.

Chef and Mexican food authority Rick Bayless knows the market's highlights—where to find the best clay cookware, how to use the produce merchants' wild greens, and how to choose the proper chilies for each mole. Oaxaca, after all, is the Land of the Seven Moles, so named for the various types that Oaxaca claims its own, from the red mole colored with ancho chilies, to the green mole tinted with pumpkinseed, to the inky-dark mole negro, or black mole, with its exotic flavor base of toasted chilies, seeds and nuts.

	Interviews with Mexican Cuisine Experts: Every chef likes to put his or her stamp on a dish, but it's important to master the basics first, says Rick Bayless. And, we'll hear from Chefs Robert Del Grande and Roberto Santibañez who say proper roasting techniques are essential to achieving authentic Mexican flavor. [20.86 MB, 4:07 minutes]
	Recipe: Oaxacan Mole Negro: Oaxacan women have perfected the art of making mole. Abigail Mendoza, the owner of Tlamanalli in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, a restaurant specializing in typical Zapotecan foods, show us the elaborate preparations required to make this classic dish. [26.44 minutes, 5:14 minutes]
	Recipe: Yucatecan Ribs with Silvio Campos: Silvio Campos is a master of Yucatecan pit cooking, the former personal cook for the governor of the state of Yucatán, a caterer, and a market food vendor. Here, Chef Campos prepares Yucatecan ribs with a spicy salsa. [17.43 minutes, 3:32 minutes]
	Recipe: Stuffed Jalapeños with Raquel Torres: Watch Raquel Torres create Stuffed Jalapeños. [18.56 minutes, 3:49 minutes]