Memelas on My Mind

In search of a particular dish, food author and gourmand Angelo Comsti eats his way through Mexico’s culinaryrich states and ends up with more than just a satiated palate

It only took a mouth-watering image of memela, a thicker-than-usual tortilla kissed by a hot griddle then slathered with salsa de frijol and quesillo cheese, for me to include the state of Oaxaca in my Mexican sojourn.

In Netflix’s Street Food: Latin America documentary series, Doña Vale, who operates a humble shack inside the Mercado Central de Abastos, is shown preparing memelas on her weary white comal for a hungry and curious crowd of local and foreign visitors. This Oaxacan toasted cake is available all over town, from restaurants to street side vendors; but hers is special, relegating much of the hype to the generous dab of her signature salsa morita. And that’s why I was quick to invite myself to the party.

Proclaimed by the Unesco as an “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Mankind” back in 2010 (an honuor shared with only one other cuisine—French), Mexican fare has a thousand-year-old food culture that goes beyond the banner items of tacos, burritos and guacamole. In fact, Oaxaca, located an hour-long plane ride away south of the capital city, doesn’t even champion any of those. The gastro-historical state has its own repertoire that offers much to be desired.

LOCAL PRODUCE

I began my food exploration by visiting two public markets. It’s my way of learning about the basic foundations of the cuisine and paying respect to the farmers and bounty of the land. The Mercado Benito Juarez, named after the first native president of Mexico, was a full city block in size. It was very clean and organised, with the array of products, diversity of agriculture and seasonal abundance in full display.