Mexico City Eats: Tamales Oaxaqueños

I stumbled across this month’s street food feature a couple of weeks ago while celebrating Mexico’s World Cup match win against France at the Angel de la Independencia in Mexico City.  Served out of a giant steaming pot attached to the front of a bicycle, these delicious tamales Oaxaqueños and the young vendor selling them made the journey up the Paseo de la Reforma alongside all of the cheering futból (soccer) fans.

Tamales Oaxaqueños in Mexico City

The tamal vendor was doing great business, the crowds and excitement of the day certainly contributing to his sales, though I suspect he would have had a profitable run even if Mexico hadn’t achieved the win – the tamales Oaxaqueños were delicious.

Tamales Oaxaqueños are a regional variation of the traditional tamal recipe of corn meal or masa stuffed with sweet filling, chicken or pork, wrapped in banana leaves or corn husks and steamed.  The ingredient that makes tamales Oaxaqueños unique is mole negro sauce.

The southern Oaxaca region of Mexico is known for several delicious variations of mole sauce.  In fact, Oaxaca is sometimes referred to as the Land of Seven Moles.  Mole sauce is a traditional staple of Mexican cuisine that is prepared with chiles, spices and sometimes chocolate.  The Oaxacan mole negro sauce combines chilhuacate negro chiles, nuts and chocolate resulting in one of the region’s richest varieties with bold flavors and a thick texture.

All types of tamales are sold from street carts in Mexico City.  On your next visit be sure to keep an eye out for one of these traveling tamal vendors.  If you’re lucky you might even come across tamales Oaxaqueños.  Definitely worth a try and costing less than a dollar, tamales Oaxaqueños are a tasty and inexpensive snack.

Photo Credit: Laura Nazimiec