My cooking instructors
The women of Chamula are among Mexico’s best wool weavers and this can be seen in their distinctive traditional clothing of heavy wool skirts, and woollen smocks for men.
Traditional woven clothes of Chamula
We popped into a textile shop looking for a table cloth and were greeted with a huge display of woven goods. Excited to get a customer they showed us round in a very relaxed fashion, including trying on some of the traditional clothes and a brief demonstration of the weaving process.
Weaving in San Lorenzo
Thankfully another couple wandered in and distracted the owners as I have a limited attention span in souvenir shops. I wandered into the middle room, where the rest of the family was preparing food over an open fire.
The kitchen was quite small – note the blue corn tortillas cooking on the hot plate
Cooking instructors
A mother and daughter team were grinding up blue corn, then pressing it flat to make tortillas. As accompaniments they’d prepared a selection of fillings: loose chorizo, powdery white cheese, mixed beans, habanero peppers, tomato salsa and a very spicy green salsa.
After offering a quick swig of pox (as used in the religious ceremonies), they sobered me up again with a very thick, sweet coffee.
Making Mexican coffee
They were setting up a long trestle table for the imminent arrival of a large tour group, but offered us a quick lunch before they arrived.
Home-made Mexican food – loose chorizo, powdery white cheese, mixed beans, habanero peppers, tomato salsa and a very spicy green salsa.
Unsurprisingly, everything was delicious. The freshly made soft blue corn tortillas didn’t break or snap, the salsas were a perfect blend of flavour and heat and the mild cheese brought everything together.
Over lunch they explained that the town of Chamula means “your mule is dead”. After an epidemic the phrase became so common that the name stuck.
As a thank you we helped them prepare the rest of the upcoming larger meal. The tour group probably went away saying how wonderful their Mexican home cooked meal was, when in fact it was partially whipped up by a random passing English chap.
Household Shrine
More cooking at San Lorenzo Church
On the way to San Chamula is San Lorenzo Church. The patron saint has a statue inside holding a small, square grill pan.
I thought he might be a patron saint of cooking, but his story is far worse.
The Catholics tortured him for being a Christian by cooking him on a grill. During this long and painful death he kept in good spirits – as he neared death he is said to have suggested they turn him over as “this side is done”.
That meal looks absolutely delicious. Honestly, not much beats homemade, authentic Mexican food.
Love this!
I love all of the saint anecdotes out there – even my agenda has the names of the saints who celebrate feast days listed! Had no idea San Lorenzo was cooked on a grill, haha!
Pingback: Cat Gaa (@sunshinesiestas)
What a wonderful surprise. We believe it always pays to wonder off from tourist spots (even it it is just to the next room) and see what the locals are doing. Glad to hear you got a tasty lunch as a bonus!
The food looks splendid, but how amazing that the unappetizing name for the town stuck!
Beautiful pictures again Steve. Going straight on my Mexico pinterest board. Good thing we just ate tacos for dinner or I’d be really hungry now. 🙂
This must be very valuable experience! Trying local food in the local way is the best way to learn about locals! 😀