All language subtitles for Eva.Longoria.Searching.For.Mexico.S01E03.AMZN.WEBRip.DDP2.0.x264-Cinefeel.en

- Do you believe in magic?

I didn't until Oaxaca
cast its spell on me.

In this bewitching place,
culinary wonders are conjured.

There's a lot
of exciting chefs

coming out of this region.

And Oaxaca is now a mecca
for food lovers in the know.

So good.

The gastronomic wizards
here...

Wow.

Can summon so many of Mexico's
most iconic ingredients.

Have you ever seen
such a rainbow of corn?

It's the original
string cheese.

I'm Eva Longoria,
born and bred in Texas

with Mexican-American roots,
which makes me a Texican.

I'm exploring Mexico to see
how the people, their lands,

and their past have shaped
a culinary tradition

as diverse as its 32 states.

Nestled within
three vast mountain ranges,

Oaxaca is so blessed
with food riches.

Roasted chocolate.

It's as if the gods themselves
dined here.

And for its ancient
Indigenous communities...

[laughter]

- This land
and its produce is sacred.

But in these parts, you've got
to work hard for your dinner.

Oh, my God.

I mean, really hard.

God, I'm sweating.

Wish me luck.

[shouts]

[steady music]

♪ ♪

Since pre-Hispanic times,
ancient trade routes

bringing an abundance
of amazing ingredients

have snaked from South America

into the belly of Mexico
via Oaxaca.

♪ ♪

Today many of these
food gems find their way

to the Mercado de Abastos,

a giant market on the edge
of the state capital,

Oaxaca City.

♪ ♪

[sizzling]

♪ ♪

And in this warren
of stalls...

Hola.
- Hey, Eva!

- I've hunted down
the pioneering chef

who put Oaxacan food
on the map, Alex Ruiz.

♪ ♪

Uh-huh.

This was your playground?
[laughs]

[laughs]
- Mm-hmm.

- I'm sticking close
to this guy.

Get lost here,
and you may never be found.

Habaneros.
- Yes, habaneros.

- Oh, my God, look at this.

This is the biggest piece
of cheese I've ever seen.

But Oaxaca's
most famous ingredient, cacao,

actually came here
via those trade routes.

Ooh, I smell chocolate.

And chocolate went on
to become a cornerstone

of Oaxacan gastronomy.

If you want
your chocolate fix,

the mercado
is still the place to come.

But I'm not talking

about anything as simple
as a sugary snack.

Hola, don Chava.

Oaxaca's Willy Wonkas

create bespoke
chocolate mixes

for their customers
to use in cooking.

Mmm.

Bitter.

- It is bitter.
- Pure and raw.

Alex's personal blend
combines cinnamon with almonds

and a sprinkle of sugar.

It's the perfect alchemy

for one
of his legendary recipes,

the luxurious sauce
mole negro.

This is it?
- [speaking Spanish]

- Machine.

- So we're gonna grind this
into a paste?

- Yes.

- The oil from the nuts
turns the dry beans

into a luscious paste.

Smells incredible.

Yes.

Okay, let's see.

Mmm. Mmm.

But the aroma--

the aroma is...
[inhales deeply]

Roasted chocolate.

This chocolate
is a direct connection

to the Indigenous ancestors
of the Oaxacans,

who worshipped it
as the food of the gods.

- Only for the kings.
Only for the kings.

- Yeah.
- Mm-hmm.

[laughter]

Very nice.
- It's so pretty.

So now we have our chocolate

for the mole.
- Yeah!

[horn honks]

Alex's world-famous
restaurant, Casa Oaxaca,

celebrates the glories
of this region's produce.

So there's no better place

to try Oaxaca's famous
mole negro.

Is this everything
that your mole has?

- Yes, correct.

- I mean, this is a very
culturally mixed dish, mole.

These 28 ingredients are
a marriage of Spanish imports,

like limes and walnuts,

with Indigenous staples

likechiles
and, of course, chocolate.

Okay.

- Muy bien.

[light music]

- I love that everything
just goes all together.

The chilesoff the comal.

Rather than spicy heat,

these charred,
dark-brownchiles

native to Oaxaca

add a rich smoky texture
to the mole negro.

That's all you do
is crush them in?

Smells wonderful.

[blender whirring]

Okay, here goes the mole.

- Chocolate!
- Chocolate.

- Want me to get it out?
- Yeah, yeah.

There.

- Alex's custom-made chocolate
is the crowning ingredient...

So smooth and silky.

To this magnificently complex

and sophisticated sauce.

Okay.

- Please, Eva.
- Okay.

Mmm.
It's super chocolatey.

- Yeah.
- So good.

- You like it?
- Yeah.

- Good.
- Oh, my God.

I knew I was gonna get mole
on my dress.

- [laughs] You now--
- Now I'm Oaxacan.

Now I'm a real Oaxacan.
- You can marry in Oaxaca.

Sí, señora.

♪ ♪

- What better way to celebrate
my new Oaxacan citizenship

than dinner on Alex's
gorgeous rooftop terrace?

♪ ♪

- Hey, Eva.

- Oh, wow.

Turkey?

Spaniards?

So they had poultry?

The turkey is marinated
with herbs and slow-cooked,

served with rice,
some plantain, and a tamale.

But the star of the show--

Alex's velvety,
chocolaty mole negro.

Oh, that's delicious.

It's the chocolate.
It's the chiles.

It's the nuts.
It's all of those herbs.

It's very herbal.
Mmm.

It tastes
totally different now.

This is so, so nice.

What an honor
to eat your mole negro.

Oh, yes, our mole negro.

So when did you start cooking?

Five?

- No?
- [gasps] That made me cry.

Vicenta.

Salud, doña Vicenta.
both: Ahí está.

[both laugh]
- Salud.

♪ ♪

[upbeat music]

- Hi, Eva.
- Hi.

How are you?
- Great.

Great meeting you.
- Oh, so nice to meet you.

- You too.
Bienvenida.

Welcome to the world capital
of quesillo.

- Oh, it's my favorite cheese.

Food writer Omar Alonso
is passionate

about Oaxaca's most famous
export, a stringy cheese.

Legend has it, it was created

here in the sleepy town
of Reyes Etla,

where the locals
christened it quesillo,

meaning little cheese.

- So, yeah, quesillo
is a very important part

of our diet in Oaxaca.

- In your sandwiches?
- Yeah.

[dog barks]

Omar is taking me

to meet one of the most
distinguished quesillo makers

in the region.

There's a difference
between the industrialized one

and the artisanal way?

Yeah.

Janet López Canseco's
family farm

is one of the last
in Mexico to produce quesillo

the traditional way.

♪ ♪

This is so exciting.

I've never seen
how quesillo is made.

- This is your lucky day.

- Uh-huh.

Turning the curds
into the stringy goodness

we know and love
takes hands-on attention

from Janet and her dad, Juan.

[laughter]

They say that an ancestor
of Janet's,

a clueless teenager,
took her eye off the curds

and added boiling water
in a panic

to save the family's cheese.

Oh.
- Oh, it's happening.

- It's getting
so creamy, smooth.

- La textura.
- From that crumbs...

- Yeah.

- To a solidified
ooey-gooey goodness.

And so each batch
is done by hand?

- Sí.
- De mano?

Wow.

Of course, behind every great
cheese, there's great milk.

And for that,
we have the Spanish to thank,

when they brought dairy cows
to these valleys

in the 16th century.

But they never
could have imagined

what Janet's family
would create with the milk.

Is this cold water?

Like a never-ending scarf
from a magician's hat,

the cheese
just keeps on coming.

Mmm.
- Wow.

[chuckles] Have they got
a rabbit in there, too?

Okay.

But how do you pack
a fire-hose length

of delicious cheese
into your fridge?

Okay, here we go.

You're going to have to roll
with it, by hand, of course.

So you salt it
all the way through?

♪ ♪

Wow.

♪ ♪

Wow.

I don't even want to
attempt to try it.

I mean, I can.

- Sí, sí, claro.
- Oh, my God.

Oh, Lord.
My hands are clean.

[playful music]

[laughs]

I feel like
I'm making a baseball.

- [laughs]
- Oh, God, I'm sweating.

That's my quesillo!
- Hey.

- Oh, my God.
Look at his, though.

I'm just gonna say
I did this one.

Wow.

Y mira. Mira, mira, mira.

It's the original
string cheese.

Oh, wow.

You can taste the milk.
- Mmm.

- It is super lactose-y.
[laughter]

If you're lactose intolerant,
don't eat this.

You can make so much
with quesillo.

- Even ice cream.
Have you tried it?

They make it in Oaxaca.
- No.

- It's delicious and amazing.

- Mm-mm.
Oh, look at yours.

My God.

Respect to Omar.

I have never seen so much
cheese gobbled so fast.

Sí.

I always assumed
it just came in this shape.

[laughter]

[light music]

Back in the city,

I want to check out how this
local cheese is celebrated

at Oaxaca's
hottest restaurants.

Star chef Celia Florián
loves innovating

with traditional ingredients
in her kitchen

to create gastronomic magic.

Hola.

Un gran placer.
- Mucho gusto.

- Ay, mucho gusto.
[chuckles]

- Okay.

Uh-huh.

Yerba santa is a local herb
that has flavors of anise,

eucalyptus, and mint.

And since pre-Hispanic times,

it's also been used
for medicinal purposes.

Oh, my God.
Have you guys eaten these?

They're grasshoppers.

Wow.

Eating insects is a practice

that dates back
hundreds of years...

See the little legs?

And continues to this day.

The creamy, full-fat quesillo

is layered
onto the yerba santa.

Ah!
- [chuckles]

- I feel like the whole purpose
of chapulinesis the crunch.

So...
[chuckles]

I hope they're crunchy.

Like a toasted sandwich,
it's touched on the hotplate

to help the quesillo
stick to the leaf.

Oh, you roll them up.

- Es un bocadillo.

- Little bite sizes.

- Wow.
And these are edible flowers?

- Bueno.
- Beautiful.

This plate
is literally making me happy.

Oh, that's a perfect bite
right there.

I think I have
a little bit of everything.

Crunchy.

Mmm. It's such a balance
of flavors.

- Sí.
- Wow.

Who would think to put cheese
with grasshoppers with flowers?

[laughs]

Celia's exquisite dish
honors Oaxaca's past

while keeping an eye
on the future.

I'll never look at cheesy
insects the same way again.

[laidback music]

- Some of Oaxaca's
greatest culinary creations

come from its
Indigenous communities,

like the ancient Zapotecs,

who thrived here
for 3,000 years

with a large population
in its Isthmus region.

Known as the Waist of Mexico,

it's where the Atlantic
and Pacific Coast are closest.

These days,
the proud guardians

of Zapotecan cuisine
are the extraordinary Muxes.

And I'm lucky enough
to be invited to lunch.

Hola.
- Hola. Buen día.

- Hola.

- Hola, Eva.

♪ ♪

- From a young age, Muxes
identify as a third gender,

often displaying
feminine attributes

and wearing feminine clothes.

- Salud.

If the food is as
fabulous as the outfits,

the eating
is going to be good.

Oh, my God.

[laughter]

Okay.

- Sí.

- Okay.

Sí.

Historically, Muxes adopted
traditionally female roles

within the family,

becoming caregivers,
needle workers,

and, most importantly, cooks.

- Sí.

- Very tropical,
with the pineapple

and the tomatoes
and the onions.

And then with this dense pork,

I think it's gonna be
pretty amazing.

[shouts]

Clearly, this is a dish

worth risking
third-degree burns for.

♪ ♪

Oh, my God...

It smells so good.

♪ ♪

Wow.

♪ ♪

Okay.

I could walk home
in that time.

But don't worry. We don't have
to wait that long.

And now for the carbs
in the kitchen.

Rubich and Victoria
are whipping up

a decadent potato side dish.

Okay.

both: Mmm.

[laughter]

- The mashed potato
is combined

with spring onion,
carrot, egg,

and mountains
of butter and garlic.

Uh-huh.

[laughter]

Muxan culture has given
a sense of freedom

to Zapotecs who don't conform
to gender stereotypes.

And today they are celebrated
in the Isthmus and beyond.

- Sí, por favor.
- Oh, my God.

Wow.

This feels amazing,
the texture of this cream.

A ver...

[laughter]

Wow.

[upbeat music]

♪ ♪

Muy bien.

[light music]

Aw.

And now I'm hungry
for that stuffed-pork dish.

Time to fatten me up.

Oh, my gosh,
look at this.

[sniffs] Wow.

Oh, my gosh.

And I get a bone.
[gasps]

I mean, look at that juice.

And this is the potato puree.

Wow.

It smells...
[sniffs]

So good.

Oh, my gosh.

[indistinct chatter]

God.

It's falling right off
the bone, and it's so soft,

so flavorful.

It has everything
we put into it.

It complements so well--

the pork
with the cooked pineapple

with this potato puree...

- Sí.

- Perfect combination.

It's been such a privilege

for me to spend time
with the Muxes,

who've cherished
these incredible recipes

and forged their own path
in Oaxacan culture.

I'm never leaving.

Mmm.

Salud.
- Muchas gracias.

- Muchas gracias, Feli.

- An hour's drive
from Oaxaca City

lies the farming town
of Santa Ana Zegache,

the unassuming epicenter
of corn.

Mm-hmm.

Mm.

Amado Ramírez Leyva
is my guide to this region,

where corn has been worshipped
for over 6,000 years

and is still the beating heart
of Mexican cuisine.

Cut us, and we bleed yellow.

[soft music]

[dog barks, animal bleats]

Hola.

Soy Eva.

Hola.

Okay.

Amado was battling to keep
Oaxaca's ancient species alive

by working with corn farmers
like Ponciano Méndez Galván.

[chuckles]

Oh, my God,
this color's beautiful.

Look at this color.
[gasps]

Velatobo.

Pinto.

- Sí.

- Have you ever seen
such a rainbow of corn?

The range of colors
comes from growing crops

at different altitudes

and varying amounts
of sunlight exposure.

The darker heritage corns are
often sweeter

and more herbal
than the yellow ones.

So are these disappearing?

Because all we ever see
in the supermarkets is yellow.

- Mm. Mm-hmm.

- Mm-hmm.

Tannins, yeah.

- ¿Sí?
- Sí.

This was me
when I was little, y'all.

My dad would have me and
my sisters peeling the corn.

There'd be worms
inside sometimes.

That was a fun surprise.

And we would have to fill
all of these baskets,

and we would go sell the corn,
just the yellow ones.

Sell it on the side
of the road.

- Sí.
[laughter]

- Unfortunately, Ponciano
takes me up on the offer.

Oh, my God!

Now I've got to keep up
with the hard-core 82-year-old

as we clean the corn.

Oh, yeah.

This is a great workout.
[chuckles]

♪ ♪

¿Ya está?

I've sure worked up
an appetite.

And as luck would have it,
Ponciano's wife, Antonia,

is making a traditional
Zapotec farmer's breakfast.

This Oaxacan vegetable soup,
sopa de guías,

is like a vegan super fuel
packed with nutrients.

It's perfect to come back to

after toiling in the fields
since sunrise.

The herb chepil is native
to Central America

and tastes like spinach
and watercress.

But the soup gets
its name from guías--

shoots of squash
and their leaves

bursting with vitamins
and minerals.

Wow.
I love a good vegetable soup.

♪ I'm on fire ♪

Sí.[laughs]
- Sí.

♪ ♪

And added last, so they keep
their delicate form,

the squash flowers.

Such a beautiful green.

♪ ♪

[indistinct chatter]

Ponciano's hardworking family
have gathered for breakfast.

And the star of the meal

is, of course,
their beautiful corn.

It's so good.
I'm so hungry.

[gasps]

Wow.

Oh, my God.

- Sí.

I love everything
has lemon in Mexico,

even vegetable soup.

It's wonderful eating
this delicious simple food

with the family who grew it
on their land,

just like
their ancient ancestors did

for thousands of years.

I know corn is important
to Mexico,

but I never knew it
was endemic to Oaxaca.

Que nació aquí.
It was born here.

[laughs]

[indistinct chatter]

[upbeat music]

♪ ♪

- Oh, look at these agave.

Oaxaca is the land
of the agave plant.

And where there's agave,
there's mezcal--

the smoky liquor
this region is famed for.

I've always been more
of a tequila girl myself,

so I'm off to apalenque,
an agave farm,

for a little mezcal education

in San Baltazar Chichicapam.

And I'm excited
because this palenque

has a maestra mezcalera,

which is a female master
of mezcal.

And it's very rare
in the mezcal industry.

Tequila is only made
from blue agave,

while mezcal uses
a variety of species.

So, to see the field out here
with all this diverse agave

is pretty cool.

Hot, arid plains are
the perfect breeding ground,

but you got to be patient.

Some agave can take
over 30 years to mature.

Hola.

Connoisseur Sylvia Philion

champions
traditional producers.

A mezcal authority,
three years ago,

she discovered
doña Berta's artisanal spirit.

- What doña Berta
is doing now--

how we say it in Oaxaca...

shaving the agave.

- And what type
is this one?

both: Cuishe.

- This is a species

that you can only find
in Oaxaca, actually.

- Okay.

- What she's doing is she's
taking out all the leaves

so we can have the heart
of the agave.

- And this is the part
that's gonna be cooked?

- Yes.

[surf rock music]

So this is a very important
part of the process.

This is where mezcal
takes the smoky qualities

and flavors and aromas.
- Mm-hmm.

- And this is

what differentiates mezcal
from tequila,

because tequila is not using

an earth oven
to cook the agave.

It's using machinery
to cook it.

- Mezcal maestra doña Berta's
earth oven

is lined with rocks
and heated by firewood.

The agave hearts roast slowly,

releasing their natural sugars

and develop
that distinctive smoky flavor.

And how old is the technique?

- The earth oven
is pre-Hispanic.

Actually, in many pre-Hispanic
cities around Mexico,

we find earth ovens.

And the word "mezcal" comes
from the pre-Hispanic language

from the Aztecs.

And mexcallimeans
cooked agave in an earth oven.

- Wow.

[laughter]

She doesn't trust me
to put in a bigger one.

- [chuckles]

- Sí.

- To close up the holes,
I'm gonna put it there.

- Mm-hmm.
- [speaking Spanish]

- [laughs]
- [speaking Spanish]

- Yay!

- The hearts are then covered
with crushed agave husk

for the cooking process,

which can take
up to five days.

- Then you're gonna put
some soil on top.

- I love seeing her boss
everybody around.

- Sí.

- She's like,
"You're doing it wrong."

- [laughing] Sí.

I feel like I've slipped
back in time.

Oaxacan families
have been making alcohol

from roasted agave
for centuries,

but the Spanish
brought copper stills,

which took it to another level

and helped create the smooth
mezcal we know today.

The Aztec goddess of fertility
and agave, Mayahuel,

watches over
the family's production.

And then to cover
all religious bases...

Oh, wow.
And this is all her mezcal?

- Yes.

- So she keeps all the mezcal
in the altar?

The precious stash is stored
under the watchful eyes

of Jesus.

- [chuckles]

- Oh, wow.

- Because she worked harder
and longer and faster...

- Yes.
- They didn't like that.

- They didn't like that.
- [laughs]

Oh, sí.

Ooh.

- And remember that cuishe
is endemic to Oaxaca.

- Okay.

- Gracias, doña Berta.

♪ ♪

- The mezcal has a light,
floral, almost herbal taste.

Doña Berta
has worked her magic,

and I'm converted.

Mmm.
That's really good.

[laughter]

- Orale. Salud.

[light rock music]

♪ ♪

Hola.

Bien. Gracias.

Mucho gusto.

- Sí.

- God, look at the color.

Mm-hmm.

Oaxaca's varied altitude
and climate

means even simple produce
is extraordinary.

Rising star chef
Thalía Barrios García

has made the ingredients
of her hometown

the main draw
of her hipster restaurants.

Oh.

Okay.

These juicy rastrojo
and bola tomatoes

are grown among oak trees,

which conserve water
and enrich the black soil

of mountains
near Thalía's remote village.

So tomatoes are
from South America,

but it was the Mexicans

that decided to eat them...
[laughs]

and plant them, grow them,
put them in the kitchen.

- Sí.

- I think a lot
of people assume--

Mm-hmm.

Okay.

Wow.

- Sí.

- [gasps] Wow.

Lots and lots of tomatoes.

Oh, my God,
these are beautiful.

- Sí.

- Oh.

Okay.

These tomatoes
are grown from seeds

passed down
from generation to generation

over thousands of years.

The sweeter ones
grow in the valleys,

where they soak up sun
and water,

while the mountain ones
get less light

and are slightly bitter.

Mmm. I use probably,
like, 20 of these a day,

'cause my husband
loves tomatillo salsa.

Sí.

We're making
Thalía's iconic dish--

a simple tomato salad,
Oaxacan style.

Have you seen
a more perfect tomato?

A warning, though--

once discovered,
you will never go

back to the ordinary
supermarket tomato.

Look at this.

Oh, gosh, this is so beautiful,
I don't want to mess it up.

I don't even want to cut it,
he's so pretty.

The sweetness of this
bright-purple beet puree

balances the tomato's acidity.

There's barely any seeds
in this purple one.

- Sí.

[light music]

Is this a vinaigrette?
- Sí.

- Mm-hmm.

Okay. Mm-hmm.
Pero...

Mmm, very refreshing.

Oh, look at that.

♪ ♪

Look at this.

Is that not the most beautiful
combination of tomatoes

you've ever seen?

Mmm.

Not only the taste--

I think my favorite
is this red one.

This is my favorite.
- [chuckles]

- Ah, el morado.
- Sí.

- A ver.

Let's have the purple one.

♪ ♪

[gasps] Oh, no,
I think that's my favorite.

- [laughs]
- Wow.

You know what?

It has the texture of a radish.

Mmm.

That herbal dressing
with this beet puree,

with the texture of the tomato,
with the salt--oh, my God.

I think this is, like,
the perfect dish.

Mm-hmm. Exactamente.
- Sí.

♪ ♪

- Oaxaca has been
a culinary explosion

in my head and in my mouth.

It is on another level
gastronomically.

One of the best places
I've been to in the world.

Oaxaca's full
of so many Indigenous cultures

holding on
to their traditions.

They honor their past
techniques and ingredients,

but they don't live
in the past.

They have called
the world to Oaxaca

'cause they want to share
everything with the world.

And they're doing it
beautifully.

♪ ♪