Mexican cuisine is trending to more involved, labor-intensive dishes, says Chef Ana Sofia Sada Cervantes, a lecturing instructor at the Culinary Institute of America. That trend, and the role the rich cuisine of Oaxaca plays in it, will be explored at Arriba Mexico: Oaxaca, the 2019 CIA Latin American Cuisine Summit, October 16-17 at the school’s San Antonio campus.
“A lot of chefs now, including some of the best chefs in Mexico, are making complex dishes with a lot of blending of flavors. They are putting labor-intensive cuisine back on their menus,” Sada says. “That’s why we decided on Oaxaca as our focus this year. There are so many unique ingredients coming from there.”
Mole, Insects, Chocolate and Mezcal
Sada explains that Oaxaca is known as the land of seven moles, because that complex Mexican culinary staple is prominent in much Oaxacan cuisine. The terroir of Oaxaca produces some chiles – such as chilhuacle and chile de agua – that are found nowhere else, meaning the moles of Oaxaca are unique.
“Mole negro can only be called that if it has chilhuacle negro in it,” Sada says. “People in other areas try to duplicate it with other chiles, but it’s impossible. I can tell the difference.”
Other important Oaxacan ingredients that will be featured during the Arriba conference include chocolate, mezcal, and insects, such as chapulines and agave worms. Attendees will see chefs use these ingredients in demos and will have the opportunity to try some themselves in the hands-on workshops.
“Arriba will be a great opportunity for industry professionals to actually understand the uniqueness of all these ingredients and get excited about what they can use them for,” Sada says. “They will also learn the techniques that go with these ingredients.”
Early-bird registration costs $199 and is available now at www.ciaprochef.com/arriba/. The early-bird price will be available until June 1.