• 

  Let’s talk basics; chili and chocolate are two of the most important notes in the Oaxacan flavor profile. The variety of chili peppers you find in Oaxaca is staggering, but the most famous is the pasilla oaxaqueña chili. Native to Mexico, cacao beans get combined with almonds and cinnamon to make a steaming cup of Oaxaca’s famous hot chocolate, but are also used in savory preparations like mole negro.

Photography by Marcela Taboada