The Thursday Tianguis Hustle: Ahuizotla, Ave. La Naranja
The Mexican Worth Ethic
It was the first morning of the trip and I was up by 5 AM sharp, my dinner was not sufficient enough to last me through out the loud and humid Mexico City nights. Luckily for my hunger-insomnia though, we had arrived the day before the neighborhood’s weekday Tianguis, the neighborhoods street bazaar. Part farmers market, part street food and part swap meet, this is a market that slangs everything from bulk, brand-name cereal to fresh--rigor mortis stiff--chickens.
Cereal Surplus
Get Your Fresh Chickens Heere!
This particular market is a lot bigger than what I remembered it to be, almost 6 blocks in length and trickling out towards each intersecting block as well. Its stands ran the epicurian gamut. There were stands that sold regional specialties like earth oven burnished sweet potatoes from Queretaro, Mexico and even one that bartered quite possibly every possible Mexican pork forcemeat product available.
Burnished Sweet Potatoes All The Way From Queretaro, Mexico
A Pork Precursor For Things to Come
But a ‘taco de ojo’ (slang for “eye candy”) is one thing, it was finally time for my first taco of the trip.
Hidalgo's Mixiote Signage
I had spotted a booth that flaunted the magic word: “Mixiotes”. Bingo!
Lamb Is Always The Best Gift To Unwrap
A mixiote is essentially a chile-rojo-adobo marinated chunk of bone-in meat that is wrapped individually and then braised until its to die for. Popular in Puebla and just about every other Southern State, the usual wrapper is a Maguey stalk (just like Barbacoa) and usually a gamy meat like lamb, goat or rabbit is the protein of choice. Although, its not uncommon to find them wrapped in parchment paper or aluminum foil in contemporary executions made for the masses such as here.
Mixiote Consome
These guys came all the way from Hidalgo just for this market and the pile of wrapped meats was steaming up a storm. For 45 pesos I got ½ a Kilo and a ‘free’ consome, a broth made from all the precious drippings of the roasting flesh and powerwalked back to my uncles apartment structure.
My First Taco of The Trip: Mixiote De Hidalgo With All The Fixin's
I constructed my own taco from some fresh Nixtamal tortillas my uncles had just brought. I was generous with the fork-tender shank I was lucky to get, then applied some pickled red onions, green chile and red morita chile. Then finished off with a sprig of hyper-aromatic Mexican Cilantro I had picked up from an old lady on the way home.
It was simply a revelation.
Tianguis De Ave. La Naranja, Ahuizotla. Nacaulpan. Mexico City. Thursdays 11Am
