The Moles of Oaxaca

Oaxaca calls itself the land of seven moles, and the canon - negro, rojo, coloradito, amarillo, verde, chichilo and manchamanteles - reads like a colour wheel of the state's cooking. Mole negro is the summit: a sauce of dozens of ingredients built on chiles charred nearly to black, spices, nuts, seeds and a measure of chocolate, ground and simmered over days into something glossy, smoky and impossibly deep, draped over chicken or folded into tamales. The apprenticeship is easy to arrange - market comedores in the 20 de Noviembre hall ladle honest versions daily, festival tables bring out family recipes, and cooking classes walk visitors from market shopping to grinding on the stone metate. Around the moles orbit the rest of Oaxaca's table: tlayudas crisped over coals, quesillo pulled into ropes, chapulines by the scoop and mezcal from the valley palenques.

What you actually see

• Mole negro - the chocolate-dark summit of the seven.
• The market comedores - everyday mole ladled in the 20 de Noviembre hall.
• The mole pastes - mounds of ground base sold by the kilo.
• The metate morning - cooking classes grinding the sauce from scratch.

When to go

Year-round - mole is daily food, not a season. The Guelaguetza weeks in July and the Day of the Dead bring out the most elaborate festival versions.

Honest expectations

A true negro takes days of work, so cheap fast versions from thinned paste exist - price and patience correlate. Market comedores are simple benches, not restaurants, which is exactly their charm. Most moles are rich rather than fiery; ask before assuming heat.

Nearby

Oaxaca's old town and markets, the mezcal valleys and the craft villages of the central valleys.