“Chiles rellenos” are a classical dish in Mexican cuisine. The most common ones are prepared with Chili poblanos which are stuffed with a variety of ingredients such as meat, cheese and vegetables. The filled chilis are often covered with egg before frying, but are also served without the egg batter. There are also other chilis used in Mexico for stuffing, such as jalapeño chilis and ancho chilis (the dried version of poblano chilis). In this class we prepare the classical version of chili poblanos, as well as stuffed jalapeño chilis and ancho chilis.

· Chili "jalapeño" stuffed with tuna fish

· Chili "ancho" stuffed with cheese in a cilantro sauce.

· Chili "poblano" stuffed with vegetables/meat/chicken in a tomato sauce.

The “Chiles rellenos” menu option is served with either Mexican rice or fresh tortillas.

B. Tamales

Based on archeological finds, tamales seem to be an even older form of corn dough preparation than tortillas. Mexican cuisine has many different kinds of tamales with lots of regional differences and changing ingredients throughout the year. In order to achieve a softer consistency of the dough, lard is traditionally used. However, other fats can be substituted for the lard. Tamales can also be prepared without fat, but the resulting tamales are denser. In this class, we prepare 4 different kinds of traditional tamales from Chiapas.

· De Bola (round ones in corn husks, filled with pork)

· De Mole (in banana leaves, with chicken)

· De Chipilín with cheese (vegetarian)

· Sweet tamales

The vegetarian version:

· Tamales with mole and plantains

· Tamales with refried beans and “hierba santa”

· Tamales with chipilín and cheese

· Sweet tamales

C. Typical foods from San Cristóbal de las Casas

Like many other places in Mexico, the Mexican food in San Cristóbal de las Casas is a mixture of mestizo cooking based on indigenous cuisine with a strong influence of Spanish tastes. A typical Spanish influenced dish is the “asado de Puerco”. In this class the main dish is combined with “chalupas”, the typical tostadas from nearby. This menu does not have a vegetarian option.

· Chalupas coletas (tostadas with meat and vegetables)

· Pork in chile ancho sauce

· Served with Mexican rice

D. Green and red Moles (the feast for special occasions)

Mole is the typical dish served at special occasions, such as weddings, birthdays, and for the Day of the Dead. The origin of this dish is clouded in legends, but it is known that Mexican indigenous groups prepared sauces named mulli. The more complicated, modern version of this dish likely has Arab influences. There are many different versions of this dish, from spicy to

sweet, with color variations from black (with chocolate as an ingredient) to green, red, and yellow, depending on the ingredients. Other moles are based on pumpkin seeds known as pipian. Almost all moles are served with meat, but they can also be prepared with vegetables and used just as a sauce for enchiladas. In this class, we prepare a red mole with chicken and

a green mole with pork.

· Green mole (with pork in a green tomato sauce)

· Red mole (with chicken in a sweet/savory sauce)

E. Home made Tortillas

Corn tortillas are the staple food in Mexican cooking. Even though their daily preparation is simple, many different regions have their own specific ways of preparing them.

All forms of preparing tortillas, tostadas and tamales have in common the process of nixtamalization. This is a cooking process where lime is added to the cooking water, which allows the hard covering of the corn to separate. This increases the dough´s elasticity, resulting in softer tortillas. It also increases the availability of niacin (vitamin B3) and the absorption of protein and calcium. In this cooking class, you will learn how to prepare nixtamal -- the corn dough used to prepare quesadillas, tacos and chilaquiles.

Tortillas, tacos and quesadillas

Tortillas and the tortilla dough are also the basis for other variations of this class: sopes, memelas and chilaquiles.

All tortilla menus include:

· Home-made tortillas

· Squash flowers or prickly pear cactus

· Meats (chorizo, chicken, beef, or pork dishes)

· Salsas (cooked with green tomatoes and grilled red tomatoes)

· Guacamole

Other options may include:

· Tacos with chicken and potatoes

· Tacos with beef and different chilis

· Tacos al pastor (pork)