Vegan or not, whenever you travel, you need to get off the plane, drop off all of your things at the hotel or rental, and go straight to a market. It seems like a drab concept, “going to a market,” but nothing introduces you to a country or community more than a market.
Bustling with life, the market is filled with people selling their products and produce and others buying said produce. At face value, it doesn’t seem like anything special, but deep down, you are experiencing an authentic experience enriched with culture. It is everything you would want on a trip. There isn’t anyone selling souvenirs, no one is offering a tour of something so-so, people are just living their day-to-day lives, and you get to witness that. Visiting a market introduces you to foods so foreign they would be placed in sci-fi movies, flavors so unique that you would think you’re a sultan, and things so original everyone would ask where it was bought.
When Charlie and I first landed in Mexico City, we booked a market tour with the tour group called TrippersMX, which specializes in Mexican history and Mexican culture. Trippers offers a market tour that starts initially at La Merced and ends the tour at San Juan Market. The tour accommodated vegetarian and Vegan diets, explaining that historically Aztec people were not much dairy and meat consumers. Still, people whose diets specialized in vegetables and insects, so finding authentic food at the market was easy if you knew where to find it.
La Merced is located on the eastern edge of the historic center of Mexico City, east of the main plaza. Offering spices, fruits and vegetables, meats, and various items and candy, the market is infested with things and entertainment. There is so much to see and smell, and no time to be bothered by people wanting something from you because you are a tourist. The place is enormous, so huge in fact that surprisingly a good portion of it was cut off due to a fire in 2019, and it wasn’t noticeable by the group until it was brought up by the tour guides.
We had breakfast at a local taco stand that specialized in quesadillas and tacos. Historically quesadillas didn’t have cheese and meat. Actually, most Aztec meals didn’t involve meat or cheese because that was brought in by the Spanish. Instead, vegetables, fermentation, and game were the primary sources of nutrition. Originally called Tenochtitlan, Mexico City is a large altepetl created on a Lake. Being a floating civilization, Mexico City struggled to find a surplus of agricultural goods, so whatever the Aztecs were able to grow became their primary source of nutrition.
The quesadillas we were given contained mushrooms, fermented corn, and squash blossoms, and we topped it off with guava juice. Sitting on a small stool right next to the flaming stove of the Mexican chef, we were kindred spirits with a small Mexican family enjoying their breakfast meals of tortas (sandwiches) and guava juice. They didn’t speak to us, and neither did us to them, but it felt like all three entities shared a universal conversation of enjoying the moment. No one had to really say anything. The food spoke for us. With intense flavors from the grill mixed with various seasonings, the sautéed mushroom and squash blossom quesadilla was delectable. Even though I had one, it felt comfortable to say that it satisfied me until the taco lunch.
After breakfast, we walked through the market square, learning about the various Mexican dishes and the importance of which region that dish goes through. Oaxaca is considered the food capital of Mexico, and every person on that tour guide agreed that if the food comes from Oaxaca, it is probably the best.
Heading towards the candied section of the market, we stopped to learn about and try tamarind. They handed out plastic spoons coated in a gooey substance and encouraged us to try it. Tamarind is a brown fruit brought over by the Spanish and Portuguese in the 16th century. Even though it isn’t native to North America, the fruit became a staple of Mexican cuisine and traditional medicine.
I had known of tamarind before, but I had no interest in trying it mainly because it has been described to me as having a “bittersweet taste,” which didn’t sound exciting or appetizing. So for the longest time, I believed that it didn’t sound tasty and that trying it would just lead to disappointment (I am a very dramatic person). Also, candied tamarind’s gooey brown color isn’t the most appetizing, so it didn’t have much going for it.
My suggestion is to put away any apprehension towards this candy and try it. Don’t let preconceived notions dictate your attempt to try anything. The truth is, tamarind is fantastic. I love it. The gooey brown color is similar to a caramel consistency, and the taste isn’t what you would assume bittersweet to taste like. It tastes like caramelized fruit, with large portions of the pulp feeling like bits of sugar left over on the snack. I have had tamarind sodas and chews after, and it is also excellent. I was an idiot. I needed to try it.
After the tamarind, we went straight to mole, another thing I was stubborn in trying. I have heard of mole before. I was first introduced to it when my aunt came to visit me from Scotland and was denied it by the waitress at my local Mexican restaurant. The chocolate sauce seemed like it was more of a dessert, and I was never a big fan of sauces in general.
But once again, I needed to be corrected.
Mole is like hot sauce but a bit better. It’s really another staple for the meal. There isn’t just one type of mole, there is a lot, and they’re all fantastic. Mole is sweet, mole is spicy, mole is rich. Some people at the market just sell mole and would designate the right kind of mole for your dish. Want it with chicken? We have a mole for that. Want it with veggies? We got you. Mole is 100% unique and something you have to try in Mexico.
One of my big regrets is not buying the mole I liked, which says a lot about how fun the trip was if one of my regrets is choosing the wrong type of mole.
From tamarind to mole, I was in a whirlwind of enjoyment. My tastebuds were celebrating the cacophony of flavors and tastes. Afterward, we washed it down with some michelada beers and some tacos. The tacos were good, but the quesadillas were better. They quickly accommodated a vegan taco for me, and the beer was also good to drink.
After that, we tried tequila and went our own ways. The experience was four to five hours and worth every penny. Before landing in Mexico City, I knew I wanted to go to a Market before anything else, and I’m glad my stubbornness was supreme. A trip around the market shows the country and the city in the best way possible. It shows you the magic of the world and the earth and introduces you to foods and dishes you will never get at home. Staying away from easy and boring tourism experiences and running towards authentic culture is the way to go. Taking the tour with Trippers Mexico City was more than a rewarding experience. I encourage anyone with Vegan dietary needs but a thirst for culture to book an experience with them. It made my day, and it made me love Mexico City.
