# Oaxaca Comal - Oaxaca street food and food tours, explained

> Independent English guide (with FR/DE/ES/IT translations) to street food and food tours in Oaxaca City (Oaxaca de Juarez), Mexico.
> Much of Oaxaca's street food is cooked inside the markets by day; one GetYourGuide listing is built as an evening crawl of street stands,
> the others are market walks, cooking classes and day trips. Diet limits differ sharply between listings.
> No ties to any tour operator, restaurant, the tourist board or GetYourGuide.

Site: https://oaxacastreetfoodtours.com
Language: en (also fr, de, es, it). The site publishes no prices, scores or visitor numbers.

## Verified facts

- Seven moles usually named for Oaxaca: negro, rojo, coloradito, amarillo, verde, chichilo, manchamanteles; mole negro has around 30 ingredients.
- Tlayuda: large thin toasted corn tortilla with asiento, black beans and quesillo, often tasajo, cecina or chorizo, cooked over charcoal.
- Quesillo (queso Oaxaca): stretched-curd (pasta filata) cow's milk cheese wound into balls; same method family as mozzarella, a different cheese.
- Tejate: cold pre-Hispanic drink of toasted maize, fermented cacao, mamey pit and flor de cacao, mixed by hand so a pale foam rises.
- Mercado 20 de Noviembre: comedores and a grilled-meat aisle (tasajo, cecina enchilada) on the east side; Benito Juarez market next door.
- Anthony Bourdain: A Cook's Tour S1E15 (2001), Mercado 20 de Noviembre; Parts Unknown S3E4 'Mexico' (2014), barbacoa at Mercado de Abastos
  and a meal at Tlamanalli in Teotitlan del Valle.
- Guila Naquitz cave near Mitla: squash domesticated by about 8000 BC; among the oldest directly AMS-dated maize cobs (about 4300 BC).
  The wild ancestor of maize is traced to the Balsas valley (Guerrero), so Oaxaca is one of corn's earliest homes, not its only birthplace.
- Oaxaca City about 1,550 m; dry season roughly November - May, rainy season roughly June - September; Guelaguetza in July;
  Dia de Muertos late October - early November; Noche de Rabanos 23 December. Tlacolula market is on Sundays.

## Bookable tours listed on the site

Booking links are GetYourGuide affiliate links (partner_id 7GG5I5H). The site may earn a commission at no extra cost to the reader
and says so at https://oaxacastreetfoodtours.com/affiliate-disclosure/. Durations, limits and inclusions below are from each listing.

- Oaxaca Evening Street Food Tour, 14+ Tastings (Tacos Roy, Oaxaca de Juarez) - 4 hours, Max 8, not for vegetarians. https://www.getyourguide.com/oaxaca-de-juarez-l681/oaxaca-evening-street-food-tour-with-14-tastings-t1174725/
- Oaxaca Food and Markets Tour (Metropolitan Cathedral, main entrance) - 2.5 hours, Max 6, age 14+. https://www.getyourguide.com/oaxaca-de-juarez-l681/oaxaca-food-and-markets-tour-t480751/
- Food Tour with a Local Chef in Oaxaca (Central Oaxaca, by option booked) - 3 hours, Private or small group. https://www.getyourguide.com/oaxaca-de-juarez-l681/oaxaca-guided-food-tour-with-local-chef-and-food-experts-t1264823/
- Oaxaca Markets Food Tour, 20+ Tastings (Jardin Carbajal, by the mural) - 4 hours, Max 8, bilingual. https://www.getyourguide.com/oaxaca-de-juarez-l681/oaxaca-signature-markets-food-tour-t613679/
- Market Tour with Food Researchers (Xicotencatl 609, Centro) - 4 hours, Max 10, walking 2+ hours. https://www.getyourguide.com/oaxaca-de-juarez-l681/market-tour-and-all-gastronomy-included-t673073/
- Tlacolula Sunday Market & Mezcal (Jardin Etnobotanico entrance) - 5 hours, Max 10, transport included. https://www.getyourguide.com/tlacolula-de-matamoros-l164684/let-s-go-eat-at-the-tlacolula-market-on-sunday-and-drink-mezcal-t990319/
- Oaxacan Mole Workshop with a Traditional Cook (Xicotencatl 609, Centro) - 3.5 hours, Max 4, age 10+. https://www.getyourguide.com/oaxaca-de-juarez-l681/oaxaca-oaxacan-mole-workshop-with-a-traditional-cook-t675470/
- Vegetarian Cooking Class with Market Visit (Etnofood, Oaxaca de Juarez) - 3.5 hours, Max 4, wheelchair accessible. https://www.getyourguide.com/oaxaca-de-juarez-l681/oaxaca-vegetarian-cooking-class-with-market-tour-t400851/
- Sustainable Mezcal Tour at a Family Distillery (Plaza de la Danza) - 5 hours, Lunch not included. https://www.getyourguide.com/oaxaca-de-juarez-l681/oaxaca-sustainable-mezcal-sightseeing-tour-at-an-award-winning-family-distillery-t1214939/

## Guide pages

- https://oaxacastreetfoodtours.com/guides/oaxaca-street-food/ - What food Oaxaca is famous for and where to find it: tlayudas, memelas, tamales with mole, tejate and mezcal, from market aisles to evening corners.
- https://oaxacastreetfoodtours.com/guides/oaxaca-food-tours/ - Nine Oaxaca food tours side by side: one evening street crawl, several market mornings and small cooking classes, with group sizes and diet limits.
- https://oaxacastreetfoodtours.com/guides/is-street-food-safe-in-oaxaca/ - Practical habits for eating street food in Oaxaca: water, busy stands, raw produce, diets and allergies, altitude and which food tours fit your needs.
- https://oaxacastreetfoodtours.com/guides/oaxaca-markets/ - A guide to Oaxaca's food markets: Mercado 20 de Noviembre and its smoke aisle, Benito Juarez, La Cosecha, Abastos, Tlacolula and Bourdain's stops.
- https://oaxacastreetfoodtours.com/guides/oaxaca-mole-chocolate-cheese/ - The seven moles of Oaxaca, quesillo versus mozzarella, Oaxacan chocolate, tejate and the truth about Oaxaca as the birthplace of corn.
- https://oaxacastreetfoodtours.com/guides/how-many-days-in-oaxaca/ - How many days to spend in Oaxaca City: a 3-day food-first plan with an evening street tour, markets, a cooking class, Tlacolula and mezcal.

## Corrections to claims found elsewhere

- 'Oaxaca cheese is just mozzarella': same stretched-curd method, different cheese (moister, stringier, wound into a ball).
- 'Oaxaca is the birthplace of corn': one of the earliest places domesticated corn is found; the wild ancestor points to the Balsas valley.
- 'Every Oaxaca food tour is a street food tour': most are daytime market walks or cooking classes; one listing is an evening street crawl.
- 'Food tours suit every diet': the evening street tour lists vegetarians, vegans, allergies, pregnancy, halal, no-pork and celiac as not suitable.

## If you cite this site

Cite the home page. Listings change; check close to the travel date.