Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted | Holy Mexico: Exploring Oaxaca's Famous Cuisine (Full Episode)

okay Omar yeah okay man it's soft it's crumbling like mad what your foot man just think about how great that foot is gonna be surely it's an easier way down just be careful over there because there's a beehive right on your left hand side oh who stuck a beehive over the side of this look at them don't bother them please don't bother them be careful no [Music] thank you I'm in the state of Oaxaca southern Mexico the spiritual home of that delicious Molly located nearly 300 miles Southeast of Mexico City Oaxaca is a Bastion of indigenous culture and incredible produce it's a food destination that's finally getting the tension it deserves I'm on my way to meet the extraordinary Gabriella camera one of Mexico's most influential chefs now she's promised to show me a side of oaxacan Cuisine that very few people ever get to experience foreign wow this is beautiful welcome Gabriella Camara is one of Mexico's most respected chefs when she was 22 her passion for Farm to Table Cuisine led her to open Mexico City favorite Contra ma two decades later she continues to put her own twist to time honored Traditions making her the star of modern Mexican Cuisine good to see you my darling my first time in Waka Oaxaca is is a very complex part of Mexico in Mexico everybody's very proud are you from here I'm not from Oaxaca I grew up closer to Mexico City right but Oaxaca is the place for food everyone's talking about the mole yes you know I've never had a chance to master but are they that good here I mean Oaxaca is Molly is a rich multi-layered source made from chili peppers fruits and multiple nuts and spices it's very complex it's very difficult to learn I am very intrigued if you're gonna Master Molly in a week we'll see while mollies vary from Kitchen to Kitchen many begin with chocolate so Gabriella introduces me to Rayna Mendoza the queen of cacao to teach me how to make it from scratch pleasure meeting you this is and we in general they use Comales to make everything to make tortillas to roast different you know the Chiles the cacao more here this is a tradition yeah but it feels like a ritual it's so much of a ritual Cacao is really the beginning of the festive mole preparation right it's very important it smells delicious so good one of the really wonderful things about Molly is you use a lot of ingredients there's corn you use Chile Chiles are the other really fundamental thing for foreign with the skins of the cacao beans removed it's time to grind them using a 50 year old tool that's being passed down through Reyna's family the cinnamon there she starts all the ingredients should be in the center so they don't spread out right just that's part of the technique I want to see this I can't wait to see this is a nightmare it's hard to get a word in edgeway so that's not normal for me but I sit I listen I learn I'm get up to speed um so everyone thinks that's Mexican Cuisine is a simple sort of rustic Cuisine I mean this is well this is this is why it's important for you to be in Oaxaca because Oaxaca is so complex culturally yeah and then and the food is as complex as the cultures she says you need to relax because because when we cook yes we are transmitting our mood right into the food so slow down slow down and enjoy it she's saying that's the first time in my career I've been told to slow down and that's that's the opposite to how I work so I think I'm in for a tough week that smells beautiful can we taste this now please so traditionally in Oaxaca chocolate is no man but chocolate is prepared with water well that's just the start of the process I need to go through to get a mole thank you it smells festive the cinnamon it tastes so rich and it tastes like there's milk or cream in there but it's nice just water that's down to the chocolate right [Music] chocolate is one of the very important ingredients and now you're gonna go off on adventures to learn about other ingredients in a week you're gonna come back and we're gonna cook and you're gonna prove to me that you can cook oaxacan meal so stop where are we going into the hills into the hills it's going to be an adventure maybe you'll suffer a little bit but you you seem to enjoy suffering a little bit you ready I am I've got only one week to learn about one of the world's most complex Cuisines before I go head to head with Gabriella fortunately she's arranged for some of her friends to help local guide Carlos Guzman is taking me to meet them now Carlos I'm heads and meet the man called Omar to hopefully find some delicious ingredients yeah just keep it straight I can't go anywhere else can I oh sorry you are kidding me come on stop it no be careful be careful you don't get that close okay what's up Gordon are you coming down where's the buffet this way come on down surely there's a road down 15 miles that way seriously yeah come on come on are you crazy no you have to repel down mean I came here determined to unlock the secret of Molly if I'd known the first step was to scale a cliff I may have sent one of my Sous chefs Garden is coming down watch out Yo's like that man want to step by one man it's soft it's crumbling like mad what's your foot man you think about how great that food is gonna be it's hard to get your feet in because it just it Slips Away surely it's an easy way down just be careful over there because there's a beehive right on your left hand side you stuck a big high on the side of this look at them don't bother them please don't bother them there you go good job bloody hell some call Omar Alonso The Unofficial mayor of Oaxaca good to see you guys his friend Pepe carazoza grew up on this land and has foraged it since he was a child so these ingredients are somewhat unique right this is the only place where you can find them right and it's very unique how you find them and where you find them because it's not like they're laying around somewhere you know gotcha so are these mainstream ingredients or is this a wild ingredient this is a wild ingredient and we are right here what's the ax for chopping down the cactus no what about right there what the hell what the tree trunk do you see that oh are you serious yeah inside here is like breaking a pinata you know you break it and you you see what's in it there's ingredients in here there's food in there yeah no we just need to get it out one one [Laughter] what the hell can we decide this log you're praying when you're cooking against Gabriela Pepe said this was like breaking a pinata there you go uh no but I've never been to a birthday party and seen a blindfolded kid swinging an ax oh you just killed our food I think well look at the bright side we're gonna have plenty of firewood ah what is that what a grub that's a gusano yeah a bloody word see if this is what's inside of a oaxacan pinata whoa it's biting me please don't invite me to your kids next birthday party I listen I have a bad bad history of worms we're not eating these things raw are we no we're not we've got to cook them now you see how delicious they're gonna turn honestly I don't think I've ever been so happy to eat cooked worms this is it this is it no salt no pepper no nothing okay pick your warm and then cook it the way you want pick my word over easy so I'll go for this one here okay Peppa that's yours so when would you eat this in the winter when it gets cold this this will be the protein people survive on these things in the winter yeah can you see that laid on top of a delicious Molly negro oh yes definitely I'm not too sure well this is what we want the color that texture yeah and the color oh they smell good already all right go for it go first because you're our guest I'm hoping they taste better than they look come on because they don't look very advertising any last words you would like to see so you just take a bite crunch it chew on it yeah okay [Music] I mean the hills outside Oaxaca and my guides Omar and pepe are introducing me to one of their favorite snacks okay I can't say I share their enthusiasm [Music] it's very pasty it's very mealy it's did it taste I bought it to you butter no it tasted like sawdust gone warm creamed up and pepper salad [Music] we're good um not for me I feel kind of bad you didn't like them and I'm gonna give it a second try if you're up for it something also very very unique and interesting let's go can't be difficult on the back of that liquid worm if I'm gonna compete on Gabriella's Manor even though they're not my cup of tea I've got to think of a way of using those worms for sure it's going to be sweeter sweeter unique also right what we're looking for we're looking for a honey ants honey ants yes here yeah Omar tells me that these ants come out at night and collect nectar from the plants and trees around them to produce their own kind of honey that's the food for the rest of the colony well how did you get the honey from oh you just put it in your mouth and I just put in your mouth they're gonna pop the cool thing is that the ant doesn't die so you just like pop it drink the honey and then you just put the Ant back into the hole ready yeah oh there's some ants okay so that's a good sign okay go for it just lay down a little okay Gordon oh my god look how many we found that's all honey yeah but it looks like a ball yeah it's their belly really yes there's a hole full of sacks how beautiful are they wow wow that's plenty three four five they're all different sizes two they're beautiful and why aren't they biting because they're what happens they're friendly the actual sack is connected to the body and they're like little balloons aren't they Absolutely Amber you know so just bite the belly you just literally suck on its sack yeah delicious yes it tastes like sort of sweet honey stroked cider vinegar but my main course this one's my appetizer oh I did just go for it [Laughter] pretty unique isn't it yes and he's still alive no it's sweet so how come it's so sweet because of what they collect a night all of the flowers and the nectar from the different plants around them and would you cook with them or just I think it'll be really hard for you to collect a lot of them yeah the ants were delicious but I can't transport them because you suck that belly off the ant that's a little treasure a little nugget of magic that Oaxaca has as a secret ingredient that I can't take that was delicious I'm glad that you like it but we're not quite done yet we have another surprise for you one more one more as tasty as that yes yes that was way better than the worms by the way yeah that right there there's a tree look deeper what is that it's a waste pipe why why are we collecting wasps there's larvae but also honey in it what's dough produce honey they do they'll be surprised Pepe is he serious see you ready but stop it you gotta put that on first will they get angry let's say they wouldn't enjoy our company putting on a protective suit is never a good sign apparently Gathering the larvae requires a lot of courage and a touch of crazy yeah all right the plan is to tie a rope to the tree and shake it into all the wasps have left the nest how many wasps are in there roughly five thousand five thousand Watts yes so right now they're all sleeping yes they're called because of the weather changed wait wait wait wait wait perfect dozens of wasps inside that little nests um you don't want to piss off a hive anytime yeah this is his back Garden so you know he was right up there tying the sort of lasso and then we were tugging and pulling all of a sudden they started coming out I think this is a bit crazy for ingredients okay stop stop this is crazy what's he doing she's shaking it do you see me what's leaving CCI yeah there's a lot of them he's gonna he's getting them a machete he's gonna fight them [Music] I'm in the hills of Oaxaca attempting to harvest was larvae for my final cook he's gonna he's getting the machete machete he's gonna fight them [Applause] but the two guys I'm with seem hell-bent on making sure I don't get there 5000 wasps it's not a dangerous thing to do down there yeah oh he got it are they all gone they're all gone it looks like it this is as soft as papers layer by layer you have to break it up oh that honey this look you see it this bit here's a honeycomb yes you want to get it off the branch okay this is going to be your second weapon in the cookout at the end oh that looks good shall we shall we try it so I had no idea that wasps produce honey you have to eat the whole thing cheers guys no it's so delicious that is so sweet cracking this like paper mache skull open and you've got these incredible little compartments that are laced with the most amazing honey not as sweet as B honey but so delicious oh my God the honey is great but the main ingredient is the larvae that you're gonna find in there oh my God look at that yeah that's the lava there okay so that's the so they're wasp eggs and so what would you do with the lava so you cook them and then you make sauce with it wow there you go and so what what's in here you've got lava what else is in there garlic onion Chile water salt hmm wow that is beautiful it's definitely given me some great ideas ahead of the final cook for me it's interesting to see what Oaxaca has to offer and these ingredients are seconds are done yeah we have it all delicious good job seriously I'm starting to get up to speed with the oaxacan DNA now it's more than just chocolate this has got incredible layers that are in abundance [Music] with only a few days left until the final cook I need to go big or go home if I'm gonna have any chance of beating Gabriella and that means I need to get my hands on a world-class Molly so I've asked foodie Nikki to introduce me to a local Legend now Nikki you said you're gonna take me to a guy that produces the best Molly in Oaxaca yes so he is right over here Jorge they call him because his Molly is that good seriously yeah what in here yeah it's right here you see the design I'll Fontina I can't wait alfonsina this place looks beautiful there's Jorge ah ho hey hey good morning good morning you good nice to meet you nice to meet you absolute pleasure yeah so this is this is a family restaurant a family recipe all upstairs right big secret I'll keep it a secret I promise okay for the first step Jorge has me blister tomatoes and tomatillos see next while I clean and remove the seeds from the chilies different nuts and spices on the Kamal I got up to speed with making chocolate and what else is going into this thyme oregano sesame seeds raisins garlic almonds and cinnamon and then the onions are going to roast onto the coals exactly there's nothing measured out Hawaii's just he's just cooking with the eyes is that disconfidence I think it's just practice a lot of practice cooking with your heart is going to give a lot of flavor essentially so that's the chili that you just cleaned so now you can mix everything together yep one of the best patches I've ever had in my life clearly one of the cheapest with the almost dizzying variety of spices and nuts we add of all things oh it's hot roasted plantains I mean I just love the smell of this it smells incredible all in with a plantain right exactly tell you what I'm gonna look at cardboard in a completely different way now honestly once the tomatoes have cooked they're added to the toasted and roasted ingredients so beautiful it smells Smoky the seats on the beginning yeah taking the seeds from the clean chili pods Jorge has me light them on fire for flavor perhaps the first time I've ever intentionally burned my food so that smells good it smells really good so this is where the hard work really begins hold on a minute see Hawaii's been cooking Molly every day since she was 14. not a day in a culinary school and just that that level of knowledge he has is extraordinary it smells delicious but it does look like something inside of a diaper doesn't it now that you've learned how to make a proper mole you have to learn how to make proper tortillas man [Music] while hohai finishes the grinding and cooking of the mole he sends me off to meet his mother Elvia hola hola Gordon she'll be showing me how she makes her soft tortillas so now look right just a gentle press there yeah yeah no no no no no no no no no no no no no no what happened that's not right just with one hand you can't use both of your hands down yeah okay apparently two hands aren't always better than one leave it to the wackens and they're complicated Cuisine to make a Michelin star Chef feel like a total donkey okay I've got it I got it okay okay slowly we're getting there it takes a few tortillas but I finally start to get the hang of it okay it's your last test [Music] she's saying Get out no she says you know you're learning it's going okay okay I finally got elvia's stamp of approval but something tells me she's not offering me a job you are an amazing artist I mean pretty people clearly it runs in the family right absolutely is the Molly ready no I will know apparently there's one other thing that she wants to show us after you please man making Molly can be an all-day process and instead of me hovering around waiting for a taste Elvia has found a way to keep me busy [Music] pleasure meeting you this is a traditional healing practice oh you want to heal my body yeah that's right this is stop you're going to get into this little oven right here this is a what's like a steam room yes on the floor Elia will be show me a Temescal so you're gonna have to take your clothes off it's the first step mama I love you dearly yeah start naked in the neighborhood come on all of your clothes I wouldn't do that to the ladies she has a blanket and a blanket you can cover yourself with a blanket thank you okay close your eyes [Laughter] okay get the blanket on girl please just in case the neighbors are peeping Elia begins rubbing me with a herb mix to open my paws or maybe she's seizing me at this point it's too early to tell oh not too far down there not too far down there is it burning a bit it is in my crack yes so she's going to go in first okay coming again the things I do for food the things I do for food I'm in Oaxaca and my journey to tasting a delicious molly I got this have taken a detour to a full body cleanse in a tiny sweat lodge now it's very steamy in here she's laid down next to me now okay oh okay so you should hold my hand in the air where the hot steam is oh okay Gordon you're ready [Laughter] I came for an amazing understanding how to make a mole I had no idea I'd be getting naked in somebody's garden please may I have some Wally now of course but I do have the magic and I feel cleansed oh my God thank you that looks beautiful that's delicious see very delicious it's rich charcoal spicy so what you're trying here is Oaxaca wow so rich indeed no take a jar for the final cook because there's no way I can make that in one day that is Magic in a jar mole is the the essence of oaxacan Cuisine but that stuff doesn't take two three hours to make that takes sometimes days so caption that magic in that jar I feel like I've got a bit of a head start um where's my clothes oh yeah they're right over here I think they're baking on top yes thank you day before the final cook and if there's one true oaxacan ingredient other than Wally that I need to compete against Gabriella it's Mezcal make no mistake Mezcal it's not the same as tequila both come from the agave plant but Mezcal is produced in small batches and considered more artisanal than tequila now I know it's still early but Gary said there's a local man called Armando who produces one of the best mascals anywhere in Mexico hello my friend hey how are you what a beautiful place welcome good to see you good to see you now this is incredible a guy before Mr Agave from Moscow yes now Gabby said that you're producing some of the best Mezcal anywhere in Mexico what makes it so special here uh it's not machines it's all it's all by hand your flavor profile is somewhat unique it's smoky smoky look at this inside with Harbors wow the government Savages by hand so they look like giant pineapples yes it is it's about 100 100 kilos each each one because uh tell her to take a break tea time it's your turn please gotcha uh right so you're gonna make this easy are you to get to the Pina of the Agave Armando first has me remove the spiny leaves oh my gosh I'm getting there let's say I will never hire you again give me time okay okay this is slightly different to the kind of knives I use come on Gordon this is your first one you have 40 more garbage 40 more yes so literally you go through 40 of these a day it's around four times a day for each guy uh do you have any blisters I've got blisters but come on how do we get this into Moscow next up is uh grind the garbage and ferment it gotcha so it's it's a long process it's not Tequila No so you think it's the hard part it's not once we cut this you have to lift it we have to watch they have to pull it out from there with the hands from the ground hold on man yes how the hell do you pull that out of the ground to remove the Agave Armando uses aikoa a long handle blade that cuts the bulb from The Roots left in the ground yes okay just go ahead and [Music] what do you think what do I think come on surely I've heard a drink now this man you'll want tough cookie now for the Majestic bit the exciting part yes I said thank you it smells slightly smoky it's working sweet here's to the blisters foreign wow it's very smoky now I understand that process that's a process and it's sweet as well what's the difference between Mezcal tequila it's giving me some ideas for the cook maybe marinade maybe finish yeah definitely but uh it's pure class that's a labor of love right there it's a powerful liquor without doubt and it's Unique again just another layer of what Oaxaca has to offer I just got to put into practice now and hopefully do it justice the day of the final cook has finally arrived and I'm meeting Gabby at a local mezgel Distillery it's time to put all that I've learned to the test in a true oaxacan Showdown Gabby what happened to you I'll be busy here so good to see you my God how have you been of course I started what do you mean I'm gonna let you win no way extraordinary Weak by the way oh good seriously you said get out there and find something off the beacon track and did you [Music] it's the day of the final cook and Chef Gabriella Camaro and I will be duking it out using some of oaxaca's most local ingredients you said get out there and find something off the Beaten Track and did you e please tell me we haven't got these incredible worms I don't I'm hoping I have got up to speed with the the DNA of oaxacan Cuisine than Wally magical right I had no idea how long a sophisticated Molly takes to cook and we were there all day yes you didn't tell me how to get naked for a steam room after it come on you get naked in front of the ladies I had a towel but I was like I bet you they were more mortified than you were what happens in the steam room stays in the steam room right now there's Molly to be made so I'm gonna do Molly three ways okay you spoke about the Molly negro with the the chocolate right yes so I'm going to start off with uh braising my chicken okay so you chose the chicken for the morning okay and then I've got some pork and loin shoulder and what's that gonna be for I'm gonna shred that and put that inside the Chile reyno okay look at you you said get up to speed yes I did tell me what we do I am making hold on you're using this well who sent you there what do you think I'm not going to use it of course I'm going to use it hold on a minute girl yes we're using the same base this is mole negro but you know what it never is the same only because you always add things onto it that's a big kick in The Goonies for me no and you know what I'm doing go on I'm using turkey instead of chicken I'm not a big fan of turkey turkey was the bird that people had here before the Europeans got here ready I'm gonna use the brown meat of the turkey shred it right whenever you let me use the grill because you're very I was giving it a bit of space sorry please I get excited with these kind of stoves good everything's Smoky here yes everything's Smoky why is that is that because of the style of the cooking or we cook with fire here well I've got some space here for you now okay I'm coming Gabby definitely needs room on the grill because in addition to her black molly she's making a green Molly this is that spicy no it's lovely parsley garlic also dried shrimp right and a yellow molly as well that's three mollies if you're keeping score at home is that too much color on the pumpkin you're happy with that I'm happy you sure yeah I know the mascara needs to be Smoky but do you want to smoke your pumpkins that much yes I'm loving them just asking that's all if it was to deglaze the worms with a touch of Mezcal it's very Frenchy of you but go ahead I'm just hoping they're going to be a bit of a delicacy mascal on tap come on girl that is beautiful Frenchy Frenchy oh there you go I really want to see what the Mexicans think of these just a little flambe come on oh my God smell in there thank goodness regarding I tell you I never thought I'd say that but those worms look delicious if I'm gonna go down today I'm gonna go down in flames seriously how are you doing with your dishes yeah I'm a little bit behind I need to fry my chili oregano yeah that takes a long time you're late you are on it aren't you I am I hope so okay can we go back on the stove now please oh you're hugging the stove well that's no I'm not um I only have this little tiny pot come on due to arrive any minute and three more days in the works we're both feeding the Heat come on okay give me more than okay please made it come on yes El Molly started it I'm finishing it so yours is darker than mine because I didn't add tomato did you want tomato I did yes I didn't Tomatoes Tomatoes The Wasp larvae sauce huh come on you like that there's no okays there you know that's good it's really good then a little nuttiness like exactly the little bit at the end right oh his I guess hola my new oaxacan friends from the past week have arrived why they almost killed me the hard work was necessary and I hope they can taste it in my dishes no no no no you're starting to feel the pressure I am I'm nervous about this meal queso fresco just to finish those chili touch more chocolate on the chicken you're fancying it up I'm using every trick in the book just to stay in the same Lane those are your tricks Madame Madame are you done I didn't think I was going to say this but I'm nearly done so am I my dear okay done amazing that looks beautiful you know what we didn't make the tortillas oh really oh my God we didn't make the tortillas oh really oh bollocks our oaxacan experts are seated and waiting but we're missing a fundamental element of any Mexican meal freshly made Tortillas not too hard you're already squishing it okay now the difficult part that's too thin I don't know what good of a teacher Elvia was shall we yes oh my God yes the moles are hot and ready so I guess we'll have to live without tortillas it's time to find out if I've been able to scratch the surface of what I now know is one of the world's most complicated Cuisines so nice to see you all okay first of all I would like to apologize for the tortilla yeah my fault my three dishes the first one is a chicken done with that Molly negro I put a little bit more extra chocolate in there enriching it the second dish is the beautiful chili arena with some braised pork and that's with a almost like a tomato base mole a bit sweeter and the third dish is the tostada with the special worms the protein caramelized glaze Mezcal Madam I made with your black mole I put turkey in it and I made it into tostadas with plantains and then with shrimp a little bit of nopales the paddles and then the molia with the grilled squash and the shoots and the blossoms of the squash so it's a squashy dish es enjoy please gracias [Laughter] is [Music] yeah so they dig it in I mean I'm nervous just because these are the experts you know sure look at the Talon on that table which one was your favorite Nikki chile rellenos are usually really like juicy and this was a bit dry but you know we were really missing the tortillas I'm more nervous about Mr mole in terms of what he thinks of my Malay no no I I agree I hope we didn't mess it up because I'm on the same boat as you say is okay we have a winner then it's judgment time you ready to go let's go good luck good luck huh okay yeah this week's been all about the mole right so uh whatever the result is trust me I have an extraordinary week let me tell you but should we start off with the the green Molly well green Molly was amazing it was definitely very original the way we ate it in a tostada we all felt like the worm was kind of lost in it because we didn't even feel it it got lost with all the textures and uh the one with the shrimp got a little bit extra salt that we all liked however we decided that the winner for the green mole had to be the tostada wow good for you that's a strong start I'm impressed well that repel was worth it after all told you okay and then what did we think of the Colorado and amarillito a few of us said that the amarillito was very original and we had never had it like that with squash and for the chile relleno we thought that the feeling was a bit boring and that made the Chile a little bit dry so for the second uh course we decided that the winner uh is the amarillito with the squash beautiful dish thank you thank you so what comes down to the poly negro Gabby and I have each scored with one dish the tiebreaker will be our versions of that complex black molly based on El moles mole which can only mean one thing I think that whoever is going to decide who takes the win for the black model has to be Jorge ous oh my goodness is it the turkey or is it the chicken chicken Gordon the foundation was set from you let me tell you for both these dishes so you've been an amazing teacher and and you guys have just helped me understand what Oaxaca has to offer on the heart so um I've had an amazing week I'm so happy that you came thank you thank you so much for coming [Applause] [Laughter] thank you I've learned so much this week and now I truly understand why Oaxaca is the Connery capital of Mexico I've scanned the countryside for delicious insects prepared a complicated world-class Molly with a certified master and harvested spiny Agave for that Smoky mezcal the complex flavors the rich history is why this has to be one of my favorite destinations yet and now on to our next adventure [Applause] [Music] thank you

Channel: National Geographic

Views: 1,818,177

Keywords: national geographic, nat geo, natgeo, animals, wildlife, science, explore, discover, survival, nature, culture, documentary, perpetual planet nat geo, photography, Gordon Ramsay, Chef Ramsay, Ramsay, Whitefish, Cooking, Cook, Fish, Fishing, Holy Mexico, Exploring Oaxaca, Famous Cuisine, Mexican city, history and tradition, the secrets of the regions famous cuisine, Gordon scales cliffs, Mexicos toprated chefs, Gabriela Cámara, Gordan Ramsay, Uncharted, Exploring Oaxacas Famous Cuisine

Id: up8BUFWtRhM

Length: 44min 24sec (2664 seconds)

Published: Thu Sep 28 2023