Salsa, But Make It Macho
Like a lot of people, we can’t stop going back to Mexico. It’s just too good. The people, the art, the surf, the cultures, the landscapes, the wildlife, the traditions, the plants, the produce, the food. The food. The food. THE FOOD.
When we spent a month in Rinconada in Puerto Escondito, we lived with a vegan couple, Omar and Fer, two amazing cooks and just the best, best people. The idea was to go out every day for cooking classes and language lessons until we’d acquired incredible skills in Spanish conversation and Oaxacan cuisine.
We’d already been coming across salsa macha everywhere, and had wrapped our heads around the fact that it’s macha as in “macho” not matcha as in bright powdered green tea. Fer and Omar’s kitchen was home to the most gigantic jar in the entire world, which contained Fer’s homemade salsa macha. The amount never seemed to diminish because that stuff was so hot you could only eat a tiny smidge before steam would start pouring out of every orifice in your head.
In any event, we duly ate that addictive elixir three times a day on absolutely everything, gradually working our way up to larger and larger portions. When it was time to ramble on, they prepared a jar to go with us on our travels up the coast.
We reconnected with Fer and Omar for one last meal before flying out the next day, and we scooped on that fiery inferno of flavour with abandon. Only a slight trickle of steam escaped from our ears. Our hosts were so proud of us! We had slayed the chillis! Like champions!
As soon as we got back home we started working on a version of our own. It’s not anywhere near as hot as Fer’s, but we do pretty much eat it three times a day. (With eggs for breakfast, with wilted greens and rice at lunch, on salmon at supper — you get the gist.)
Today our Spanish remains non-existent. But!! Our abilities in the international love language that is hot and spicy food is much improved. ¡Buen provecho people!
SIDE NOTE
When Bill Murray was on SNL way back in the way, way back, he did a skit called “¿Quién es Más Macho?” I think of it whenever I’m musing about the word “macho” and if you like Bill Murray then you might like to look it up.