Authentic tours provide insights into local dishes
Mazatlán foodie Paolo Osuna is inviting tourists to gain insights into her hometown when they chow down in her Pacific Ocean-fronting community.
The former restaurateur now runs Tomatl by Paola Osuna, which leads visitors on walking tours of Mazatlán markets and eateries, sampling food that she says has developed a following well beyond city perimeters. Tours are available in English and Spanish.
“Mazatlán is well known in Mexico for its food,” Osuna states, adding city cuisine has been shaped by many cultures, some of them from far-away Europe.
“Mexico has 32 states and each can be a different country,” she adds of culinary and cultural differences found from one Mexican jurisdiction to another.
Long-standing Mazatlán differs from some popular Mexican resort destinations that were developed in recent decades specifically for tourism, Osuna notes.
“The very way to learn about a culture is by its food,” she continues, adding that that cuisine can provide insights into climate and other factors.
Mazatlan visitors can easily experience what Osuna labels “fresh local produce,” and dine in its varied restaurant scene. Osuna says Canadians often have limited knowledge of Mexican food, frequently associating it with the Tex-Mex dishes that are actually an Americanized version of her homeland’s dishes.
Tomatl by Paola Osuna also offers cooking classes to those vacationing in Mazatlán. Osuna says preparing authentic Mexican dishes can be somewhat challenging at times and easy at other times. For instance, preparing mole, a staple Mexican item, can be difficult, she reports but also says that making tacos – another item quickly associated with Mexican food – is easy.
Those going on Osuna’s walking tours will also be able to quench their thirst by drinking Pacifico beer en route, brewed in the city for decades.
Meanwhile, Osuna says that those booking her tours – which visit markets, stores and restaurants – will have plenty of opportunities to experience local foods. “I make sure nobody goes home hungry,” she states.
Tomatl Mexican Experiences can be accessed by Tomatl.mx or by emailing [email protected].
