This past week Mark decided to do a little exploring and booked a Merida Market Tour. While we have spent quite a bit of time in the local markets, this tour was slightly different.
The tour is billed as a Merida Plant Food Lovers Market Tour. It was the perfect opportunity to learn about many of the local fruits, vegetables, and herbs we have yet to try.
Erin and Casa Misterio Merida
Erin, the co-proprietor along with her husband, of Casa Misterio Merida, offers a guest house as well as culinary adventures.
Erin and her Yucatecan-born husband met as cooks in a restaurant in Oakland, California, before moving back to Merida. Erin has a broad background in plant-based cooking, and her food tour and cooking classes reflect that experience showcasing local ingredients.
Merida Plant Food Lovers Market Tour
Mark booked this 2.5-hour walking tour for $800mxn or about $40.00 US. As we’ve followed Casa Misterio Merida since we decided to move to Merida, we connected through direct messenger to book the tour.
Mark, Erin, and one other participant met up in Parque San Juan to learn about Erin’s extensive culinary background, Merida’s pre-Hispanic history, and foods.
From there, we headed off to one of our favorite places in the city, the Mercado Lucas de Galvez.
Locals and Amazing Foods
We’ll try not to give away too much of the fantastic information Erin shares. Because you absolutely want to take her tour or cooking class!
We worked our way through the mercado, meeting locals Erin buys from regularly for her home and classes.
One of the more interesting things we sampled was huayas, something growing in the yard of the house we are buying. These are similar to rambutan or lychees. You crack open the hard outside shell and eat the soft interior, usually with lime and chilis.
We sampled fresh warm corn tortillas and learned about the process of nixtamalization and its effect on the Yucatecan diet. We tried several local fruits and learned about the varieties of Yucatecan vegetables and how to prepare them.
Señor Dominguez
One of my favorite stops was to Jugos Golfo de Mexico, operated by Señor Dominguez. He makes delicious juices and Aguas Frescas. At age 82, he has made fresh fruit and vegetable juices for most of his life.
We sampled his Pitaya Agua Fresca, made with fresh dragonfruit, lime, sugar, and ice. Made the same way he has made it for decades. It was fresh and refreshing, and he could not have been nicer.
How To Find Erin
Mark thoroughly enjoyed the food tour with Erin and hopes to take one of her cooking classes in the future.
Whether you are looking for a unique Airbnb experience, food tour, or plant-based cooking class, you want to check out Casa Misterio!
You can find them on their website, Facebook page, or Instagram – you’ll be glad you did!
