They say Jalisco is Mexico and Mexico is Jalisco.
So what do you think of when I say Mexico?
Mariachis?
Sombreros?
Tequila?
Every iconic image
you know about Mexico comes from this state.
But Jaliscans are not about stereotypes.
At heart, they are cosmopolitan trendsetters.
Sí.
I believe you.
I'm intrigued to see how tradition and innovation
shape their bold, mouthwatering cuisine.
There's so much happening right now.
I can't--
I'm Eva Longoria--
born and bred in Texas with Mexican-American roots,
which makes me a Texican.
I'm exploring Mexico to see how the people, their lands,
and their past have shaped a culinary tradition
as diverse as its 32 states.
That's commitment.
Jalisco has always been at the forefront
of Mexico's national culture.
The rich tapestry of civilizations
that make up Mexico
informs Jalisco's identity
and its gastronomic treasures,
going all the way back to the Aztecs...
Spiced up by invasion...
But sliced and diced
by a new generation of food pioneers.
Wow...
Whoo.
But no culinary tour is ever complete...
all: Tequila, tequila!
Without sampling the local beverage...
in moderation, of course.
Ooh, ooh!
Jalisco's capital, Guadalajara,
is Mexico's second city.
It's vibrant and exciting,
with T-shirt weather all year round.
The locals proudly call themselves tapatíos,
a nickname meaning "triple the worth."
You can see from the vibe here,
Guadalajarans are proud to be the face
of contemporary Mexico.
- Hola. - Hola. ¿Cómo estás?
Wendy Perez has been eating her way
through Guadalajara in her 25 years as a food writer.
Like, that's the best job ever.
Yeah.
Guadalajara is known as the Pearl of the West.
But there are no pearls without grit.
The first stop is an unassuming area
not far from the center-- Mexicaltzingo.
This is the city's most popular street food.
It may look like a simple sandwich,
but this drowned sub is so much more.
I've been waiting--
- Buenas tardes. - I'm so excited.
And yet it's the main protein of the region.
Delicious pork pre-cooked for hours
in bay leaves and garlic--
that's the main filling.
But what steals the show here
is a bread with an intriguing past.
The bread here is very influenced
by the French occupation when the French was here.
When the French invaded in 1864,
they tried to win over Guadalajarans
by teaching them new skills, like bread making.
The story goes that a French sergeant, Camille Pirrotte,
wanted to make French bread but didn't have any yeast.
The warm, wet climate enabled him to make sourdough,
giving rise to Jalisco's unique birote bread,
still loved today.
And here's my favorite part of the story.
Drown the torta.
The drowning?
Originally, the bread fell into this marvelous sauce
by accident,
and that's how this legendary local dish
is said to have been born.
I think I'll have mine a little less spicy
than the normal Mexican.
Gracias.
I don't know if I've ever been this excited to eat anything.
Mmm.
I mean--
Oh, my God. Mmm.
Sí.
The French brought the bread here.
You guys have improved upon their recipe.
Ha ha!
Torta ahogada is all about tradition,
but Guadalajara is also known for its innovation.
So I'm curious to see what the new kids on the block
are up to.
Santa Tere is a mecca
for local and visiting foodies.
Here, you can find Mexicans redefining
their traditional flavors on every corner.
Tucked away in a converted garage,
Xokol is run
by two award-winning internationally trained chefs.
Hola.
Husband and wife Oscar Segundo and Xrysw Ruelas
use new and ancient techniques
that bring out the best of Jaliscan flavors.
Ah, sí.
This was indigenous?
The typical way to serve chinchayote
is with cheese in a tomato and onion broth.
In this ingenious version,
it's still served with cheese and onions
but in a revolutionary new form.
The cheese is enclosed in a mashed chinchayote,
forming a globe.
So you make a ball.
It's like a Mexican dumpling.
Anything that is potato related
with cheese in the middle, like, sign me up.
To achieve the perfect crunch in frying,
Xrysw and Oscar borrow from the Japanese.
Sí.
Oh, wow.
On the crispy, golden-brown exterior,
little dots of pink corn paste
anchor wafer-thin slices of cauliflower...
This is beautiful.
Floating on a warm pureed salsa.
Wow.
Wow!
It's, like, super crunchy on the outside.
That cheese just, like...
melts in your mouth.
Oh, my gosh.
It's a triumph of textures and delicate flavors.
Pearls come in all shapes and sizes,
even ones like these, filled with cheese.
Congrats. both: Salud.
- Felicidades. - Salud.
Gracias.
Wow. Oh, my God.
I could eat five of those. Ah, sí.
I'm like...
- Hola. - Hola, Eva.
Welcome to Lienzo Charros de Jalisco.
If Jalisco is Mexico, nowhere is this more evident
than at Guadalajara's Lienzo Charro,
the cathedral of charrería-- Mexico's national sport.
Jesús Mora is the head honcho here.
You look so handsome.
- Ay, ay, ay. - Look at this!
Wow!
- Yes. - ¿Traje de charro?
- Yes. - Okay.
But being tapatíos,
these guys don't see themselves
as ordinary cowboys.
In Mexico, we have vaqueros.
Vaquerosis the same as cowboys.
Charrois, for me, a little bigger,
a little higher-- An art form.
Yes.
On Sundays, 400 tough guys and gals come here
to compete, drink, and eat.
But the charros' role as emblems of Mexican culture
didn't happen by accident.
Oh.
This is a good place to see all the charrería.
- Oh, my God! - Eso!
The story of Jalisco's iconiccharros
has a unique place in Mexican history.
During the Spanish conquest,
the only Mexicans permitted to own horses
were the ranch workers who managed the cattle.
Through their expertise,
these cattle wranglers began to earn their own status.
Then as rural communities
started to feel disenfranchised,
the charros used this status to fight for their rights.
It was the charros who helped establish Mexico
as a constitutional republic.
In 1910, during the bloody civil war,
two charros, Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa,
led rural uprisings that helped depose Porfirio Diaz,
Mexico's longest-standing dictator.
They say that armies march on their stomachs,
and the food of these revolutionaries
has also become the stuff of Mexican folklore.
After the charrería,
everyone comes together to eat birria--
Jalisco's famous stew.
Hola. Soy Eva.
- ¿Qué tal? Enrique. - Enrique!
Sí.
Enrique's family has been cooking this recipe
for four generations,
and now he's head chef in the Lienzo clubhouse.
The Spanish brought the goats for milk,
but goats took over and ate all the crops
of the Indigenous people.
So, even though eating goats started as damage control,
the end result was a culinary triumph.
They brought everything over, but you made it better.
Exacto.You got it.
There are two elements to birria--
the meat and the sauce.
Mm-hmm.
Mmm.
Enrique grinds garlic, bay leaves,
and cloves with vinegar--
the magic aromatics that give birria its unique taste.
And that's just tomatoes?
- Sí. - Okay.
The tomatoes and ground spices
are combined with the juices from the meat.
Oh, wow.
Like, what makes it special?
The person making it?
Wow.
Yeah, life is good with birria.
Wow, look at that.
Sí.
Oh, wow. You can smell the cloves.
Birria, in Spanish, means "of little value,"
a poor man's food.
Así es.
But, ironically, today it's food fit
for a hero's banquet.
There must be so many memories.
Ah, this reminds me of this. This reminds me of that.
Mm.
- Mm-hmm. Aw. - Sí, sí.
Wow. This smells so good.
Sí, no?
Sí, no, no.
Mmm.
Whoa.
Wow.
It's so soft.
Sí, sí, sí, sí, sí.
Oh, my gosh, this broth is amazing.
I can see why this Jaliscan stew
has become as legendary as the charros who eat it.
They have skillfully transformed goat meat
into a pillar of Mexican gastronomy.
This is really amazing.
These crafty charros have one more trick up their sleeve.
No, gracias.
Like this.
Oh, my God, that's so big!
Trying to kill me.
It's my first day, and they're trying to kill me.
Salud!
Que viva México!
Salud!
Wherever you go in Guadalajara,
you see Mexican culture celebrated with style.
We are in, like, the trendy spot in Guadalajara.
I already feel cooler walking on these streets.
Colonia Americana--
this is, like, where all the people of Guadalajara come
and they hang out.
There's a kitchen here
where you can taste all the distinctive influences
that make Mexico unique in just one dish.
So here we are.
Oh, my God, I love it already.
Hola.
Fabián Delgado Padilla is one of the city's hottest chefs,
and his restaurant, palReal,
is one of the top rated in Guadalajara.
Like every tapatío, Fabián looks beyond tradition,
putting his own stamp on classic Mexican recipes.
So where better to savor the king of national dishes
than in his restaurant?
Oh, pork belly.
Oh, my God, I'm already excited.
Okay, between you and me,
I've never come across a mole I've loved.
Hola.
They're usually too sweet for me.
La cocina... Andrea, Sam, Edson.
But who knows?
There are so many versions of mole.
Maybe Fabian's will be different.
Sí.
I believe you. I believe you.
He's famed for his mole dulce sauce
over pork belly with a crispy skin.
Like Mexico itself, mole is a mix
of Indigenous and European influences.
Oh, my God, there's so many. Sí, claro.
This combination, known as mestizo,
is at the heart of Mexican cultural identity.
A century ago, as the civil war
had left the country destitute and divided,
to unite the population,
the new government promoted the ideology of mestizo.
Politicians, educators,
and artists like Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo came together
to celebrate the birth of a nation like no other,
one where European and Indigenous people
were rooted equally together.
This movement is what helped to make Mexico unique...
And what helped inspire Fabián's mole.
So you fry the chile.
That's where the love and patience comes in?
You have to do all of those?
Oh, my God, I'll see you in the table.
I'm just kidding.
And this is Fabián's stroke of genius--
a couple of French additions.
- Wow. - Wow.
Sí.
Aha.
Last but definitely not least, a key ingredient...
Chocolate, a 3 1/2-thousand-year-old gem
from the Olmecs.
I think there's a saying,
like, don't mess with somebody's mole, right?
And there you go--
in the blender, all the ingredients--
European, Mexican,
a complex culinary expression of mestizo.
This smells insane and amazing.
Wow.
Uh-huh.
To make sure the pork belly stays crispy
when served with the mole, a final flourish.
Oh, my God, it's like popcorn.
Oh, my God.
Okay.
Let's eat it!
I was gonna do this. That's why.
Okay. Oh, my goodness.
Sí, sí, sí. Sí.
Okay.
Mmm.
There's so much happening right now.
I can't--
This is so good.
Super crunchy, super soft in the middle,
and then another crunchy part and then the herb.
Oh, my gosh.
But this mole--wow, you can taste that chocolate...
I don't know. Fabián, I think--
Yeah.
Wow.
Gracias. Salud.
Look at that. Oh, wow.
Just 31 miles south of Guadalajara
lies Mexico's biggest natural lake--
Lake Chapala.
It is huge. Look at this.
It's home to a small fishing community.
Even in a state like Jalisco,
that has been defined by mestizo for centuries,
there is a pocket of the population
that remains untouched.
I'm excited to see the ways that they have preserved
their traditions, how they cook,
what ingredients they still use today.
The Coca people,
whose ancestors thrived on these shores
around 800 years ago,
are one of the oldest Indigenous groups in Mexico.
Around 5,000 of them live here now,
and their story is a tale of resistance.
Teacher and mom Rocío Moreno is one of them.
Hola. Hola.
The lake is the lifeblood of the community...
I hope I don't have to row the boat.
Buenos días. ¿Mi capitán?
Capitán.
And it provides both work and sustenance.
So many birds here. Tantos pájaros.
Hola.
15?
Wow.
Is he only gonna make $7 for the day?
- ¿Sí? - Sí.
Sí.
- Gracias. - Gracias.
Uh-huh.
Rocío's concern is that the water exploitation
and dwindling fish stocks
will threaten their way of life.
But the Coca people's fight for survival
is hardwired into their identity.
During the War of Mexican Independence
in the early 19th century,
the Coca people had to fight the Spanish
to keep control of Mezcala Island.
A bloody conflict raged for four years,
and this fort was the stronghold of the rebels.
Why keep them?
I got to say, walking around here is very complex for me,
because I'm a 13th-generation American
and my ancestors left Spain in 1603
looking for a better life.
So to think about them coming into conflict
with the Indigenous people is really hard to imagine.
Back on the mainland by the shoreline
is a communal kitchen
where the Coca people cook, gather, and feast
on special occasions.
Wow.
As for our super-fresh charales,
the traditional way to cook them
is on a griddle dusted with flour
so they don't stick.
Just flipping it with her fingers.
I would be like, "Give me some tongs."
She cooks like my mother and my grandmother,
which is fingers in the fire.
These days, the Coca have tweaked the original recipe.
I think I want those.
Fingers in the oil--
that is next-level Mexican cooking, I'll tell you that.
French fries of chapala. Sí.
Vicente has a few jobs, including farming.
And with 13 grandkids,
he has a lot of mouths to feed.
It's an aphrodisiac?
- Sí. - Oh!
There's a lot of children in this town.
I noticed that. Sí.
Oh, my gosh.
Okay.
His traditional recipe makes this little fish
go a long way.
I've definitely never seen this before.
Dunking the tortilla meant that this broth
could go even further.
Mm.
Wow.
Okay. ¿Es así?
Mm.
Mmm. Oh, wow.
Wow.
That's really good.
Through survival of your people,
that's where this plate was born.
Mmm.
It's so crunchy. Sí.
Mmm.
Claro.
Sí.
¿Sí?
What a place. I can't even describe it.
I didn't even know this existed.
You feel their culture holding on for dear life
through what they make, how they make it,
with what they make it with,
how they serve it, how they celebrate it.
It truly is unique to this region,
this lake, and this hillside.
I'm being treated
to the ultimate Mexican experience
by my friends Ale and Mariana...
Whoo.
A traditional cantina.
- Hola. - Hola.
Buenas tardes.
And, of course, when we go out,
there's only one drink for us.
all: Tequila, tequila, tequila!
Tequila is the national drink of Mexico.
And it was born right here in Jalisco.
As shocking as it is,
women weren't allowed in these bars until the 1980s.
That's so crazy that you could just sit here
as a man and pee, and you didn't even have to get up.
Also, when the women couldn't enter the cantinas,
tequila was seen as a very cheap drink.
You weren't very sophisticated if you were drinking tequila.
all: Salud! Cheers.
Thankfully, times have changed.
Cheers to women being allowed in bars.
Salud.
And thanks to the Jaliscan spirit of innovation,
tequila has been elevated to a refined drink
to be sipped, not slammed or hidden in a cocktail.
Really refreshing.
I love tequila so much,
I went into business with Ale and Mariana
to produce our own brand.
But I'm always ready to learn more.
I'm heading to where it all began--
27 miles northwest,
just outside the city of Tequila,
where the mineral-rich red volcanic soil
provides the perfect growing conditions for the blue agave.
98% of the world's tequila
is produced right here in Jalisco.
Legend goes that when 16th-century Spanish rulers
ran out of their favorite brandy,
they turned to the plentiful agave,
and tequila was created.
Hola. ¿Cómo estás?
Salvador Rosales Trejo
makes tequila as distinguished as fine whiskey.
I don't think there's anything more beautiful
than a field of blue agave.
This is stunning.
Today much of the industry is highly mechanized.
But Salvador's vision is about trusting the past
and sticking to traditional methods.
I've done this work before, and it is hard.
It is not easy.
Hola. Hola. Buenos días.
How does he not have gloves?
Ah, ¿sí?
Look at the calluses.
Wow.
That's commitment.
Amazingly, it takes 15 pounds
of blue agave piñas to make just one liter of tequila.
Mmm. You can smell it already.
Some tequila is simply distilled and bottled.
That's called tequila blanco.
The rest of it is brought here.
A lot of people don't know, but the barrel gives the color.
Once it's been in the barrel between 2 to 12 months,
it's known as a reposado.
If it remains there longer than a year,
it's called añejo.
Right.
Do we get to drink it now?
- Yes. - Okay.
'Cause that's what I've been waiting for.
We're starting with Salvador's favorite white tequila.
- No? - Mmm.
Oh, that's so nice.
Mmm.
It's like the idea of having a chunk of Parmesan
with a red wine... Mm-hmm. Sí.
And it just brings out the notes.
- Sí.Mm-hmm. - Yeah.
Extra añejo.
I smell, like, canela.
How many months in the barrel?
Seven years as a plant, four years in the barrel--
I mean, that's a lot of time to one product.
- Sí. - Mmm.
- I love the extra añejo. - Gracias.
Yeah. And I would like the world to know,
tequila's an art form.
And it comes from generations of knowledge and respect
for the people and the region and the plant.
- Sí. - Salud.
Gracias.
I'm back with Fabián,
the guy who converted me to mole,
and, luckily, it's lunchtime.
I'm so hungry.
And, no, we're not at his swanky restaurant palReal.
We are in one of the local municipal markets.
Doña Vicky!
The name of his place here is a playful nod
to Mexico's closest neighbor.
I love the name Yunaites-- "United States."
Mixing ideas and traditions
really is second nature to tapatíos.
'Cause you wanted it accessible to the people.
In a country where the average daily wage
is around 13 U.S. dollars,
Fabián has created a welcoming hub
where everybody can enjoy great food
at a low cost.
And there's a trick to feeding the masses on a shoestring...
Oh, my God, what is that?
Combining new flavors with old staples,
like Jalisco's famous French bread.
It's gonna all fall apart.
Mmm, mmm.
Like, it overpowers everything. Muy fuerte.
This doesn't overpower anything.
Just like his upscale palReal,
the main attraction here is pork with mole.
Only, here, he's turned it into a bargain market snack.
Fabián serves the pork on a gordita,
an extra-thick tortilla that bulks it out
and doesn't break the bank.
Uh-oh. Huh?
Uh-huh.
Mine's not as nice.
Oh, my God, is this the pork? Mira...
My God.
He also chooses a cheaper cut of meat
and cooks it for a shorter time
than at his high-end restaurant.
Oh, you can smell the chocolate.
It has a different leaf.
Wow. Wow.
You know how so many people don't like cilantro?
Everybody would like that.
Wow, that's beautiful.
Hola. Mucho gusto.
The star of today.
God, there's so much I have to stack on.
Oh, my God. Okay.
Mmm.
Oh, high five. I'll high-five.
Like...
Wow.
This was so good.
To have this, like, culinary experience
at this level at a market,
it's pretty impressive.
Fabián's food embodies the perfect balance
between tradition and innovation
that so characterizes Jalisco.
I came here to Jalisco not knowing what I would find,
but I have discovered a forward-thinking state
of original creators.
Jalisco helped define modern Mexican culture,
but Jaliscans don't let their roots define them.
They look to the future
and transform their iconic heirlooms
into unexpected delights.