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Sign up Explore our Food Tours → a state where gastronomy is almost a religion there are some extraordinary dishes that are prepared only for special occasions because of the complexity of preparation But there are spectacularly tasty (and complex) dishes that can be had anytime One of these is caldo de piedra (stone soup) from the Tuxtepec region we visited a restaurant a few miles outside of the center whose rendition of this soup blew our minds The place is located on the road that connects Oaxaca City with El Tule a small community whose claim to fame is that it’s home to one of the largest trees on earth Caldo de Piedra – named after the soup for which it’s famous – is both unpretentious and inviting: it’s a large hut with a palm roof The back of the restaurant is lined with two spacious wood ovens a long concrete counter and a large comal (griddle) over a wood fire where tortillas are prepared by hand The whole atmosphere feels like the kitchen of a grandmother at the turn of the last century The menu features just a few items: quesadillas empanadas and three different types of caldo de piedra – fish salt and your choice of seafood) are placed raw in a large jicara a bowl made from the fruit of the calabash tree The next step is to drop a hot fist-sized stone into the bowl to cook all the ingredients The stones are heated for two hours in an oak fire “It is very important to use the right firewood to get the right temperature,” said Victor Gachupín The stones must reach 300 degrees Celsius to be able to cook the ingredients thoroughly so a second and sometimes a third stone must be placed in the bowl The preparation of this dish is a spectacle – but the soup itself is also much more than that It’s traditionally been prepared by the men of the Chinanteco ethnic group (located in the north of Oaxaca) to honor the women elderly and distinguished members of their society Men make all the hard preparations on the basin of the Papaloapan River while women enjoy the day with their children in the river Using heated stones instead of cooking the soup directly over heat is a pre-Hispanic tradition that comes from that part of Oaxaca the Gachupíns have used only ingredients they grow themselves and tools brought from their native town The stones are hand-picked from the basin of the river and sent to the restaurant the Gachupíns use only the “freshest” stones – the rocks can withstand the heat and the change of temperature but after one use they are no longer strong enough to be heated up again This article was originally published on June 20 loading map - please wait...Map could not be loaded - please enable Javascript!→ more information Find out why Oaxaca is one of our Best Trips of 2018 discover the confluence of 1,500 years of history and culture Eric Mindling of Traditions Mexico has been organizing immersive tours and expeditions through Oaxaca since 1997 His skilled guides have access to even the most remote communities Hotel Los Amantes: In an updated colonial-era building in Oaxaca City’s historic center this boutique hotel fills its public spaces and 10 suites with contemporary art for sale Parador de Alcalá: Also in Oaxaca’s historic center this 18th-century former mansion offers 21 luxe rooms and a blue-tiled rooftop pool Hotel Casavegas: Outside Oaxaca City which has big-city conveniences compared with smaller villages such as Pinotepa de Don Luis Rest up at this no-frills hotel before venturing out to the coast Caldo de Piedra: Northeast of Oaxaca City Caldo de Piedra’s house specialty is a traditional soup cooked tableside using fire-heated stones Restaurante Casa Oaxaca : Alejandro Ruiz’s acclaimed kitchen in Oaxaca City celebrates the state’s flavors in sophisticated ways from rabbit leg with yellow mole sauce to Oaxacan chocolate A traditional street celebration known as a calenda happens almost daily in Oaxaca to celebrate special occasions like weddings or baptisms Maria Luisa Mendoza de Cruz brushes wool in preparation for spinning at her home in Casa Cruz A calenda to celebrate a wedding in Oaxaca City unfolds on the street Large calenda figurines made from papier-mâché are stored in a temple A full view of Templo de Santo Domingo can be seen through cacti on the rooftop of Hotel Los Amantes People ride bikes and carry baskets through Tiacolula on \"market day,\" which is Sunday Benches line the interior of Templo de San Jeronimo in Oaxaca Platters of food are carried through a busy market in Oaxaca in the waters near Bahia de San Agustin on the pacific coast of Oaxaca Left: Lush and colorful plants fill the forest surrounding San Jose del Pacifico Right: Fresh fish match the color of the table they rest on at El Chimeco restaurant in Bahia San Agustin is the most important archaeological site in the Valley of Oaxaca A woman strolls through an interior room at Palacio Grupo Columnas which means \"place of the dead\" in Nahuatl Cenaduría Oaxaqueña Donají is packed every Friday and Saturday night — here’s why aviation mechanic Efraín Toledo and his wife began serving Oaxacan food from their hometown of Tlalixtac de Cabrera Toledo began working in the Inland Empire’s aerospace industry named after the legendary Zapoteca princess (A cenaduría loosely translates to a “dinner house.”) fellow Zapotecos have spread the word about the couple’s offerings there’s a line outside their white-tented backyard and the dirt parking lot in the driveway is full thanks to the exceptional Valles Centrales food the Toledos serve on tablecloth-covered picnic tables at the best Oaxacan house party in Southern California a few weeks ago we had a concert by Eric Torres,” says Toledo who hosted a night of romantic music by the local singer paired with his “artisanal Oaxacan food” at the cenaduría which is partially concealed by a barrier wall along a frontage road just along the east side of the 215 highway Upon entering the yard’s large white party tent and masa station on the right; on the left guests are welcomed with sips of mezcal complete with botanas (snacks) Cenaduría Oaxaqueña Donají is the best place in greater Los Angeles for a Valles Centrales-style tlayuda “Those open-faced pizza things that people are calling tlayudas with tomatoes and all of that,” says Toledo who imports the large tortillas for his tlayudas or the unrefined lard left over after cooking carnitas it’s standard practice to source artisanal products for a tlayuda stand from local producers and carnicerias.) Toledo’s scorched tlayudas are cooked over a charcoal-fired grill and then filled with Antonia’s avocado-studded herbed black beans; warmed porky asientos; lightly sour quesillo made in Oaxaca’s Villa de Etla; and shredded cabbage They’re folded and served in a basket along with a side of tasajo (thinly sliced grilled beef jerky) A second serving basket is filled with pungent wild herbs (pipicha and pápalo) Competition frisbee-sized memelas are topped with asientos further bolstered with a choice of meat or crunchy chapulines (grasshoppers) Toledo’s sister-in-law Conchita Garcia hand-forms huge The fried snacks arrive hot and crispy; they’re drowned in avocado sauce and black bean puree It takes a minute for the molote to cool down enough to eat — one is enough for a single person — but a bite full of spicy choripapa (that combination of chorizo and potatoes) cooled by the savory sauces and briny cheese The cenaduría also offers tamales de mole and quesadillas including a lovely quesadilla filled with high-quality quesillo and pieces of torn fresh epazote The entire thing tastes like a bite of Oaxaca and chocolate de leche (hot chocolate with milk) a Valles Centrales combo that’s served at all times of day Friday and Saturday nights have been a way to bring the family together for the past two decades to offer up his own authentic taste of his region of Oaxaca something he feels isn’t offered at more commercial restaurants It’s also a nice diversion from his demanding job — he rarely stops smiling as he cooks tlayudas for customers that drive from all over for an evening filled with the kind of street food you’d find strolling the capital city of Oaxaca de Juárez at night “We are here to offer a customary experience on the weekends that’s made with original products and tastes great Cenaduría Oaxaqueña Donají is located at 1608 E La Cadena Drive in Riverside and is open Friday and Saturday nights from 6 p.m either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content A pastor in Mexico was shot and killed leaving his church on Sunday Pastor Alfrery Líctor Cruz Canseco was shot point-black after Sunday services as Fraternidad Cristiana church in Tlalixtac de Cabrera, a town in Oaxaca, La Prensa reports The assailant reportedly attempted to flee but was blocked by parishioners and arrested Some reports indicated Canseco was preaching from the pulpit when he was killed but that couldn't be confirmed "Good, good servant and faithful; about little you have been faithful, on much I will put you; enter the joy of your lord," read a statement on the Frater Oaxaca Facebook page offering condolences La Iglesia Fraternidad Cristiana Vida Nueva in Atoyac describing him as a "friend and brother in Christ very loved by our congregation." "We pray to the Lord to strengthen and comfort his wife Rosita James Ost, a preacher at Iglesia Biblica church in McAllen Texas, called Cabrera a friend in a Facebook post writing that he was "angry and sad" about his murder "I preached in his church and he has preached in our church here The motive for the shooting is still not clear, but Catholic priests and other Christian leaders have increasingly been targeted by gangs in Mexico, "because they speak out against the gangs and/or because they refuse to include gang spiritual mythology in their sermons," according to a 2017 report from the U.S Commission on International Religious Freedom But evangelicals are also being targeted in the largely Catholic country "Local authorities—including some Catholic leaders— have persecuted those who refuse to convert pay taxes for Catholic events and operations or participate in Catholic religious activities," the report reads "Retaliatory actions include cutting off water and electricity prohibiting burials in community cemeteries barring participation in political and civic community activity and denying employment." The country's constitution guarantees freedom of religion Mexico experienced a record number of murders in 2018, with 33,341 homicide investigations, the highest ever. And the epidemic hasn't eluded Oaxaca: Canseco was one of.15 people murdered in the state this weekend, La Prensa reports despite heightened security implemented for a visit by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador Among those killed was Carmela Parral Santos Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Quiote hosts Oaxacan restaurant Caldo de Piedra in April If you buy something from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy Quiote, the vibrant Logan Square Mexican restaurant from Chicago food truck pioneer Dan Salls, will host a special pop-up dinner in April featuring the staff from Caldo de Piedra, a restaurant in Tlalixtac de Cabrera, Oaxaca They’ve been cooking foods from pre-Hispanic Mexico for the last 22 years The restaurant’s name refers to its signature dish: a unique soup cooked by dropping hot river stones into a hollowed gourd full of broth The soup represents an ancient piece of history and heritage dating back to 5,000 B.C The Gachupín Velasco family owns Caldo de Piedra and they’ll be hauling with them river stones from Oaxaca to Quiote The recipe has been passed along through generations showing how this specific area of Mexico has provided for its inhabitants Diners at Quiote will have a hollowed jicara (gourd) filled with those ingredients and water sitting at their tables Restaurant staff will then drop a hot river stone or two into their gourd and they can watch the soup cook for three to four minutes it takes about 30 minutes to heat the stones using a riverside fire They’ll be using Quiote’s wood-burning oven instead in Logan Square Quiote’s Paul Biasco isn’t sure how the restaurant found them Caldo de Piedra reached out and emailed Biasco a few months ago to measure interest The soup will also be available on Quiote’s regular menu on April 11 and 12 By Agencies Members of a Mexican church are shocked after their pastor was murdered during a church service Alfrery Líctor Cruz Canseco was in the pulpit of the Fraternidad Cristiana Church in the municipality of Tlalixtac de Cabrera on Sunday when he was shot at point-blank range According to Christian human rights organisation CSW but was prevented from doing so by members of the congregation and was handed over to the authorities Pastor Cruz Canseco is reported to have died from his injuries on the way to hospital The motive for the killing is unknown but follows a series of violent attacks against religious leaders in the country including the disappearance of Pastor Aarón Méndez Ruiz on 3rd August CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said: “The fact that he was targeted while in the pulpit is particularly shocking We also remain concerned for the wellbeing of Pastor Méndez Ruiz and urge the Mexican government to spare no effort in ensuring his safe return investigating all of these crimes and prosecuting those responsible.” The charity has called for the Mexican government to develop strategies to support all religious leaders who are under threat as “many criminal groups view church leaders and their influence as a threat to their power.” Thomas added: “The government must recognise the role that religious leaders play and afford them greater protection.”