Oaxacan memelas: the maize-dough antojito with pork asiento

What is it?

Memelas are one of the most representative antojitos of Oaxacan cuisine, present in markets, tianguis and fondas of the Central Valleys, the Sierra Sur and the Mixteca. They are made with fresh nixtamalised maize dough — ideally from native maize such as bolita, conical or sangre de Cristo — shaped into thin rounds (12-15 cm in diameter), barely thicker than a normal tortilla but clearly distinct. They are cooked on a clay comal and lightly pinched at the rim to form a small plate. The signature of the dish is the 'asiento', the solid sediment left after rendering pork lard, a fundamental pre-Hispanic-colonial ingredient in Oaxaca. On the hot memela the asiento is generously spread, then refried black beans with avocado leaf, red or green molcajete salsa, quesillo (Oaxaca cheese) or crumbled fresh cheese, chopped onion, coriander and avocado. Gudó Magazine and Masienda document them as an essential antojito of traditional Oaxacan cuisine, a close sibling of tlayudas but smaller and more rustic.

Origin and history

Memelas have clear pre-Hispanic origins and are one of the oldest antojitos of the Oaxacan repertoire. The word 'memela' comes from the Nahuatl 'memelatl' or 'tlatlazoyo', which means 'thick tortilla for serving'. They appear documented in codices and colonial chronicles such as that of Fray Francisco de Burgoa (17th century), who describes the Zapotec and Mixtec kitchens of the Oaxacan valleys including 'thick tortillas with lard and chilli'. Oaxaca Rifa and Gudó Magazine gather the oral tradition of memelas as an antojito of the Zapotec peoples of the Tlacolula Valley, where they have been everyday food for centuries. After the conquest, the incorporation of pork lard — and especially of asiento, which is the solid residue left when rendering lard — enriched the dish and gave it its characteristic unctuous quality. The industrialisation of maize dough has not displaced traditional memelas: in Oaxaca the culture of artisanal nixtamal on metate and hand is kept alive, and the antojito makers of the 20 de Noviembre, Benito Juárez and Sánchez Pascuas markets in Oaxaca de Juárez preserve family recipes inherited from great-grandmothers. Masienda, an important distributor of Mexican maize in the United States, has popularised Oaxacan memelas as a reference of ancestral cuisine.

Characteristic ingredients

The optimal dough is fresh nixtamalised maize, ideally ground on a metate or hand mill, made with native Oaxacan maize (bolita, conical, sangre de Cristo or cajete). It is hydrated only with water, without salt added to the dough, so that the comal and the chilli provide all the flavour. Balls of dough of 60-80 g are formed, flattened in a press or between the hands to 4-5 mm thick — barely thicker than a normal tortilla — and cooked on a very hot clay comal for 2-3 minutes per side, without browning too much. Immediately on turning, the rim of the memela is lightly pinched with the fingers to form a small plate that holds the toppings. The asiento, the distinctive hallmark, is the solid residue left when rendering pork lard: when the lard is cooked over a low heat, the solids of the adipose tissue separate and produce that creamy, golden residue with an intense chicharrón flavour. It is spread plentifully on the hot memela. On top are added refried black beans with avocado leaf, molcajete salsa (red with chile guajillo or green with tomatillo and Oaxacan chile pasilla), shredded quesillo or fresh cheese, finely chopped onion, coriander and avocado slices. Variants: memela with tasajo (dried beef), with Oaxacan chorizo, with squash blossom, with epazote.

Cultural significance

Memelas are one of the identity antojitos of Oaxaca, the state with the greatest gastronomic diversity in Mexico. The 2010 UNESCO declaration of traditional Mexican cuisine — the Michoacán paradigm — recognises Oaxaca as one of the most significant regions of the national corpus. Memelas, together with tlayudas, Oaxacan tamales, black mole and water chocolate, make up the everyday repertoire of the Oaxaca Valley. The Oaxaca Ministry of Culture and Tourism includes memelas in its official gastronomic catalogue. At the 20 de Noviembre market and the antojito-makers' zone of Tlacolula, the family memela stalls are living intangible heritage: many families have spent four or five generations at the same spot. Economically, memelas sustain thousands of family micro-businesses of Zapotec, Mixtec and Oaxacan women. In popular culture they appear in regional novels, cookery books such as those of Patricia Quintana, Diana Kennedy and Pilar Cabrera, and in programmes such as Netflix Street Food: Latin America (2020), which dedicated an episode to Oaxaca and showed the memela makers of the city. Chefs such as Olga Cabrera, Alejandro Ruiz (Casa Oaxaca) and Pilar Cabrera (Casa de los Sabores) have included them in their restaurants as an example of popular cuisine elevated to haute gastronomy.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between memela, tlayuda and sope?

The three are maize-dough antojitos but different. The memela is Oaxacan, medium-sized (12-15 cm), pinched at the rim and spread with pork asiento and bean. The tlayuda is also Oaxacan but much larger (30-40 cm), thin and crunchy like a flatbread, folded to serve with asiento, bean, quesillo and tasajo. The sope is from central Mexico, small (8-10 cm) with a raised rim, without asiento, served with stews on top.

What do memelas taste like?

They taste of comal-cooked nixtamalised maize dough with toasted notes, the asiento provides unctuousness and deep chicharrón flavour, the black beans with avocado leaf add an aniseed-aromatic profile, the molcajete salsa earthy heat, the quesillo elasticity and saltiness, and the coriander herbal freshness. It is a rustic, deep and satisfying antojito that represents the character of Oaxacan cuisine: simple ingredients prepared with ancestral technique.

How are memelas served?

They are served hot, freshly made on the comal, on a flat plate or on banana leaf. They are spread with asiento, refried black bean, salsa to taste (red or green molcajete), shredded quesillo, chopped onion, coriander and avocado. They are accompanied with Oaxacan horchata, chilacayote water, water chocolate or young mezcal. They are eaten by hand or with a fork. At antojito stalls they are served 2-3 per order; at fondas they are a complete lunch dish.

Where do memelas originate from?

They originate from Oaxaca, with their epicentre in the Central Valleys (Oaxaca de Juárez, Tlacolula, Etla, Ocotlán) and presence in the Mixteca and the Sierra Sur. The Nahuatl word 'memelatl' means thick tortilla. They have pre-Hispanic roots in the Zapotec and Mixtec cultures, documented by Fray Francisco de Burgoa in the 17th century. Today they are an identity antojito of the state, part of the Oaxacan gastronomic corpus recognised internationally.