The Quest for the World's Greatest Hot Chocolate| Oaxaca, Mexico

It's no secret that we're crazy about hot chocolate. We've traveled the world in search of the world's greatest cup. Our journey has taken us to many wonderful cities, such as Winchester, Lyon, Paris, and Dublin. However, we thought that it was about time to take our search out of Europe. It was time to taste the hot chocolate of Mexico.

We headed to Oaxaca (pronounced wah-ha-ka), a city about 300 miles south of Mexico City. It's a fascinating place with a real mix of cultural sights. You can admire colonialist architecture (our favourite was the stunning gold interior of the church of Santo Domingo de Guzman), visit Zapotec archaeological sites or browse through the wonderful artisan markets. The surrounding area is also very scenic. For example, many tourists enjoying going to Hierve el Agua, an amazing petrified waterfall.

Despite our obvious enjoyment of these many touristic excursions, our primary interest when we travel is that of food tourism. Oaxaca did not disappoint. There are so many culinary specialties, such as tamales, mole (a rich, spiced sauce) and even grasshoppers! However, there was one particular treat that caught our eye: Oaxacan hot chocolate.

A stone's throw from our hotel was the famous Mayordomo. The hot chocolate here is made of only four ingredients: sugar, almonds, roasted cocoa beans and cinnamon. These ingredients are blended together and pressed into a chocolate disk. To prepare the hot chocolate, this disk is mixed into hot water or milk using a big wooden mixer.

It goes without saying that the chocolate was unbelievably rich and delicious. Once was just not enough, we had hot chocolate nearly every day that we spent in Oaxaca. Luckily, Mayordomo also sells its special chocolate disks, so I stocked up and bought several kilos worth of hot chocolate to enjoy at home.

Where will the quest for the world's greatest hot chocolate take us next?

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