Dried Shrimp and Chile Spread

Chintextle is a very old dish harking back to times when people needed something both nutritious and portable to take on long foot journeys between isolated regions of Oaxaca. It is a powerfully seasoned paste that varies from cook to cook. The most constant factor in all versions is the dried shrimp, an ingredient that visitors from other cultures find to be an acquired taste.

In Oaxaca, chintextle is usually served with small corn tortillas or tostadas; I’ve developed an unorthodo