Canela.TV produces the original docuseries Ahogadas in Mexico

In co-production with Industrias Tajín and Cinescopio Films, Canela.TV premiered on Wednesday the 6th the original docuseries Ahogadas, a tribute to the “tortas ahogadas” (drowned cakes), a typical dish of Guadalajara, Mexico. It’s a four-episode series and is directed by the filmmaker Bruno Madariaga.

In this docuseries, the Mexican filmmaker portrays all through the preparation of a dish that Guadalajara diners worship and one of the greatest eccentricities of Mexican food: the “tortas ahogadas”, a bread with “carnitas” (strips of pork), bathed with a spicy sauce and pickled onions.

Supporting Mexican traditions and gastronomy as a cultural factor, Industrias Tajín got involved in this project to pay homage to this “tapatío” delicacy, endorsing the company’s commitment to preserving Mexican roots, by sharing with the world this dish so representative of the popular Jalisco cuisine.

“I consider myself a Chilapatío because I was born in CDMX, but I was adopted by Guadalajara +25 years ago. I know that ten years after someone moves to New York they can be called a New Yorker, things are not so easy here. In Jalisco the roundabouts go in the opposite direction, not to mention that in order to fully experience the local culture, you have to give in to soaking a bread in sauce and, in addition, become addicted to it,” Madariaga explained.

The filmmaker turned his craving for “tortas ahogadas” into a four-episode project where he deciphers one by one the most famous fast food in Guadalajara, that works just as well to feed little ones as to get rid of hangovers in adults.

The docuseries visually portrays the reddest, brightest, and spiciest of this dish. Its colorful and saturated aesthetic synergizes with the markets, popular signs, and hustle and bustle of Guadalajara’s neighborhoods. The development of Ahogadas took over three months, plus four weeks of pre-production, 61 days of filming, and 9 months of post-production, to be aired exclusively through Canela.TV, the fastest growing free video streaming platform in Latin America.

Alex González, the drummer of the group Maná, talked about how his group tempted the workers of the Televisa forums to crave for this delicacy; but the anecdotes also include those of the moneros Trino and Jis; the soccer player, Daniel Guzmán; the plastic artist, José Dávila and a list of chefs, actresses, foodies and more, who demonstrate how a great dish transcends places, professions and ideologies, under the premise that flavor rules.

At first glance, the “torta ahogada” could be fried pork, served on bread, bathed in a sauce that is so hot and spicy, that eating it, could mean more suffering than joy; however, the concept that the filmmaker describes as a “docucomedia” reveals the universe of Ahogadas.
The locations include the best places where to buy “tortas ahogadas”, but also the old days’ bakeries that make the “Birote Salado” (a sort of bread), which has its origin in the times of the emperor Maximilian. And also Yahualica state where grows a type of chili that has a Denomination of Origin (DO) in Jalisco since 2014 (the second most important in the entity after Tequila), and it is the star ingredient for the star dish, and even for birria (a traditional ancestral soup or stew).

The story also leads to learn how a religious persecution during the Colony gave birth to the succulent “carnitas”; without overlooking the discussion of whether an extravagant hot flavor is a pleasure or inalienable suffering.

With millions of users in the US, Mexico, and Colombia, Canela.TV produces its first Original Canela and shows the cultural attributes of Mexican cuisine.