The sophisticated and varied cuisine
of the Yucatecan
Was Yucatecan cooking the first "fusion" cuisine? Possibly! The History of Yucatecan Cuisine, a blend of native ingredients used by the ancient Maya, European and Oriental flavorings introduced by the Spaniards during the colonial period, and later additions from the Caribbean and the Middle East. Yucatecan cuisine is one of the most interesting regional dining experiences in Mexico. Once upon a time the Yucatecan peninsula was considered to be too far away and too difficult to reach from the rest of Mexico. Mountainous terrain and very poor roads kept the peninsula isolated. Having ports with commercial and cultural contacts with Europe, (especially France), New Orleans, Cuba and Arab immigrants, the Yucatecans were easily influenced by many aspects of these countries and cultures, such as dress, architecture and cooking. Its most popular chile - the habanero - is rumored to have come from Java. In Mexico, it is grown only in the Yucatan. In fact, a knowledgeable cook can identify the food markets of the Yucatan simply by their fragrances, prominent among them oregano, cilantro, recados (spice blends) and epazote. Epazote originated in Spain, but was and is best loved in the Yucatan.
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Although chiles are used, Yucatecan food tends to be
considerably less spicy than other Mexican cooking.
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Like much of Mexico, Yucatan has its native ingredients and its indigenous population to thank for the core of its cuisine. Ingredients like epazote, oregano Yucateco, and one of the world's hottest chiles, the habanero, are unique to Yucatan. Cooking methods like the pib, a hand-dug pit lined with stones and fiery coals in which banana-leaf-wrapped meats are cooked are typical of Mayan cooking. Ground spice pastes used for marinades, sauces of nuts, spices and chilis, intricate methods for cooking meats, pungent citrus juices all contribute to the unique culinary tradition of Yucatan. Yucatecan cuisine remains little known outside the region. But for the serious student and gourmet, it contains elements of surprise and richness that rival the great cuisines of the world.
Key ingredients of many Yucatecan treats are sour orange juice (from a special kind of green, thick-skinned orange found primarily in the Yucatan) and a spice paste (recado) made from grinding up rusty, brown achiote seeds with garlic, black pepper, cumin, oregano, cloves cinnamon and vinegar.
Throughout the Yucatan chicken, pork and fish will often be prepared "pibil" style which means the meat has been flavored with a red seasoning paste or recado rojo. Recado rojo consists of several local spices including red annatto seeds which adds the red color and a unique flavor. Recado Rojo is available commercially in most latino style markets and will be known as as achiote paste.
One of humanity’s most astonishing civilizations, dating from 9000 BC, originated in these exotic regions of the Caribbean coastlands and the Puuc Zone of the northern part of the Yucatan Peninsula.
At the beginning, the inhabitants subsisted by hunting and food gathering, which enabled them to develop a very special cuisine. In time, with the influence and contributions of the Conquistadors, they created and popularized exotic dishes that come to our palates without our imagining all the excitement and legends of their ingredients.
Mexican cuisine is highly regionalized because local conditions are so varied. There are many ethnic groups with their own customs, languages and traditional ingredients. Pre-Hispanic Mayan cooking used no fat or oil. Food was never fried, but eaten raw, grilled or stewed. Although there was a rich variety of vegetables, meat was scarce, consisting mainly of game and turkey.
The Spanish introduced pork, lamb, beef and wine, among other staples. The Yucatan Peninsula was so difficult to get to by road from Mexico City, however, that its main outside influences came by sea from France and Europe.
Although chiles are used, Yucatecan food tends to be considerably less spicy than other Mexican cooking. One of the principal flavorings is achiote, a subtle condiment made from the flowers of a Caribbean tree.
In the Yucatan, a paste made of achiote seeds, garlic, black pepper, oregano, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, and vinegar, is smeared on anything from pork to whole fish, which are typically wrapped in banana leaves and slow cooked in outdoor ovens. Other favorite dressings are made with ground pumpkin seeds.
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Yucatecan Favorites:
Pavo en Pipian
Turkey cooked in pumpkin seed sauce with regional condiments and achiote. Pollo Pibil Tender local chicken seasoned with local spices, wrapped in banana leaves, baked in a very slow oven.
Salpicón de Res
Slivers of tender beef garnished with onion, tomato, cilantro, radishes, sour Yucatecan orange and guacamole.
Queso Relleno
Dutch Edam cheese stuffed with a mixture of ground pork, tomato, raisins, capers and olives, served with a special house red sauce.
Pan de Cazón
Layers of baby shark, tortillas and black beans in a mild red sauce.
Cochinita Pibil
Arguably the ruby in the crown of Yucatecan cuisine is Cochinita Pibil or Pork cooked pibil style. Traditionally this pre-Columbian dish called for wild boar to be covered with local seasoning and spices, wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in a stone-lined, coal-filled pit. This method of cooking would bake/steam the boar while at the same time infuse the meat with the flavor of the banana leaves and spices.
Cochinita Pibil remains one of the most popular dishes in the Yucatan despite the fact that it is generally not prepared in the traditional method. Ovens have replaced pits and domesticated pig introduced by the Spanish has replaced wild boar but the seasonings remain virutally the same and most households/restaurants still wrap the meat in banana leaves before cooking. Usually eaten with sauteed onions in a sandwich (torta) of soft french bread.
Pollo Pibil
Chicken marinated in achiote (annatto), sour orange juice, peppercorns, garlic, cumin, salt, and then wrapped in banana leaves and baked. A dish you should definitely try for lunch or dinner. Not spicy.
Lime Soup
A delicious soup made with shredded chicken, bits of fried tortilla, and lime juice. Exquisite! And very good for you if you aren't feeling well. Rich chicken stock to which may be added any combination of vegtables but always contains liberal portions of shredded white chicken meat and is seasoned with limes which bring out the delicate flavor of the broth. Served with fried tortilla strips and often with a side dish (salpicon) made of chopped radishes, purple onions and bitter oranges.
Michelada
Okay, not exactly a food, (it's a beer), but it sure adds to the pleasure of a meal. You'll see it on the menu and wonder what it is. Michelada roughly translates as "my cold beer". The spicy concoction is a beer with lime and peppery seasoning. The ingredients are lime, coarse salt, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Tabasco sauce, black pepper, Maggi seasoning and beer, preferably a dark Mexican beer like Negra Modelo. Another option is a CHELADA, which is a Michelada without the Tabasco, soy, pepper and other seasonings. It's just beer, lemon and salt.
Poc Chuc
Tender grilled strip of loin of pork seasoned with a combination of local condiments and served with sour Yucatecan orange, chiltomate and steamed beans.
Papadzules
Tortillas stuffed with hard boiled eggs bathed in pumpkin seed sauce and a tasty red sauce.
Tikin-Xic
Baked fish--often grouper (mero) or snapper (huachinango) slathered in a mixture of sour orange juice, dried oregano and an achiote-based spice paste, then layered with slices of tomato, bell peppers and onions, wrapped in banana leaves and baked.
Frijoles con puerco
The Yucatecan version of American pork and beans consists of chunks of pork cooked in one of the Yucatan's favorite foods, black beans. The beans are invariably seasoned with a liberal sprinkling of epazote, known in the US as pigweed. Generally served with rice, fresh corn tortillas and a garnish of finely chopped cilantro, radishes and onions. A regular Monday dish in most Yucatecan homes.
Huevos Motelenos
A hearty breakfast made from crisp, half-fried tortillas topped with black bean paste and fried eggs then crowned with a rich sauce of tomato, onion and peppers, and sprinkled with a liberal helping of green peas, cubed ham and crumbled cheese. Usually served with some fried banana slices.
Panuchos and Salbutes
Pre-cooked tortilla with shredded chicken and garnished with lettuce and onion. The difference between panuchos and salbutes is that the first has refried beans inside the tortilla.
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