Yucatan is located on the north part of the Yucatán (duh) Peninsula, that little bottom foot curled up in south Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Campeche to the southwest and Quintana Roo to the southeast, with the Gulf of Mexico off its north coast.
Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the name of this region was Mayab. In the Mayan language, “ma’ ya’ab” is translated to “a few”. It was a very important region for the Mayan civilization, which reached the peak of its development here, where the Mayans founded the cities of Chichen Itza, Izamal, Motul, Mayapan, Ek’ Balam and Ichcaanzihóo (also called T’ho), now Mérida.
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As broad as Mexican cooking is, Yucatecan cuisine should have its own cookbook, where indigenous recipes met old European cuisine to fuse into a one-of-a-kind hybrid. The wide array of colors, flavors and scents from the tropical jungle incorporated textures, and old and new ingredients without needing to change the identity of it all.
Mayans, the forefathers of the people of Yucatan, were the best-fed group in the New World. In their cooking, vegetables, birds, small mammals, seeds, honey and many other ingredients were used. Corn was the “meat” the gods gave them, on a bean skeleton, and blood and lymph made of tomatoes, pumpkin and guava. Cocoa hair smeared with avocado and a Chili pepper spirit. Their diet also included deer, turkey and different species of fish, and a wide variety of fruits.
When the Spanish took Mexican ingredients to Europe, they brought some European ingredients as well, like cattle, poultry and condiments. We can say that many of these products had been settled along with the first colonies.
The Mayans ate three meals a day: a light breakfast and dinner and a hearty lunch. Men ate first and women and little girls ate after them. Yesterday’s tortillas were saved for today’s breakfast but toasted. No fresh tortillas were made until lunch. For celebrations, Mayans went all out when it came to food. Kukulcán’s fest was very important. Named chic kaban, it lasted five whole days at the temple.
Kukulcán, also known as Quetzalcoatl in Aztec culture, was a prominent deity in Mesoamerican religion, particularly among the Maya and Aztec civilizations. The name Kukulcán means “Feathered Serpent” in the Yucatec Maya language.
As a deity, Kukulcán was associated with various aspects such as wind, rain, agriculture, learning, and knowledge. He was often depicted as a feathered serpent, combining elements of a serpent with feathers, symbolizing his connection to both the earth and the sky. Kukulcán was considered a benevolent god, bringing wisdom and prosperity to his worshippers.
This edition, I bring to you a complete Mayan feast with the main dish being “Poc chuc” (pork), with its mandatory sides of “bu’ul” (black beans), “chiltomate” (salsa), and “Xnipec” (cured onions).
Poc chuc or Pok chuk bak’ is basically grilled pork meat, although it has been found by historians that the original way of making this was by grilling fish meat on a flat stone that had fire under it, making the minerals in the rock the “salt and pepper” of the dish.
Truth is that when the Spaniards brought pork into Mexico, this dish started looking a lot more like the poc chuc we eat to this day. After the conquest, the majority of the people who lived far from the city had to salt their meat for conservation and cook it in a wood fire. It would be normal for a traditional Mayan family to cut off a piece of salted meat, squeeze some sour orange on top, put it on the fire and eat it with “bu’ul” (beans) which were one of the most basic foods due to the low cost. Of course, this dish has been modified over the years, but its essence still remains.
For the poc chuc (pork)
Ingredients (for eight servings)
50 oz. of pork loin steaks
3 sour oranges
Salt, pepper, garlic to taste
Preparation
Season the pork with the sour orange juice, salt, pepper and garlic for at least one hour. Cook over a carbon grill or on a flatiron pan. Once cooked, cut in bitesize squares.
For Chiltomate (salsa)
Ingredients (for 2 cups)
2 pounds of red, ripe tomatoes
1 ounce of white onions
5 springs of cilantro
Salt to taste
Preparation
Grill tomatoes without any grease or oil until the skin starts turning black. (This should be done in a molcajete. If you don’t have one a blender could work. Just make sure you don’t puree it.) Blend with onions, cilantro and salt. Consistency must be thick. You may add water if needed, only one tablespoon at a time, for the blender to work properly.
Xnipec (grilled onions)
Ingredients:
14 oz. red onions
3 sour oranges
5 springs of cilantro
Salt to taste
Preparation
Grill onion on an iron skillet. Clean and chop in ½ inch squares. Dress with sour orange juice, add salt and very finely chopped cilantro. This must rest at least one hour before serving.
Bu’ul (beans)
Ingredients
17 oz of black beans
3 quarts (liters) water
2 springs of epazote
1 white onion, finely chopped.
1 clove of garlic
1 x’catik chile (can be substituted for güero chile)
Salt to taste
1/3 cup oil or pork lard
Preparation
Beans must be previously cleaned (remove pebbles, dry beans and rinse), bring to a boil along with epazote and garlic. Cook over medium fire until well done. Add salt only when the bean skins start cracking open. Once the beans are well cooked, puree them. In a separate pan, over medium heat place lard or oil (these beans are made traditionally with pork lard, but it’s up to your preference) and fry the chile whole and onion. Add the pureed beans and another spring of epazote, boil for five minutes and strain to only keep a smooth bean paste.
Warm up some tortillas, serve the pork, salsa, onions and beans and enjoy!
Notes and tips:
Epazote is a Mexican herb, which not only brings flavor to the beans but it is also antiflatulent.
Sour orange juice: In case there are no sour oranges at the market, you can substitute each sour orange with the juices of a regular orange and a lime combined in equal parts.
That’s it! This set of dishes is usually served on Sundays, or when a lot of people gather around because it’s a complete meal and very cheap. For a pretty touch to your table, you can cut some banana leaves bigger than your regular plates, place them over the plates and eat on them! Buen provecho! I am always happy to hear from you at ale.borbolla@gringogazette.com ,
