Posted on
by 
0 Comments
When you go to Mexico, eating in Mexico is undoubtedly one of the highlights of your trip. At least it was for me. The regions of Mexico are very different in terms of cuisine. We were in Yucatan, so the information below applies mainly to the food in Yucatan. However, you can find some of these dishes all over Mexico.
Statistieken
Table of contents
What not to miss in Yucatán?
As someone who has not been to the rest of Mexico, I cannot judge how the food is there, but I do know that Yucatan’s cuisine is unique. This is partly due to its colonial past from Spain, the location of the peninsula, and the influences of Mayan culture. The Mayans ruled Yucatan for a long time and you can still see that in the food today.
The peninsula’s location also means that it is somewhat isolated from the rest of Mexico. Yucatan is divided into three main regions; Quintana Roo, Yucatan and Campache. We traveled from the capital, Cancun, through the different parts of the peninsula, trying as many flavors and dishes as possible.
Quite a challenge, actually, because there are so many delicious things to try in this region that you would have to stay much longer to try them all. And we were only there for three weeks.
Introduction to Yucatan Cuisine
So use the following as a starting point and follow your own nose to find the tastiest dishes. In fact, we fell head over heels the very first day during an improbably delicious lunch with a local family.
Before we left, I had a whole list of dishes for the food in Yucatan I wanted to try, and how nice it was to cross some of that off on the first day.
Special Ingredients
In addition to all the influences I’ve mentioned, Yucatan cuisine has a few special ingredients that are very specific to the region.
Achiote (annatto)
If you go to Yucatan, you cannot avoid one of its most famous dishes; cochinita pibil. Achiote is used for this. This is a seed and a natural coloring and flavoring agent in many different dishes. It is usually ground into a paste (recado rojo) and used to marinate meat (as in cochinita pibil), adding color and flavor.
Anyway, I really loved the flavors of Yucatan. Of all the dishes we ate, there were very few that were not delicious. As far as I am concerned, Mexicans are true flavor artists.
Naranja Agria (sour orange)
In addition to achiote, the sour orange is also widely used. It is a fruit that is much more acidic than our (sweet) orange and also has a bitter taste. In marinades, it is ideal for tenderizing the meat beforehand, and when combined with the other herbs and spices, it makes a top combination as in cochinita (pork) pibil or pollo (chicken) pibil.
Cochinita Pibil
Pibil, by the way, is a way of preparing something specific to a region. Pibil comes from the Mayan word “pib”, which literally means “baked in the ground”. The food is wrapped in banana leaves and cooked underground.
This is a little hard to replicate in my own little kitchen, but I have since found achiote pasta online and will soon be making cochinita pibil in the slow cooker. Sort of my own underground oven 🙂
Habanero Pepper
Habanero can be found in the Netherlands, but in Mexico they use it literally everywhere. It is one of the hottest peppers in the world and often ends up in salsas. So always pay attention to how much salsa you put on your taco! Sometimes it can be hotter than you like. But just a little taste and you’ll know. They are not all equally hot, and the final heat also depends on the other ingredients used in the salsa.
Recados (spice mixtures)
I think if the Mexicans are good at anything, it is making certain spice blends. Recado rojo is based on achiote and recado negro is based on charred peppers and spices. With the latter, relleno negro is also used. We tried the latter, but it was not a resounding success. This could be due to its appearance; a black dish has a strange effect on the brain anyway. Or it could have been the mediocre restaurant. That is also possible.
Pepita (pumpkin seeds)
At our lunch spot, where we also had the cochinita pibil, we also got a delicious dish called sikil pak. This is a combination of tomato and cilantro, onion and pepper (of course). Delicious as a kind of dip with tortilla chips. I had written it down on the spot as ‘make it later’. It still needs to be made! Compare it to a kind of guacamole from Yucatan. They use ground pumpkin seeds instead of avocado.
Chaya
Chaya resembles a type of spinach or cabbage and is a common ingredient in Yucatan. It is also often used as a stuffing for tamales.
Typical dishes from Yucatán
Cochinita pibil
It has come up a few times in this post already; cochinita pibil. Probably the most famous dish in Yucatan cuisine. Pork is marinated in a paste with achiote and sour orange juice (which I have yet to find…), then cooked in banana leaves and slow cooked in an underground oven.
Sopa de Lima
I had this delicious soup in Merida. It’s a soup with lime, chicken, fried tortilla and of course pepper. What would you do without a little spice?
Queso relleno
A stuffed Edammer cheese! Of course we had to try it. Funnily enough, the cheese was not the dominant flavor. There is ground meat in the cheese, almonds, sultanas and spices. With something like a tomato sauce. Was it worth it? Let’s say it is something to try but not necessarily my favorite.
Relleno negro
Well, not all dishes were equally suitable for photographing. This dish of black charred peppers was not very photogenic and in terms of taste we did not find it to be the best of our trip through Yucatan.
Gorditas
Gorditas are not really specific to the region of Yucatan, but we had delicious gorditas with the local specialty cochinita pibil. Then again, that makes it a bit Yukateeks, right? If you are in Merida, stop by Gorditas Doña Gorda for the most delicious gorditas. They cost exactly 1 euro each. Delicious!
Panuchos and salutes
A bit of the gorditas of Yucatan cuisine and popular street food. Panuchos are deep fried tortillas stuffed with black beans and topped with chicken, turkey, onions, avocado and …. you guessed it …. chilies.
Street Food
Marquesitas
You can find street food in many places in Yucatan. My absolute favorite is marquesitas. A kind of crispy pancake filled with whatever you like. I had the banana and Nutella variety and it was insanely delicious. They are made fresh in front of you and that alone was an experience. But…. Be warned, you can’t really eat this without making a mess of everything. So make sure you have some extra napkins!
Elotes and esquites
One that I would have loved to try, but which we simply did not come across, were elotes; a kind of grilled corn on a stick. Spread with mayonnaise (sounds delicious), cheese, chili powder and lime. Esquites are the same, but in the form of corn kernels instead of the whole cob.
Drinks
The funny thing is that one of the local drinks is horchata. I knew horchata as a drink from Valencia, but in Yucatan it is made quite differently. With rice, almonds and cinnamon. But also delicious!
I did not try Xtabentún, a local anise-flavored liqueur. (It makes me think of ouzo, but I don’t know if it’s similar).
Where to eat in Yucatán
Yes, this list is of course endless and this post would become ridiculously long. So mostly go where the locals go. In Merida there are an incredible number of delicious restaurants. From street food to fancy restaurants. We would have loved to stay longer in Valladolid as they have some amazing places there too. We found San Cristobal de las Casas to be a fantastic city and its more pleasant climate makes it a great place to spend a few days recovering from the heat.
For more touristy food, you can do well in Tulum or Playa del Carmen. In case you cannot live without eating a burger for more than three weeks.
Tips for trying local food
The main thing I would say here is don’t be afraid to try things. If you go local, make sure you go to places that are crowded. A food truck where no one comes probably doesn’t have fresh food. As for street food and markets, you can often find the tastiest things for next to nothing. As far as hygiene goes, we haven’t had many problems.
Use your common sense, and if something is freshly prepared for you and well heated, and the stall looks a bit tidy? Chances are it will be okay. For restaurants, make sure it’s busy and order local specialties. These are likely to have been ordered more often and haven’t been sitting out for too long.
Be sure to try some of the salsas. Yucatan cuisine is not complete without salsa! If you also love Mexican food, be sure to try the aguachile. We ate this dish a lot in Yucatan, but funnily enough it is not native to the region. Similar to ceviche, aguachile is fresh and usually made with prawns.
Want to read more on the history and food of Yucatan? Be sure to check out this post on Will fly for food too.
