Yucatecan Cuisine

Yucatecan Cuisine

Yucatecan food is surprisingly diverse, and milder than you might expect. Anything that's too mild, however, can be spiced up in a jiffy with one of many varieties of chili sauce. The sour orange -- large, green, and only slightly sour -- is native to the region, and is also used to give many soups and sauces a unique flavor.

Typical snacks like panuchos (small, thick, fried rounds of cornmeal stuffed or topped with beans and sprinkled with shredded meat and cabbage), empanadas (turnovers of meat, fish, potatoes, or, occasionally, cheese or beans), and salbutes (fried tortillas smothered with diced turkey, pickled onion, and sliced avocado) are ubiquitous. You'll find them at lunch counters (loncherías), in the market, and on the menu of restaurants specializing in local food.

Some recipes made famous in certain Yucatecan towns have made their way to mainstream menus. Huevos motuleños, presumably a recipe from the town of Motul, are so yummy they're found on breakfast menus throughout the region, and even elsewhere in Mexico. The recipe is similar to huevos rancheros (fried eggs on soft corn tortillas smothered in a mild red sauce) with the addition of sliced ham, melted cheese, and peas. Likewise, pollo ticuleño, which originated in Ticul, is served throughout the Yucatán. It's a tasty casserole of layered tomato sauce, mashed potatoes or cornmeal, crispy tortillas, chicken, cheese, and peas.

Tixin-Xic (pronounced teak-en-sheek) is fun to say and even better to eat. This coastal delicacy consists of butterflied snapper rubbed with salt and achiote (an aromatic paste made from the ground seeds of the annatto plant, and used to color food red as well as to subtly season it), grilled over a wood fire, and garnished with tomatoes and onions. As throughout Mexico, aguas frescas -- fruit-flavored waters -- are refreshing on a typically hot day, as are the dark beers Montejo and Leon Negro. Xtabentún is a sweet, thick, locally made liqueur made of anise and honey.