Yucatecan Cuisine

The culinary delights of a typical Yucatecan kitchen come from a mouth watering mixture of European and Mexican flavors. A bit of history will explain this strong European influence. 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 and Cuba, the Yucatecans were easily influenced by many aspects of these countries, such as dress, architecture and cooking, which explains why there is a lot of European flare in its cuisine.

Pollo Pibil
Chicken marinated in achiote (annatto), sour orange juice, peppercorns, garlic, cumin, salt, and then wrapped in banana leaves and baked. This dish can also be made with pork (cochinita pibil). A dish you should definitely try for lunch or dinner. Not spicy.

Panuchos & 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.

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.

Poc Chuc
Tender slices of pork marinated in sour orange juice and served with a tangy sauce and pickled onions.

Papadzules
Chopped hard boiled egg rolled up in tortilla and covered with pumpkin seed sauce.

Frijol con Puerco
The Yucatecan version of pork and beans. Chunks of pork cooked with black beans, served with rice, and garnished with radish, cilantro and onion. A regular Monday dish in most Yucatecan homes.

Motul-Style Eggs
A scrumptious breakfast of tortilla, covered with refried beans and a fried egg and then smothered with tomato sauce, peas, chopped ham and shredded cheese. Usually served with some fried banana slices.

Michelada
Okay, this isn't food...it's a beer. 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.