Cochinita pibil. This recipe considered emblematic of Yucatecan regional cuisine also of Mexican cuisine in general. It is not possible to specify what was the meat that the Mayans used before the Conquest or if this is a dish that emerged from the Conquest, such as Mole poblano because of the entry of European ingredients.
The truth is that a methodology of indigenous ancestry is used in its cooking since Pib or Piib is the Mayan word to designate the oven underground. Although also today the word identifies the most modern barbecue. And also it should not be confused with the Tandoori ovens of the Hindus, although they use chicken here since pork is taboo meat. However, Mexicans have a version that is Pollo Pibil .
This same recipe later serves as the basis for others such as the X’catik Chiles filled with this already prepared meat. In addition, Chile X’catik, like Habanero, are indigenous peppers from this Mexican region.
Summary
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- 1 Origin
- 2 Recipe
- 1 Refried beans
- 2 Achiote Paste
- 3 Purple onion for cochinita
- 4 Explanatory Notes
- 3 External links
- 4 Sources
Origin
Within the regional cuisines of Mexico , the Yucatecan has its own place. It is a kitchen where the miscegenation of the ancient and indigenous indigenous cuisine has been mixed with the old European but maintaining a certain real identity. The fingerboard of the flavors, colors and smells of the rain forest was integrating the textures, old flavors and new ingredients without greatly changing their ways of making them.
The Mayans were originally one of the best fed Indians in the New World. Vegetables, birds, small animals, seeds, honey and others entered his kitchen. Corn was their meat, gift of their Gods, on a skeleton of beans; blood and lymph made from tomatoes, squash, chaya and guava; cocoa hair smeared with avocado; pepper and achiote spirit (bija). But he used deer and turkey in his diet along with different types of fish as well as a wide variety of fruits.
In this exchange of products and seasonings (condiments and spices) between both worlds, some left America for Europe and Asia , and then spread through Africa . And from Europe came the old products that America did not have: cattle (cattle, pork and sheep), poultry (chickens, geese and ducks), condiments and spices (onion, pepper and cinnamon), other grasses (rice and wheat). Fruits and other plants also came sometimes from Asia and other times from Africa.
We can say that many of these products had already settled in the first island colonies in America, such as Cuba and Hispaniola ( Santo Domingo ). And the conventual hosts were the carriers of these vegetables, condiments, wheat bread, chickens. But methodologies and other things have remained the basis or ties to their most indigenous indigenous origins. Hence, this mixed-race cuisine can be considered as its own from the 18th century until today.
Recipe
The concept of the Pibil comes from the Mayan word Pib or Piib which means grilling under the ground, underground oven. Barbecue. According to the Bilingual Mayan Dictionary of the Editorial Dante. However, this recipe may have originally been based on venison until the Pathfinders introduced pork, pepper, sour orange, and onion. They must also have used other leaves instead of the Asian banana. But ultimately after the Mole poblano this recipe has become one of the standard bearers of Mexican cuisine and has become international. Currently there are some variants but the following is the most original.
Ingredients for 4 people)
- 750 gr. meat pork (leg or shoulder)
- 150 gr. achiote paste (see recipe below)
- 1/2 lt. sour orange juice
- Dried oregano leaves to taste
- 2 banana leaves
- 1/2 Kg. Refried beans (see recipe below)
- 1/2 Kg. Of purple onion for cochinita (see recipe below)
- Garlic to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
Preparation: The meat is cleaned well and cut into pieces. Season with salt, pepper and garlic. Achiote paste is diluted in orange juice and added to seasoned meat. The more it is left to rest the better.
In a mold, the meat is arranged on a bed of banana leaves, the oregano leaves are put on it and covered with the rest of the banana leaf. It is covered or sealed with aluminum foil so that the steam does not escape. It is baked at 300º C for approximately one hour.
It is served with a side of fried black beans and red onion.
Refried beans
Ingredients:
- 500 gr. black bean
- 3 lt. Water
- 20 gr. epazote
- 1 white onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 x’catik chili (optional)
- Salt to taste
- Oil or butter
Preparation: Put the beans in the boiling water with a sprig of epazote and garlic. Cook over medium heat until well cooked. Salt is added when the beans are opened. In another pot, heat the fat, fry the finely chopped onion, the whole x’catik chili and another sprig of epazote. Beans are added, stirring constantly, until thick.
Achiote Pasta
This paste is made at home and is kept for some time given the great use it is given in Mexican homes.
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons of annatto seeds (bija)
- 1 teaspoon ground dry oregano
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 10 garlic cloves, peeled
- 4 cloves
- 12 fat peppers
- Salt to taste
- White vinegar or sour orange juice to taste
Preparation: Everything is ground very well and the vinegar or sour orange juice is added little by little until it forms a thick paste.
Purple onion for cochinita
Although this recipe uses purple or Spanish onion and sour orange, demarking it is rare.
Ingredients:
- 400 gr. red onion
- 3 sour oranges
- Salt to taste
- Habanero pepper (optional)
Preparation: The onion is chopped into small squares of 1/2 cm., It is deflamed with boiling water and rinsed with cold water. It is tanned in the juice of the sour oranges and salt. You can add the minced habanero pepper, if you want some spice.
Explanatory notes
Epazote leaf used as a condiment in Mexico.
- Epazote: (Chenopodium ambrosioides) It is a natural herbaceous plant from Central America. The leaves are oval and serrated. The plant has a strong, not very pleasant smell. Leaves and seeds are used for medicinal purposes. An oil is extracted from the seeds, the chenopodium oil used until 1940 as an anthelmintic. It is still used in some Third World countries and as an anthelmintic for livestock.
The main component is ascaridol, which constitutes 70-80% of the oil, which also contains other terpenes, some of them with antifungal properties. Chenopodium oil (also called Baltimore oil) is quite toxic, being lethal in doses of 0.2 ml / kg of weight. Symptoms of poisoning are salivation, palpitations, and seizures. Fresh leaves are used in Mexico as a condiment, particularly in bean dishes for their flavor and antiflatulent effects.
The Chile (ají) X’catik, original cultivation of Yucatan.
- Chile X’Catik: Chile (Ají) from the Yucatan peninsula, pale yellow color, thin, pointed, with a slightly wavy elongated conical shape, measuring about 11 cm. long and 2 or 3 cm. In its widest part, it can be moderately spicy or very spicy, most of it is used fresh, roasted, whole without peeling, it is part of pickled fish or shellfish, in poultry stews such as turkey or chicken. The name of this Chile in Mayan means blond or güero. As part of the culinary evolution of the Yucatecan peninsula, these Chiles are currently filled with Cochinita Pibil, Cazón, among other fillings, they are served weathered or not weathered and can be served cold or hot.
Receptacle with Bija seeds that are used as condiments or paint.
- Achiote: Bija (Bixa orellana) also known in other countries as onoto, urucú since time immemorial of American origin. Supposedly it was one of the ingredients used by the indigenous people in their body painting and that gave rise to the first red skins according to the conquerors. Currently it is a widely used seasoning since it provides as much or more coloration than Saffron , which is much more expensive. In the countries of Central and South America it is an essential condiment. Elsewhere in the jungle it is still more used for body painting.
- Sour orange juice: it can be replaced by the juice of a sweet orange with that of a lemon
