The typical foods of Chiapas stand out for their numerous types of tamales, the shuti with momo, the pozol, the party soup or the pepita with jerky.
The dishes vary a lot according to the areas, since the Chiapas geography goes from the Pacific coast to the mountains of the Los Altos area. This diversity causes the ingredients to change according to the climate of each area.
Chiapas is the southernmost state of the United Mexican States. Its capital and most important city is Tuxla Gutiérrez and it borders Guatemala and the Pacific Ocean.
The indigenous influence on its culture and gastronomy is due to the presence of numerous peoples in pre-colonial times.
Even during colonization, other peoples, such as the Chiapas or the Mexica, maintained an important presence.
Typical food of Chiapas: outstanding dishes
The marked presence of indigenous cultures, such as the Olmec or the Mayan, plus the Spanish influence, mark the gastronomy of the area.
Likewise, its orography and the amount of crops that are presented in the State, such as corn, mango or chocolate give its food a great wealth of ingredients.
1- Chipilín tamales
Tamales are, with all their varieties, the main dish of this State, reflecting all the cultural influences of the area. Among them, chipilín stands out, a wild plant native to the tropical areas of the region.
To make it, you have to mix the leaves of this plant with mixtamal dough, which is nothing more than corn cooked together with lime and later husked and ground.
Then, chicken and cheese are added to this dough and everything is wrapped in banana leaves
2- Party Soup
This soup was originally eaten during the Easter vigil in San Cristóbal de las Casas.
Over time, it was losing that union with religion, new ingredients were added and today it is found in many other parties and celebrations.
Currently this dish, also called bread soup, includes white bread, poultry broth, raisins, green beans, plantain, and egg.
Nor can oregano and saffron be missing, which are what give it its special flavor.
3-
The use of shuti as an ingredient in many Chiapas dishes dates back to pre-Hispanic times, when indigenous peoples already included them in their diet.
It is a river snail, with a characteristic black shell. They are very frequent in the area between Palenque and Ocosingo, as well as in areas near Tuxla.
This dish, in addition to these snails, contains chili, epazote and tomato broth. To use the shutis, you must first have several days feeding them on holy grass, in order to cleanse their stomach.
4-
The nugget with jerky is the best-known dish in Chiapa del Corzo, where it is usually eaten at all important festivals.
In this town this dish is known as "the big meal". Today, it can be found in many other cities in the state and is served at any time of the year.
This meal is prepared with strips of dried meat plus a sauce made with pumpkin seeds, tomato and rice. To this stew, spices such as achiote are added.
5- Pozol
Already the indigenous peoples who inhabited the region drank a drink made with corn dough, cocoa and pochotl beans, which give the recipe its name.
Not only did they drink it to refresh themselves, but the nutrients it contains are enough to almost replace a meal.
Today, it has become the drink that best represents Chiapas. It is usually drunk using a gourd, a traditional fruit of the area.
It is taken cold or at room temperature, with cocoa and sugar. The drink is accompanied by chili and salt or, depending on taste, sour with dried chili.
References
- Inmense Hotel. 5 essential dishes from Chiapas. Obtained from inmensehotels.com
- López, Sergio. The pozol of Chiapas. Obtained from todochiapas.mx
- Off Track Planet. Nervously Enjoying Street Food In Chiapas, Mexico. (December 16, 2012). Retrieved from huffingtonpost.com
- Graber, Karen. The cuisine of Chiapas: Dining in Mexico's last frontier. Retrieved from mexconnect.com
- History Channel. Chiapas. Retrieved from history.com