Do you know your Maya food?

Do you know your sopes from your salbutes? Have you ever tried the delicious Maya dip which goes by the name Sijil Pa'ak? Here, we give you a guide of some of the Maya treats you should try here in Carillo and the Yucatán Peninsula.

Sopes, Salbutes and Panuchos

While all these tasty Maya treats are made from masa - ground corn which is also used as the basis for tamales and tortillas - and are often topped with lettuce or cabbage and some kind of meat, they are not the same at all. The base is where you’ll find the difference in the detail.

Sopes are made with a thicker base, smaller, with pinched edges and are also topped with beans. Panuchos on the other hand have a tortilla-like base with a layer of refried beans inside. And the base of salbutes has a touch of flour, is deep fried and resembles a pastry. 

Sijil Pa'ak

One of our favorite dishes to make in our Maya cooking class is sijil pa'ak, a classic dip made with roasted vegetables and toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas). This thick pumpkin seed dip is a great alternative to guacamole or hummus. It is also the perfect accompaniment to tortillas and tostadas.

Chicle

One of the original exports of the Zona Maya was gum, known here as chicle. And it is having a bit of a renaissance.  Chicleros, adept tree climbers who tap the trees by cutting them in a criss-cross pattern, collect resin, which is then turned into a natural chewing gum sold internationally under the name Chicza. Hundreds of kilos of raw chicle are prepared and stored by a local Maya cooperative just a few blocks from our school. It is then packaged for sale at a factory in our state capital, Chetumal.

Pib

One traditional way of cooking here in the Yucatán Peninsula is to wrap food in banana leaves and bury it on hot coals in the ground. In Yucatec Maya, this way of cooking is called ‘pib’ and has been used for centuries. Pib literally means “to bury”. Check out this great short film by Cine Janal about how to make pib. https://youtu.be/4xodD3yNObo

Chile

Mexico is the land of the chiles and the Yucatán Peninsula is no different. The habanero chili pepper is a particular favorite.  It packs quite the punch and is knock-your-face-off spicy. The Maya term for spicy is Ni’ peek’, which literally means “dog nose,” referring to that wonderful runny nose you get when you encounter a chili with a real kick.Join our Study Abroad Yucatán (SAY) program and immerse yourself in Spanish or Maya in our colorful town of Carrillo while enjoying our delicious local food.

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