Food and Recipes of Yucatan

This hub page will give you information and a great overview of the food, cooking, and recipes of Yucatan, Mexico. Be sure and check out my other hubs, dealing with Yucatecan Vegetarian Recipes http://hubpages.com/hub/Vegetarian-Recipes-of-Yucatan , Seafood Recipes http://hubpages.com/hub/Seafood-Recipes-of-Yucatan , Salsa Recipes http://hubpages.com/hub/Salsas-of-Yucatan , and more! And, if you are interested in the area see my overview Yucatan! http://hubpages.com/hub/Yucatan and learn about Retiring In Yucatan http://hubpages.com/hub/Retiring_in_Yucatan

The two capsules that follow feature two famous chefs talking about, and demonstrating, classic recipes of the Yucatan!

Who wouldn't like to snack from dawn to dusk on all kinds of Yucatecan specialties? Just ask Rick and Lanie for some noshing tips. They start their adventure on the main square in Merida smack in the middle of the local, nightly dance-a-thon surrounded by food vendors. They both fall under the charms of Marquesitas, a crispy wafer rolled around cheese and cajeta. Rick shares the recipe with us from a confidenciales chair-the unique park bench designed for whispering secrets to your loved one. The journey continues as they indulge in early morning treats including tortas, panuchos and impossible cake (chocolate cake topped with flan) from the Santa Ana market. Inspired, they make Salbutes (corn tortillas topped with tangy shredded chicken) in their home kitchen. At Eladio's, a centro botanero (a lively restaurant that serves small plates) in downtown Merida, they enjoy the dancing and a whole table filled with snacks and Dzik, lime-marinated shredded beef. At home, Rick makes the cold beef salad and spikes it with a little habanero chile before scooping it up onto crispy tortilla chips.

See Rick Bayless' Recipes here:

http://www.fronterakitchens.com/television/episodes/season5/recipes/index.html

The famous chef, Emeril, featured a show called 'A Taste of Mexico' that focused on the cooking of Yucatan. Check out his site for his versions of Ceviche, Sopa de Lima (Yucatecan Lime Soup), Chicken Pibil, and Chocolate-Banana desserts!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_em/episode/0,,FOOD_9959_19267,00.html

You have to hunt for it, but you can find pure vanilla extract here in Yucatan. The majority of the extract produced is exported. Mexico originally had some of the best vanilla available and still does today, but in very small quantities. Good quality Mexican vanilla extract and whole beans are expensive. Make sure to buy products from a reliable source - be sure the extract is labelled "courmarin free". Coumarin is a the bad guy of the vanilla industry. It's derived from the Brazilian tonka bean and is used to make flavoring very similar to vanilla. It has been reported that coumarin is toxic and can cause liver damage and is a known carcinogen.

Vanilla comes from the orchid vanilla planifolia. The vanilla bean is the seed pod of the orchid and the flavor comes from it's many tiny seeds inside the pod. The seed pods go through extensive processing and curing before they become the substance so familiar to most of us. Once harvested by hand, the vanilla beans are boiled in water, then allowed to heat in the sun. The beans are then wrapped in blankets to allow them to sweat. This curing process of sun-heating by day, and sweating at night goes on for 3 to 6 months until the beans shrink by 400% of their original weight.

A great way to enjoy our wonderful fruits in Yucatan is with a vanilla-yoghurt dressing:

Vanilla-Yoghurt Dressing for Fruit Salad

1/2 cup plain yoghurt

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp. honey

1 tsp. lime juice

1 tsp. real vanilla extract

Whisk all ingredients together and chill before pouring over fruit salad. Or, after mixing, strain through cheesecloth to thicken and use as a dip for apple slices, whole strawberries, etc.

Each month Yucatan Today - http://www.yucatantoday.com - features and reviews a restaurant in the Merida area. Check it out!

For an excellent overview of Yucatecan cuisine, see Yucatan Today's article here: http://www.yucatantoday.com/culture/eng-yucatecancuisine.htm

Walking around Merida and the towns in our state, you'll often see little front room restaurants run by a few local women. Read Yucatan Today's descriptions of the tradition of 'cocina economica' at http://www.yucatantoday.com/culture/eng-cocina-economica.htm

And, the next time you're in a Yucatecan cantina, be sure to order botanas! http://www.yucatantoday.com/culture/eng-botanas.htm

Dealing with recipes in Imperial and metric measurements can be confusing. Here's some handy information for the international cook:

1 tsp. = 5 grams

1 tbsp. = 15 grams

1/2 cup = 1/8 liter

1 oz. = 30 grams

2.2 lbs. = 1 kg.

1 lb. = 450 grams

200 F = 145C

325F = 165C

350F = 177C