The next big thing? Chiapas!
When you think of Mexican cuisine, do you automatically picture a bowl of nachos with guacamole or a thick burrito filled with ground beef? Then it’s high time you got to know Chiapas: dishes from the Mexican state of the same name.
The dishes from the state of Chiapas are authentic and indigenous. Corn is the basis of almost everything. So is chipilín, a green herb used in cooking only in this part of Mexico. The Chiapas region is green and fertile, which means there is a great deal of livestock farming. Beef and cheese are therefore commonly used ingredients. Most dishes are far less spicy than you may be used to; chili peppers are replaced with milder herbs.
Tamale
The best-known dish is tamale. Tamale is a traditional breakfast dish that can be prepared sweet or savory. The base is a thin corn pancake steamed in a corn husk, which you fill with meat, vegetables, cheese, fruit or rice. Top it with some chili peppers and breakfast is served.
Taco
Do you always mix up tacos and burritos too? Then pay attention. Tacos are small, thin, round tortillas made from corn flour. You fill them, fold them in half and they’re ready to eat. Tacos from Chiapas are filled with black beans, fresh cheese, fried chorizo and pieces of avocado. Burritos are much larger and are rolled up after being filled.
Menudo
In the Netherlands, we usually go for greasy food to fight a hangover; in Chiapas, they choose menudo. This soup with its unusual spongy texture is usually sold on weekends at ‘fondas’, small pop-up kitchens. What is this hangover cure made from? The broth is made from pieces of tripe, cow’s feet, beef shank, garlic, onion and oregano. It is topped with a sauce made from pepper, cumin and garlic, with on the side a lemon wedge, finely chopped white onion and warm corn tortillas.
Sopa de pan
One more soup, then. This one is eaten during the week and made with chicken stock, two white bread rolls, four boiled eggs, olives, some thyme, raisins and dried plums.
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