The Wonders of Tabasco Cuisine

I’m intrigued. I ask my dad why he never talks about the food of Tabasco, his homeland. To my astonishment, he grimaces. “What happens,” he tells me, “is that I was scared.” My grandfather would come home with pochitoques, pejelagartos, and turtles that his workers gifted him to be cooked by my grandmother. My dad, at just four years old, saw those reptiles peeking out on the plate as monsters with rocky skins, not food. The anecdote perhaps highlights that this cuisine is governed by the constant dialogue between man and nature: between culture and the exuberant, exotic, and unique ingredients. My amazement at the cuisine my father inherited stems from the mysterious veil of the unknown. This culinary art weaves a tapestry of colors between the pre-Hispanic, the Spanish, and of course, the mestizo. The local pantry is made up of what grows and moves in the mangroves, rivers, swamps, and coastline. For this reason, there is all kinds of seafood and fish cooked among leaves. Fruits, plants, and vegetables are illustrated in their natural paintings like in a Gauguin canvas. Perhaps one thing that stands out in this cuisine is the chile amashito: although it resembles the piquín from the north, in the humid lands of Tabasco it takes on new dimensions of flavor, smell, and texture. “Its spiciness is similar to that of a little red ant, which when it bites you, you feel a slight burning sensation that then completely fades away,” chef Lupita Vidal, a renowned representative of Tabasco cuisine from her restaurant La Cevichería de Tabasco tells me. For political or cultural reasons, no one can forget the pejelagarto, emblem of the region's gastronomy and right now, of the National Palace. Its flavor is strong, so it is usually prepared grilled slowly or stewed with achiote and presented in empanadas. But if there is something the people of Tabasco – and indeed, all Mexicans – are proud of, it is the criollo cacao that grows mainly in Chontalpa, Sierra, and Central. This seed from century-old trees, a gift from the gods, has been fermented and consumed since pre-Hispanic times in preparations like pozol.The plátano macho is present in countless dishes: it is usually used when green to add acidity, just as when it is very ripe, with its sweet flavor. As if that weren't enough, the leaf wraps an infinity of tamales in all shapes and colors, like the chanchamito which is round like a mixiote. The leaves of other swamp plants also serve as wrappers for preparations to which they provide shelter and flavor. Herbs like momo, musté, or chipilín adorn the pots with their anise notes. Another typical preparation is the mone of robalo or pork, whose origin dates back to the Zoque culture. There’s pijije in pipián, turtle soup – like the one they made for my father – or chirmol de res, a typical stew from the many cattle ranches in the region. “This consists of roasting pieces of beef along with tomato, garlic, onion, and color chile, then grinding it with pumpkin seeds and burnt tortilla,” Lupita explains to me. The result is a reddish broth with smoky and complex notes. And here’s another hallmark of this local gastronomy: smoke. Smoke purifies, smoke transmutes, smoke is spice and ingredient. The grandmothers and cooks know this, and that’s why they use it to transform their products with the touch of grandpa fire. The smoke also touches with its ethereal hands the utensils used for cooking or drinking in Tabasco cuisine such as cajetes, jícaras, and comales. Smoke arises from the wood of jungle trees, from leaves, or from dry coconut palms. Everything is cooked over fire: from beef to oysters, fish, and other products that coexist in the Mexican Amazon, the Usumacinta.Preserving food in this humid and swampy latitude is essential, so besides fire, salting is integrated into their culinary techniques. Meat is cooked and preserved in salt that will be cooked together with chaya and green banana, or shrimp prepared with zucchini. Another way to extend the life of fruits, tubers, and citrus is to let honey, sugar, and piloncillo work their magic of transmuting time. My father fondly remembers the crystallized sweets that the cooks kept in large clay pots. Common sweets include nance, pumpkin, monkey ear, orange, real lemon, papaya, cocoyol, pataste, or chayote. “Always after a big meal, the tupper is taken out of the fridge and a bit of sweet is served that you can enjoy with coffee or pozol,” the chef confirms. I would add balché made with the bark of a tree with purple flowers to the list of beverages.Nature governs the gastronomy of the state; however, humans transform it into popular culture within the markets. Therefore, one should not miss a visit to the tianguis de Jesús Taracena in Villahermosa to try all kinds of antojitos. There are stuffed plantains, whether with cheese or meat: “They are like fried macho banana patties. When the plantain is just right, it creates a sensation on the palate that makes anyone salivate.” There are also giant tortillas fried in lard filled with various ingredients and placed on the clay comal. And of course, one must go on a marathon to try the immeasurable variety of tamales such as those with chipilín, “caminito”, potze, or those made with colada dough with red stew. My father and his family moved to Mexico City soon, and for years they lived on Tabasco street in Roma, because Tabasco is carried as a perennial root. I finally understand that being from Tabasco is connecting with nature and knowing oneself as part of a feast that Mother Earth organizes every day. “If you want to see the prettiest stars in the sky, come to Tabasco where the burning sun and beautiful moon, the fresh water and good land await you,” concludes Lupita. Shall we go?