What have you missed if you haven't tried the gastronomy of Nayarit?

I have been to Nayarit twice. Before going, I was eager to witness movie-like landscapes, tear-jerking sunsets, and the luminescent color of the sea. Once there, with my explorer's hat on, my focus shifted: every time a dish with masa, seafood, or adobo was placed on my table, signs of admiration and curiosity emanated from them like smoke. This week, during the voting trip for the guide Mexico Gastronómico of Culinaria Mexicana, I relived that feeling. Among post-meal conversations, I had the opportunity to talk with the chef of El Delfín, Betty Vázquez, to help me add adjectives and commas to the questions that the food from her state generates in me. At first glance, Nayarit shares dishes with Jalisco, as both were part of the same region – the Seventh Canton of Jalisco – until the state became independent in 1917. But its history begins much earlier: there are traces of hunting, fishing, and agriculture from 5000 B.C. in that immense source of ecosystems and microclimates. Its product offerings grew during the Conquest and through trade with the East. The Nao de China – the Manila Galleon – stopped at the port of San Blas, bringing spices, fruits, rice, silk, and wood from faraway Philippines. Directly or indirectly, Nayarit was influenced by all points of the planet: “They brought ingredients, culinary techniques, traditions, and ways of eating,” Betty tells me. “Nayarit cuisine is therefore a fusion, but a fusion with identity.”It's impossible to overlook the coast that borders the state on the west side, with that Pacific Ocean truly capable of bringing tears of joy. But it is not the only source of natural wealth – nor of tears of happiness. According to Betty, Nayarit has forty-four ecosystems from which excellent quality coconut, corn, wheat, beans, rice, and tobacco are harvested; bananas and sugarcane grow gracefully and easily due to its predominantly warm climate. There is a large quantity of quelites, high-quality milk, and cheeses produced from it. However, a good product is nothing without good preparation. Things get complex – rich, indeed – when four endemic traditions join the cultural pot: the cora, the huichol, the tepehuana, and the mexicanera, which have created unique ways of consuming regional products. “We have twenty municipalities, which means there are twenty different ways to cook. These twenty municipalities generate extraordinary wealth,” Betty assures. The challenge that this great ambassador of Mexican cuisine faces is to create a collection of local recipes with the help of universities.In general, smoky cuisine holds a special place in gastronomy: it is with this technique and the wood from mangroves that the zarandeado fish acquires flavors that make us want to gnaw on the pargo bones. There is also raw cuisine that enjoys the luxury of nudity to showcase its freshness. “Raw cuisine comes from the East, from this mestizaje with the West. It was from there that lemons arrived, so it can be said that ceviche is neither Peruvian nor Mexican, but a fusion of Asian technique with local products.” Speaking of regional dishes, according to Betty Vázquez, in San Blas, one must not miss the smoked fish, the tatemado fish, shrimp empanadas, oyster chimichangas, shrimp pozole, and fish pozole. You should try the snow cone from Ixtlán del Río; from Jala, their endemic corns, the shaved tostadas, and for dessert, the roscones. From Santiago, there's shrimp pâté, and from the Island of Mexcaltitán, the zarandeado fish cooked over wood. Further north, the dish is the puerquito echado from Acaponeta; the drink is made from barley.In the southern area, there's the exquisite wedding soup, prepared with a base of corn tortillas, fried bread, and toasted bread alternately arranged in a baking dish. It includes chicken, banana, boiled egg, almonds, and chickpeas. From Tepic, there's marisquiza and the cura-cruda cocktails. Also from there is the ante, a dessert from the colonial era that is unlike the colimote. This one is covered with raisins, sesame seeds, and powdered cinnamon and is generally served in a small clay bowl decorated with cut paper.There are no shortage of beverages. Like in Jalisco and Colima, tejuino is produced and consumed, which refreshes, and tesguino, which deceives. The latest novelty is that the state has entered the list of wine producers with nine grape varieties. “The same company that is making this great winemaking effort is already working with a huichol and cora shaman to rescue an ancestral maguey drink called tuchi.” Coffee is one of the wonders of the climate and the proximity to the Tropic of Cancer. “We have wonderful coffee from Compostela to the municipality of San Blas, passing through the municipality of Tepic, with very important quality standards.” In fact, according to what Betty confirms to me, coffee from this area was exported that even Obama, or rather, more than Obama, drank. This was the coffee that originated in the White House during his reign.When our confidence and budget allow us to travel, Nayarit is a destination to be savored and enjoyed wrapped in a tortilla, raw or roasted over wood. One must try the luxury restaurants in the Punta Mita area or the Riviera Nayarit; stop in Bucerías or Tepic to taste typical dishes; explore, as we did before the new normal, to try the spicy mangos from the corner, the snacks made with that corn that tastes of the earth's minerality. “You must come to see the luxuries of the Riviera Nayarit, and when I say luxuries, I am not talking about five-star hotels or more. I speak of the luxury of warm people, the luxuries of nature, of gastronomy, of customs, and of traditions.” Luxury is discovering that the world remains good, with or without us. Better with us.