Like many Mexican dishes, the original cochinita pibil comes from the blend of pre-Hispanic and colonial influences, so the original recipe has changed a lot over time; however, we still wonder how the original cochinita pibil recipe is made.

The original recipe for cochinita pibil relates to how the dish was made in the past and in what context. This dates back to Hanal Pixán, a Mayan tradition in which this preparation was made, but with meat from pheasant, deer, wild turkey, or peccary (American wild boar), according to the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The traditional cooking method of cochinita pibil is also tied to its Mayan roots. The pib, or pibil, is a cooking method where a hole is dug in the ground, which is then covered with stones and leaves to cook the meat until it falls apart. Therefore, in the strictest sense, an original cochinita pibil recipe must be made using this cooking method.

With the arrival of the Spanish, this tradition mixed with colonial elements such as the new types of animals introduced in America, so deer, pheasant, or peccary were replaced by pork.

Likewise, the cooking method changed to steam pots and gas ovens, but what has remained for a long time are its ingredients. For example, the most consulted Kiwilimón cochinita pibil recipe includes: 

The recipe you can find on the Secretariat of Agriculture's portal states that it should be prepared with sour orange juice and without vinegar, but what cannot be missing from an original cochinita pibil recipe is the xnipec sauce, made with red onion, cilantro, habanero chiles, and sour orange.

Cochinita pibil is not only an emblematic dish of Yucatecan cuisine but of the entire country, so much so that in 2021 it was awarded as the best dish in the world in the Taste Atlas ranking, so whether original or not, don't miss out on making this Mexican recipe.