Riviera Maya Gastronomy: 6 Mouthwatering Mexican Dishes that Will Overload your Taste Buds
Written by Alex Ruelase
Mexican gastronomy is much more than tacos. We are not belittling tacos, not in the slightest. We have elsewhere had the opportunity to talk extensively about their delicious variety. But today, we are moving in a different direction to explore dishes so flavorsome that they will overload your senses.
Thick sauces, mouth-watering broths, and chilies that represent Mexican national identity will open our tasting buds to an experience that puts a complex and eclectic culture on a plate. These are the dishes it would be a mistake not to try on your next visit to the Riviera Maya.
Mole
Where can I try it: Axiote, Playa del Carmen
There is no easy way to explain mole. No matter how you do it, descriptions will always fall short. This rich, thick sauce is one of the hallmarks of Mexican cuisine. Further, its countless variations are tied to the history and culture of the particular places where they are made. For instance, only in Oaxaca, in the south of the country, there are seven types of mole.
All moles are a combination of chilies and spices, carefully balanced to create an explosion of flavor and texture. They are usually served with meat –chicken is the most common– and accompanied with rice and tortillas. And while this is a hugely popular dish consumed all around the country, some chefs have famously elevated the concept to another level, creating their own gourmet versions. How does lobster with mole sound?
Cochinita pibil
Where can I try it: Cochi-Loka, Playa del Carmen
Cochinita pibil was once a ceremonial dish offered during the Hanal Pixan, the Day of the Dead in Yucatán. It was originally cooked in a pib, a hole in the ground, using venison or pheasant meat. However, when the Spaniards arrived, they brought two ingredients that are now key: sour orange and pork.
Cochinita pibil is thus a cultural fusion. Pork meat is seasoned with achiote –a thick spicy paste–, orange juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. It is cooked underground and served with red onion and cilantro and usually wrapped in a taco or put on top of a panucho. Nowadays, cochinita is still a dish that incites celebration, although not necessarily of a solemn occasion. A happy Sunday with the rest of the family is reason enough to share some cochinita and pair it with good stories.
Chiles en nogada
Chiles en nogada
Where can I try it: Porfirios, Playa del Carmen
This might most patriotic Mexican dish of all time. Popular stories say the chile en nogada was created by Augustinian nuns in the late 19th Century specifically to celebrate Independence Day. Using seasonal ingredients such as pomegranate and walnuts, they came up with a plate that combines all three national colors: green, white, and red.
This commemorative dish is consumed mainly in August and September, when the ingredients are ripe and ready. But what are chiles en nogada? Well, they are essentially grilled chilies stuffed with meat, raisins, onions, and walnuts, all covered with a white wine sauce –called nogada– and pomegranate. However, it is famous for being extraordinarily difficult to make, to the point that anyone capable of pulling it off is just shy from being a national hero.
Chiles en nogada have around 25 ingredients, and when done properly, the result is mind-blowing. So if you are in Mexico at the right time, make sure you treat yourself to this national delicacy.
Queso Relleno
Where can I try it: Emara, Cancún
In the 17th Century, trade between the Dutch colonies in South America and, at that time, New Spain, brought to the Yucatán Peninsula an ingredient that would become an unlikely favorite of local cuisine: Edam cheese. This savory semi-hard cheese was adopted here and now has a special place in Yucatecan gastronomy.
Perhaps the most iconic dish prepared with it is queso relleno, which is literally a ball of cheese stuffed with pork meat, olives, roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, and capers, all cocked in a rich corn broth. This kind of plate was already popular in places like Venezuela or Jamaica, but once it reached Mexico it was transformed with local ingredients and Maya culinary heritage.
Enchiladas
Where can I try it: Sabores de México, Cancún
You may have had some before, but you will not know what enchiladas are really about until you try them in Mexico. Prepared with two main elements –tortillas and sauce– enchiladas can come in countless flavors and colors, depending on where they are cooked.
Pre-Hispanic cultures were the first to male enchiladas. There is even evidence of an ancient dish called chillapitzalli, which means "flute with sauce." According to some sources, there are over 100 types of enchiladas. Nonetheless, most of them are relatively simple to understand: tortillas wrapped around some meat –usually, chicken–, covered in chili-based sauce and topped with cream, cheese, lettuce, and onions.
The real magic happens in the sauce: red sauce, green sauce, swiss sauce, minera sauce. These basic types vary widely depending on the chilies and spices used. And although enchiladas are available in almost every Mexican restaurant and even in fondas –small popular eateries– possibilities are so vast that one will never finish exploring.
Pozole
Where can I try it: Pozolería Doña Olga, Playa del Carmen
Mexican culture owes itself to corn, and pozole is its apex. This soup was already hugely significant to pre-Columbian cultures and since has incorporated mestizo elements to become the exquisite dish it is today.
Pozole is a soup made of cacahazintle corn. The grains are slow-cooked to get rid of their fibrous exterior and make it swell and open like a flower. The corn is then added to a chicken or pork broth, seasoned with chili, onion, radish, oregano, and lime. Some use a bit of lettuce as a topping.
There are also several types of pozole, and if you have been paying attention so far, you might have guessed we are talking about green, white, and red pozole. Like other dishes in this list, the ingredients that differentiate these preparations are endemic to an area of the country: red chile ancho in Jalisco, green tomatoes in Guerrero, and white cheese in Colima. The red variety is the most popular one. However, no matter which one you try, you are sure to want a second serving.
