Veracruz cuisine: what it is and its traditional dishes

What is it?

Veracruz cuisine is the gastronomic tradition of the state of Veracruz, located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and constitutes one of the most diverse and mestizo cuisines in the country. It combines the indigenous Totonac, Nahua and Huastec heritage with Spanish, Afro-Caribbean and Arab contributions, the fruit of five centuries of port activity since the founding of the Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz in 1519. Its emblematic dishes include huachinango a la veracruzana, arroz a la tumbada, chilpachole, picadas, vol-au-vents, Huasteca gorditas, zacahuil and the Veracruz moles. They are consumed daily in port markets and fondas, reaching their splendour during the Veracruz Carnival in February, the oldest in Mexico, and at the Candlemas festivities in Tlacotalpan.

Origin and history

Veracruz cuisine has its foundations in the Totonac (vanilla, chilli, tomato), Olmec (cacao), Huastec and Nahua peoples. The port of Veracruz was the first city founded by the Spanish in Mexico in 1519 and became the main gateway for trade between Europe, Asia (via the Manila trade route) and America for 300 years. This introduced olives, capers, almonds, spices, rice, plantain, coffee and sugar cane. The African slave trade in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries brought techniques, products and rhythms that enriched the Afro-mestizo cuisine of Yanga, the first free town in America. Larousse Cocina documents huachinango a la veracruzana as a Creole creation of the eighteenth century that combines Mesoamerican fish with Mediterranean olives and capers. Arabica coffee reached Coatepec and Córdoba at the end of the eighteenth century and today Veracruz is one of the leading national producers. México Desconocido also highlights the role of Tlacotalpan, declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1998, as a guardian of traditional jarocho cooking.

Characteristic ingredients

Veracruz chillies include the Tlilapan chipotle (designation of origin), the fresh jalapeño native to Xalapa, the chinanteco chilli and the dried Veracruz chilli. Vanilla from the Totonacapan has a designation of origin and is the base of desserts and drinks. Maize is consumed in picadas (small sopes with salsa), gorditas and tamales such as the Huastec zacahuil, a giant tamal wrapped in banana leaf. Fish and seafood — huachinango, sierra, snook, crab, prawn, oysters — are stars on the coast. Meat stands out in Xico moles, chileatole and picadillos. Aromatic herbs such as acuyo (Veracruz hoja santa), epazote and coriander perfume broths. Plantain, brought by Africans, is used in mogo-mogo, stuffed plantains and caldo largo. Coatepec coffee accompanies breakfasts with lard-based sweet bread such as pan de pulque and chamucos. Sugar cane produces piloncillo and torito spirit, a local drink with tropical fruits.

Cultural significance

Veracruz cuisine is one of the great pillars of traditional Mexican cuisine inscribed by UNESCO in 2010 as Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Veracruz Carnival, held since 1866, is the oldest in Mexico and brings together danzón, jarocho music and seafood cooking as cultural axes. The Candlemas festival in Tlacotalpan, declared World Heritage by UNESCO, gathers thousands of visitors who enjoy torito, zarandeado fish and mojarras. The Totonacapan region, with its Cumbre Tajín, preserves the ritual cooking of vanilla and Totonac maize. The Afro-mestizo cuisine of Yanga and Mata Clara preserves techniques and dishes of little-documented African origin. Veracruz is the leading national producer of sugar cane, orange, Persian lime and vanilla, and Coatepec coffee competes with the best in the world. Restaurants such as Villa Rica Mocambo and La Parroquia (with its famous lechero) sustain the jarocho gastronomic heritage.

Frequently asked questions

What does pescado a la veracruzana contain?

It is a Creole salsa of the eighteenth century with tomato, onion, garlic, green olives, capers, long güero chillies, parsley, bay leaf and olive oil, over a whole huachinango or another white fish. It combines Mesoamerican ingredients (tomato, chilli) with Mediterranean ones (olives, capers) and is served with white rice. It is one of the most representative mestizo dishes of Mexico.

What does Veracruz cuisine taste like?

It has fresh and coastal flavours with a dominance of the sea, citrus and herbs. The acuyo provides an anise note, the smoked chipotle gives depth, the olives and capers add Mediterranean saltiness, and the plantain provides Caribbean sweetness. Veracruz coffee is aromatic and medium-bodied, with sweet notes typical of the humid mountains of the Cofre de Perote.

What is a Veracruz picada?

It is a typical antojito of Xalapa and central Veracruz: a small thick maize tortilla, 'picada' or pinched at the edges, fried in lard and covered with green or red salsa, onion, fresh cheese and cream. It is served by the dozen as breakfast or a light dinner. Its size is smaller than a sope and the texture spongier.

Where does Veracruz cuisine come from?

It is native to the state of Veracruz, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, where the Totonac, Nahua, Huastec, Popoluca and Olmec peoples converge, the Spanish colonisers since 1519, the African slaves freed in Yanga and the Italian and Lebanese immigrants of the nineteenth century. This mixture makes it one of the most complex mestizo cuisines in Mexico.