Arroz a la Tumbada con Pulpo (Veracruz Soupy Rice with Octopus)

History & Origin

Arroz a la tumbada is one of the most representative dishes of Veracruz cuisine and a gastronomic pride of the ports of Alvarado, Tlacotalpan and Veracruz city itself. Its name, according to popular tradition, comes from the nautical expression 'a la tumbada', referring to the rocking motion of a ship when water moves it from side to side: this describes the consistency of the rice, which is neither dry nor a pure broth, but something in between and fluid, similar to Italian risotto yet with a profoundly Mexican identity. The dish has its origins in the fishing villages of the Gulf of Mexico, where seafood was abundant and rice was the food that could absorb all the flavours of the sea. It is prepared with rice that is first fried to seal it, then cooked in a sofrito of tomato, onion, garlic and jalapeño chilli, to which fresh seasonal seafood is added: octopus, prawns, crab, clams and squid. Epazote - an aromatic herb characteristic of Veracruz cooking - is an indispensable ingredient that gives it its unique signature. Arroz a la tumbada is served in clay pots directly at the table, very brothy, with the warning that it must be eaten immediately because the rice continues to absorb the broth.