Gallina Pinta (Sonoran Pinto Bean and Wheat Broth)

History & Origin

Gallina pinta is one of the most emblematic broths of Sonora and north-western Mexico. Despite its name, it contains no hen: the term "gallina pinta" (speckled hen) refers to the pinto beans, which are mottled like a hen of mixed plumage. This broth is a mestizo dish combining three fundamental ingredients: pinto beans, cracked wheat and beef on the bone. All three are cooked together for hours until the broth thickens naturally. Gallina pinta has roots in the cuisine of the Yaqui and Mayo peoples of Sonora, who cultivated beans and adopted the wheat introduced by Jesuit missionaries in the seventeenth century. The dish is essentially wintry, ideal for the cold nights of the Sonoran desert. It is served in deep bowls with chopped onion, serrano chilli, lime, oregano and flour tortillas. At ranch parties and Sonoran family celebrations, gallina pinta is virtually obligatory, cooked in large pots over firewood.