Rabbit in Morita Chilli Sauce

History & Origin

Rabbit has been part of the Mexican diet since pre-Hispanic times. For the Aztecs, the rabbit was a sacred animal associated with the moon and fertility, and also an important food source for rural communities. The rabbit figure appears in numerous representations of the Aztec calendar and Mesoamerican mythology. In rural Mexican cooking, wild rabbit was an important source of protein before the arrival of chicken and other European poultry. Communities of the plateau, the Bajío and the semi-arid zones of northern Mexico developed cooking techniques that maximised the flavour of this lean and relatively tough meat. Moreta chilli, a variety of chipotle made from smoked serrano chilli, gives this preparation that characteristically Mexican flavour of smoke, earth and moderate heat. Unlike tinned chipotle in adobo, dried morita chilli has a more pronounced aromatic complexity and an intense dark red colour. This stew is especially popular in the states of Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro and Zacatecas, where rabbit farming has been a tradition for centuries. Today rabbit in morita chilli sauce appears in traditional Mexican cuisine restaurants as a regional identity dish.