Southern Baja California cuisine: what it is and its dishes

What is it?

Southern Baja California cuisine is the gastronomic tradition of the state of Baja California Sur, in the Mexican north-western peninsula surrounded by the Sea of Cortez (east) and the Pacific (west). It is a unique cuisine where the desert meets two seas of extremely high marine biodiversity, giving dishes such as clams roasted over embers, fish machaca, Pichilingue oysters, prawn broth, the chorreada (a tortilla with cheese and chiltepín), smoked marlin tortas, the chocolate clam, zarandeado fish and the legendary carne con chile colorado of the ranches. La Paz, the state capital, and fishing towns such as Loreto, Mulegé and Todos Santos sustain the artisanal fishing tradition. The cuisine is simple, marine and ranch-style, strongly influenced by the eighteenth-century Jesuit missions and the goat ranching of the Sierra de la Giganta.

Origin and history

Southern Baja California cuisine inherits from the Pericú, Guaycura and Cochimí peoples, nomadic gatherers and fishers who inhabited the peninsula for more than 10,000 years. Spanish colonisation was late: the Jesuit missions founded Loreto in 1697 (the first capital of the Californias) and then San Javier, Mulegé, Comondú and others, where they introduced olives, vine, date, wheat, citrus, pomegranate and cane, as well as goats and cattle that adapted to the desert. According to Larousse Cocina, the mission towns of the centre of the peninsula (Comondú, San Javier) preserved traditions of mestizo cooking with dates, olives and goat's cheese to this day. After the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767, the region was administered by Franciscans and then Dominicans. The discovery of oyster, clam, lobster and abalone fisheries made the region famous from the end of the nineteenth century. Fish machaca (especially marlin or sierra) arose as a method of preserving catches in areas without refrigeration. La Paz, definitively founded in 1811, has been a nerve centre since the twentieth century, and the opening of the Transpeninsular Highway in 1973 integrated BCS with the rest of the country.

Characteristic ingredients

The products of the Sea of Cortez are the soul of Southern Baja California cuisine: chocolate and reina clams roasted over embers with butter, cheese and salsa; giant Pichilingue oysters (Crassostrea); scallops; pata de mula clams; Magdalena lobsters; Pacific coast abalone; giant squid; cabrilla and huachinango. The sierra and the marlin are dried and shredded into machaca, sautéed with tomato and green chilli. The chorreada is a flour tortilla spread with fresh cheese and crushed chiltepín salsa. Fish and prawn tacos in the Ensenada style (battered) and the Baja Sur style (grilled) are universal. The dates of the San Ignacio oasis, the figs of Mulegé, the grapes of the sierra and the artisanal goat's cheeses of Comondú give premium products. The wild dried chiltepín chilli of the sierra is the essential heat. The pitaya and the garambullo are cacti with edible fruits. Ranch meat (beef, pork and goat) is prepared in machaca, grilled dishes and chile colorado stews. Tecate beer and the wines of the Valle de Guadalupe (northern BC) usually accompany meals, but there are emerging Southern Baja California wines.

Cultural significance

Southern Baja California cuisine is the identity of one of the least populated states in Mexico and a driver of gastronomic and fishing tourism. Los Cabos, La Paz and Todos Santos are world-class destinations where restaurants such as Las Tres Vírgenes, Los Tres Gallos and Hierbabuena have taken local cooking to contemporary gourmet levels. The sustainable fisheries (with regional closed seasons) sustain entire communities in San Felipe, Bahía Magdalena and Loreto. The Jesuit missions such as those of Loreto, San Javier and San Ignacio are tourist attractions where dates, olives and mission wine are preserved. The clam festivals in San Felipe (BC) and the gastronomic festivals of Los Cabos celebrate the marine richness. The marine park of Cabo Pulmo, a UNESCO Natural Heritage site, is one of the healthiest reefs of the Sea of Cortez. Southern Baja California gastronomy has also projected the state in film, photography and literature for its unique geographical singularity: desert, sierra and sea coexisting within a few kilometres.

Frequently asked questions