Guerrero cuisine: green pozole, chilate and Pacific coast

What is it?

Guerrero cuisine is the gastronomic tradition of the state of Guerrero, in southwestern Mexico on the Pacific coast, and is characterised by the deep fusion of Nahua, Mixtec, Amuzgo, Tlapanec and Afro-mestizo cuisine of the Costa Chica. Its most representative dishes are Guerrero-style green pumpkin-seed pozole, chilate (a ritual drink of cacao, rice and spices), Guerrero chalupas, aporreado (dried meat with chilli), nejo tamales, Acapulco-style ceviche, Guerrero red mole, elopozole of prawn with tender maize and tichinda tamales (mussel from the estuaries). It is consumed daily in markets such as the Central de Chilpancingo and that of Acapulco, reaching its splendour at the festivities of Tixtla, the Costa Chica vigils and the Day of the Dead.

Origin and history

Guerrero cuisine inherits from the Olmec civilisation (archaeological centre of Teopantecuanitlán, 1500 BC) and from the Nahua, Mixtec, Amuzgo, Tlapanec and Purépecha peoples who inhabited the four regions of the state: Costa Grande, Costa Chica, Tierra Caliente and Montaña. Cacao and maize have been sacred since pre-Hispanic times, the basis of ritual drinks such as chilate, according to Larousse Cocina. The region was part of the Yopitzingo, the only pre-Hispanic territory not subjugated by the Aztecs. The Spanish conquest introduced pork and lime. The African slave trade in the 16th-18th centuries populated the Costa Chica (Cuajinicuilapa, Marquelia, Ometepec) with Black population, today recognised as Afro-Mexican peoples by INEGI in 2020. This population contributed its own culinary techniques: fryings, sweets, plantain stews and consumption of iguana and armadillo. Acapulco, the main port of the Manila Galleon between 1565 and 1815, imported rice, spices and Asian techniques that were assimilated into the coastal repertoire. México Desconocido documents chilate as a Nahua-Amuzgo ritual drink preserved for more than 500 years. Green pozole is attributed to Chilpancingo and is traditionally served on Thursdays throughout the state.

Characteristic ingredients

Guerrero green pozole carries cacahuazintle maize, ground pumpkin seed, hoja santa, tomatillo, chile poblano, chile serrano and pork or chicken head. It is served with avocado, radish, chicharrón, sardines and mezcal. Chilate is a sacred drink made with cacao, toasted rice, cinnamon, pepper and water, whisked until frothy; it is served cold with piloncillo, especially on the Costa Chica. Guerrero aporreado is dried shredded beef refried with tomato, chilli and egg. Nejo tamales carry nixtamalised maize dough with lime but not with ash, wrapped in banana leaf and filled with green mole or bean. Chiles guajillo, cascabel and pasilla are basic in moles; toasted pumpkin seed is the distinctive ingredient of green salsas and pozoles. Pacific seafood (prawns, oysters, hacha scallop, sierra fish) is the basis of ceviches and broths. Elopozole of prawn combines tender maize and prawns, a unique coastal dish. Tichinda tamales (small mussel from the estuaries) are a Guerrero delicacy. The mezcal of Sola de Vega and Yautepec accompanies as a digestif, along with petate (local mezcal) and sierra spirits.

Cultural significance

Guerrero cuisine is one of the most diverse and least documented of the country, part of traditional Mexican cuisine inscribed by UNESCO in 2010. The constitutional recognition of Afro-Mexican peoples in 2019 gave visibility to Costa Chica cuisine, with festivals such as that of Cuajinicuilapa where roasted iguana, pickled plum and chilate are prepared. The festivities of Tixtla, Chilapa, Olinalá and the Montaña preserve pre-Hispanic culinary rituals with nejo tamales, chile-atoles and Day of the Dead foods. Acapulco, Mexico's first tourist destination since the 1950s, internationally popularised dishes such as Acapulco-style ceviche (with lime, tomato and ketchup), griddle-roasted fish and seafood cocktails. The mole gastronomic fair in Chilapa and the jamoncillo festivity in Cuetzala are tourist attractions. Afro-Mexican Guerrero cuisine has gained relevance in documentary film, anthropology and international round tables, and cooks such as Daniela Soto-Innes (from the Costa Chica) have taken its flavours to premium global restaurants.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Guerrero green pozole and Jalisco pozole?

Guerrero green pozole carries ground pumpkin seed (which gives it green colour and creamy texture), hoja santa, tomatillo and chile poblano, with pork or chicken head. Jalisco red pozole uses ground chiles ancho and guajillo, without pumpkin seed, and is made with pork head and lean meat. They are two different traditions; in Guerrero, Thursdays are traditionally pozole day.

What is chilate and what does it taste like?

It is a Nahua-Amuzgo ritual drink from the Costa Chica of Guerrero made with toasted cacao, toasted rice, cinnamon, allspice and water, whisked to produce foam. It tastes of earthy, spiced and slightly spicy cacao, with medium body. It is drunk cold in jícaras during vigils, patron-saint festivities and Day of the Dead celebrations in Amuzgo and Afro-mestizo towns.

What is Guerrero aporreado?

It is a typical Tierra Caliente stew: dried beef or tasajo is pounded, rehydrated and refried with tomato, onion, garlic, green chilli and scrambled egg. Its name comes from 'aporrear' or pounding the meat to soften it. It is served with tortillas and beans for breakfast or lunch, especially in Iguala, Teloloapan and Coyuca de Catalán.

Where does Guerrero cuisine originate from?

It originates from the state of Guerrero, in southwestern Mexico on the Pacific. It combines the Nahua, Mixtec, Amuzgo, Tlapanec and Purépecha heritages of the four regions (Costa Grande, Costa Chica, Tierra Caliente, Montaña), the Spanish contributions from the port of Acapulco (Manila Galleon 1565-1815) and the Afro-mestizo cuisine of the Black peoples of the Costa Chica.