Hidalgo cuisine: pit barbacoa, pastes and mixiotes

What is it?

Hidalgo cuisine is the gastronomic tradition of the state of Hidalgo, in the central Mexican highlands, and is characterised by its rural Otomi-Pame origin combined with mining colonial contributions and the singular Welsh influence of Real del Monte. Its emblematic dishes are lamb barbacoa cooked underground wrapped in maguey leaves, mixiotes (meat marinated in maguey-leaf skin), pastes (mining pasties), the Huasteca zacahuil, escamoles (Mexican caviar), maguey worms and the ximbó (cooking in maguey leaf). Pulque, the sacred drink of the maguey, is indispensable in its gastronomy. It is consumed on Sundays at home and at barbacoa stalls as an ingrained tradition, while pastes and pulque are everyday in Pachuca, Real del Monte and the Sierra de los Marqueses.

Origin and history

Hidalgo cuisine inherits from the Otomi, Pame and Huastec peoples, age-old farmers of maize, bean and maguey in the valleys of Apan, Tulancingo and Pachuca. The cultivation of the pulque maguey reached its splendour from the pre-Hispanic era and was intensified during the Colony with great pulque haciendas such as San Antonio Ometusco and Tepetates in the 18th and 19th centuries. The pit barbacoa, according to Larousse Cocina, is a pre-Hispanic technique adapted with sheep brought by the Spanish from the 16th century onwards. Real del Monte was a crucial mining centre from the 16th century; with the arrival of Welsh miners contracted by the British mining company Real del Monte y Pachuca between 1824 and 1849, Cornish pasties arrived, which were transformed into the Hidalgo pastes. México Desconocido documents that the first fillings were of potato, leek and minced meat; today there are versions of green mole, picadillo, tuna, mushrooms and sweet ones. Pulque had its heyday during the Porfiriato (1876-1911), when Hidalgo was the country's main producer and pulque trains supplied Mexico City daily.

Characteristic ingredients

The pulque maguey (Agave salmiana, A. mapisaga) is a fundamental axis of Hidalgo cuisine: its leaf wraps barbacoa and mixiotes; its sap is fermented into pulque; its white (meocuiles) and red (chinicuiles) worms are toasted or ground for worm salt; its quiote flowers and mexcalapique are stewed. The escamoles, larvae of the güijera ant (Liometopum apiculatum) gathered from the magueys, are a pre-Hispanic delicacy. The barbacoa carries whole lamb marinated with chiles ancho, guajillo and pasilla, salt and spices, wrapped in maguey leaves and cooked in a pit with mesquite firewood for 8-12 hours. The consommé that drips with chickpeas, rice and coriander accompanies the meat. The pastes are shortcrust pastry pies (not maize) filled and baked, a Welsh legacy. The mixiotes wrap marinated meat in the cuticle of the maguey, today replaced by waxed paper to protect the plant. Chinicuil and escamol are premium ingredients in contemporary gourmet cuisine, present on the menus of Pujol and Quintonil.

Cultural significance

Hidalgo barbacoa is the most famous in Mexico and on Sundays thousands of people travel from Mexico City to Actopan, Tula and Mineral del Chico to have barbacoa for breakfast with freshly made tortillas, consommé and pulque. This tradition sustains a rural economy of shepherds, maguey workers, barbacoa makers and pulque makers. Real del Monte holds the International Paste Festival every year, where thousands of pasties are prepared and is twinned with Redruth, Cornwall, in homage to its Welsh origin. Pulque is having a renaissance in Hidalgo and Mexico City, with traditional and new pulquerías such as Las Duelistas, La Pirata and La Hija de los Apaches. The Day of the Dead in the Huasteca of Hidalgo is celebrated with zacahuiles (giant pork tamales in banana leaf) that can measure more than a metre and feed dozens of people. Hidalgo cuisine forms part of traditional Mexican cuisine inscribed by UNESCO in 2010 and attracts significant gastronomic tourism.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between pit and steam barbacoa?

Hidalgo pit barbacoa is cooked underground wrapped in maguey leaves, over embers and stones, for 8 to 12 hours; it has a deep smoky flavour and the lamb fat concentrates in the consommé at the bottom of the pit. Modern steam barbacoa is made in a pot with a rack over boiling water; it is quicker but lacks the characteristic smokiness of maguey and firewood.

What is a paste and why are they in Hidalgo?

It is a shortcrust pastry pie baked in the oven, a legacy of the Cornish pasties brought by Welsh miners to Real del Monte between 1824 and 1849. They were originally filled with potato, leek and minced meat for miners' lunches; today there are versions of green mole, picadillo, tuna, bean, mushrooms and sweet ones such as cream and blackberry. It is Pachuca identity.

What do escamoles taste like?

They are ant larvae with a buttery flavour, slightly earthy and with a toasted-maize note, with a texture similar to risotto when served sautéed with butter, epazote and chile serrano. They are called 'Mexican caviar' because of their value and delicacy. They are gathered from magueys during March-April and are a high-priced pre-Hispanic delicacy.

Where does Hidalgo cuisine originate from?

It originates from the state of Hidalgo, in the central Mexican highlands. It combines Otomi, Pame and Huastec heritage from the valleys of Apan, Tulancingo and the sierra, the Spanish contributions of pork and lamb from the 16th century, and the Welsh influence of miners who arrived in Real del Monte in the 19th century, a fusion unique in the country.