Michoacán cuisine: what it is and why it's world heritage

What is it?

Michoacán cuisine is the gastronomic tradition of the state of Michoacán, in western Mexico, and was presented as a paradigmatic case before UNESCO when traditional Mexican cuisine was inscribed on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List in 2010. It is a cuisine deeply linked to the Purépecha people and the shores of Lake Pátzcuaro, where corundas (triangular tamales), uchepos (sweet tamales of tender maize), morisqueta (rice cooked with beans), white fish and dried charales are prepared. It is also the cradle of Quiroga-style carnitas, the most famous carnitas tacos in Mexico. It is consumed throughout the year, but takes on prominence during the Night of the Dead from 1 to 2 November, especially in Janitzio and Tzintzuntzan, with offerings, pan de muerto and ritual dishes.

Origin and history

Michoacán cuisine inherits the millennia-old tradition of the P'urhépecha or Tarascan people, a Mesoamerican civilisation that dominated the west without being subdued by the Aztecs. They were expert fishers of Lake Pátzcuaro and producers of maize, bean, chilli and squash for more than 2,500 years. The Relación de Michoacán, written around 1539-1541 by Fray Jerónimo de Alcalá, describes culinary techniques and rituals around maize that are still preserved. The arrival of Spanish pork gave rise to carnitas, especially in Quiroga (formerly Pueblo de Cocupao), where they were documented from the nineteenth century as the cooking of the whole pig in its own fat in copper cauldrons. Vasco de Quiroga, first bishop of Michoacán between 1538 and 1565, organised hospital-towns with craft specialisations: Quiroga for carnitas, Capula for pottery, Paracho for guitars, Tzintzuntzan for textiles. This organisation still influences regional cooking. UNESCO declared traditional Mexican cuisine Intangible Heritage in 2010 explicitly using Michoacán as an exemplary case, thanks to the dossier prepared by the Conservatory of Mexican Gastronomic Culture chaired by Gloria López Morales.

Characteristic ingredients

Maize is the absolute centre of Michoacán cooking. Corundas are triangular tamales wrapped in reed or milpa leaf, made only with masa, lard and salt, served with salsa and cream. Uchepos are sweet tamales of tender maize ground without nixtamalising, characteristic of the young-cob season. Morisqueta accompanies freshly cooked white rice with beans and tomato salsa. Churipo is a beef broth with xoconostle and cabbage, a Purépecha ritual dish. The white fish of Pátzcuaro (a species endemic to the lake, today endangered) is cooked battered or fried; the charales are dried and fried as a snack. Quiroga carnitas are pork cooked in its fat in copper cauldrons from Santa Clara del Cobre with salt, orange, milk and sometimes cola. The perón chilli grows only in Uruapan and Chiapas and is the base of salsas. Hass avocado is produced massively in Uruapan, with a designation of origin. Charanda is the Michoacán spirit distilled from sugar cane, with a designation of origin since 2003.

Cultural significance

Michoacán cuisine is the emblematic case of Mexican intangible gastronomic heritage before UNESCO. The Night of the Dead on the island of Janitzio, on Lake Pátzcuaro, attracts thousands of visitors each November who witness the candles, the music and the offerings with pan de muerto and typical dishes. The traditional cooks of Michoacán, organised in state gatherings since 2003, are internationally recognised guardians: Benedicta Alejo Vargas and Juana Bravo have been invited to world forums. The gastronomic fairs in towns such as Tzintzuntzan, Pátzcuaro, Quiroga and Uruapan sustain the trade in traditional food. Michoacán also has the Route of Health, organised by the state government around Morelia and Pátzcuaro. Quiroga carnitas are a national reference: every weekend, thousands of visitors come to the town to eat at the dozens of butcher-grills that prepare them, perpetuating a colonial technique almost unchanged for more than a century.

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