Querétaro cuisine: gorditas, enchiladas and Bajío tradition

What is it?

Querétaro cuisine is the gastronomic tradition of the state of Querétaro, in central Mexico, part of the historic Bajío and gateway to the north. It is a mestizo cuisine that combines Otomi (hñähñu) and Pame heritages with Spanish techniques introduced in the 16th and 17th centuries, when Querétaro was the head of the Franciscans and an evangelisation centre of the Bajío. Its most representative dishes are the Querétaro-style enchiladas (with chile guajillo, potato and carrot sauce), gorditas de migajas (filled with pork skin), huapango (thick atole with cheese), nopales in maguey leaf, morcillas, quesadilla with bola cheese and the milk and biznaga sweets of Cadereyta. They are consumed daily in markets such as Escobedo and La Cruz, and form a central part of the Santa Cruz festivities in September, the Querétaro fair and the Huastec traditions of Jalpan in the Sierra Gorda.

Origin and history

Querétaro cuisine inherits from the Otomi, Pame and Chichimec peoples who inhabited the region long before the Spanish conquest. Querétaro was founded in 1531 by the Franciscans and became strategic for the pacification of the Chichimec north during the 16th century. The five Franciscan missions of the Sierra Gorda built by Fray Junípero Serra between 1750 and 1768 (UNESCO World Heritage since 2003) introduced European culinary techniques adapted to the semi-arid geography of the Bajío. The historic centre of Querétaro, also a UNESCO World Heritage since 1996, was the cradle of the Querétaro Conspiracy (1810) that triggered Mexican Independence. Querétaro-style enchiladas, according to Larousse Cocina, are a colonial mestizo creation in which the guajillo salsa, a local hallmark, is accompanied by potato and carrot, a ranching legacy of the Bajío. The bola cheese of the Bajío, especially from Tequisquiapan, was an industrial-artisanal product since the 19th century. México Desconocido documents the milk and biznaga (endemic cactus) sweets of Cadereyta as a 19th-century convent tradition.

Characteristic ingredients

Querétaro-style enchiladas are tortillas dipped in chile guajillo sauce browned with garlic and onion, folded and sometimes filled with cheese, accompanied with potato and carrot fried in cubes, lettuce, cream and fresh cheese. Gorditas de migajas are maize gorditas filled with 'migajas', grilled and chopped pork skin with seasoning. The Querétaro-Huastec huapango is a thick atole with fresh cheese, different from sweet atole. Nopales in maguey leaf are nopales grilled on a maguey leaf, a pre-Hispanic technique, served with onion and lime. Beef and pork stand out in gracias, tacos and Querétaro-style barbacoa stews. In the Sierra Gorda and Jalpan, freshwater acamayas (river prawns) are consumed, along with wild quelites such as purslane and romeritos, plus oven gorditas. Cadereyta produces biznaga sweets (also called acitrón, today with restrictions due to environmental protection), candied pumpkin and burnt milk. The wine and artisanal cheeses of Tequisquiapan, the wine and food route of the centre, are important contemporary attractions.

Cultural significance

Querétaro cuisine is part of the gastronomic landscape of the Bajío implicitly recognised in the inscription of traditional Mexican cuisine by UNESCO in 2010. The Santa Cruz festivities in El Pueblito (Corregidora) every 14 September bring together processions, dances and ritual food of gorditas, atole and enchiladas. The Querétaro national fair in December includes gastronomy as a cultural axis. The Sierra Gorda, a protected natural area, preserves Huastec and Pame gastronomic traditions with community kitchens in Jalpan, Landa de Matamoros and Pinal de Amoles. Tequisquiapan and Bernal, both Magical Towns, are wine and food centres: the first for Freixenet wines and artisanal cheeses, the second for oven gorditas, biznagas and the monolith peak. The state government has consolidated the Cheese and Wine Route and the Art, Cheese and Wine Route as important tourist attractions. Traditional women cooks such as Gabriela Sánchez Eguía document recipes in danger.

Frequently asked questions

What do Querétaro-style enchiladas contain?

They are tortillas dipped in a strained sauce of chile guajillo, garlic, cumin and oil, folded like quesadillas (not stuffed like the suizas), accompanied by cubes of potato and carrot fried in the same sauce. They are served with lettuce, crumbled fresh cheese, cream and sometimes shredded chicken. Potato and carrot are their distinctive hallmark from the Bajío.

What is the difference between gordita de migajas and chicharrón gordita?

Querétaro gordita de migajas is filled with 'migajas', skins and small pieces of carnitas or pork chopped with seasoning, a dry and crunchy mixture. Chicharrón gordita is filled with chicharrón in green or red salsa, a moist and spicy mixture. Both are maize gorditas cooked on a comal and split open to fill; they vary according to region.

What does Querétaro cuisine taste like?

It has rustic Bajío flavours, dominated by chile guajillo (fruity, not very spicy), potato, fresh cheese and lard. It is less complex than the Puebla or Oaxacan cuisines, more peasant and direct. The huapango with cheese, nopales in maguey leaf and the artisanal cheeses of Tequisquiapan give characteristic earthy, herbal and lactic notes.

Where does Querétaro cuisine originate from?

It originates from the state of Querétaro, in central Mexico, in the historic Bajío. It has Otomi (hñähñu), Pame and Chichimec roots, and was consolidated during the Colony thanks to the Franciscan influence, especially the Sierra Gorda missions of Fray Junípero Serra (1750-1768), UNESCO World Heritage since 2003.