Quintana Roo cuisine: tikin xic fish, Mayan cooking and the Mexican Caribbean

What is it?

Quintana Roo cuisine is the gastronomic tradition of the state of Quintana Roo, on the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, shaped by the local Mayan heritage, Yucatan cuisine (shared with Yucatan and Campeche) and the Caribbean influence from its proximity to Belize and the Antilles. Its emblematic dishes are tikin xic fish (grouper or red snapper in red recado and banana leaf), lime soup, panuchos and salbutes (inherited from Yucatan), cochinita pibil, beans with pork, Caribbean lobster in butter, Caribbean ceviches, Veracruz-style red snapper on the northern border, the strained tamales of Bacalar, and drinks such as balche and xtabentun. Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cozumel and Bacalar are world-class tourist destinations where Mayan cuisine is presented both in traditional eateries and in internationally awarded restaurants.

Origin and history

Quintana Roo cuisine has deep roots in Mayan civilisation, which dominated the peninsula for more than 3,000 years with ceremonial centres such as Tulum, Coba, Chichen Itza and Mayapan. The region was the territory of the ancient Mayan dominion of Ecab. The Spanish conquest was late and precarious: Quintana Roo remained rebel territory during the Caste War (1847 to 1901), where the Yucatec Maya created the independent enclave of Chan Santa Cruz (today Felipe Carrillo Puerto). This preserved Mayan culinary traditions with less colonial influence. Quintana Roo was a federal territory until 1974, when it became a state. Cancun, planned in 1970 by FONATUR as a tourist destination, transformed the northern zone economically and culturally; before, it was a fishing village with fewer than 100 inhabitants. Mayan pibil cuisine, recados, ground pumpkin seed and pib cooking are the ancestral techniques that persist. According to Larousse Cocina, tikin xic (meaning 'dry fish' in Mayan) is an ancestral preparation of fish marinated in red recado and achiote, wrapped in banana leaf and cooked in a pib or oven. Bacalar, a Pueblo Magico, preserves a culinary tradition along the border with Belize and Central America, including Afro-Caribbean cooking.

Characteristic ingredients

Tikin xic fish is the flagship dish: whole fish (grouper, red snapper or sea bass) marinated with red recado (achiote, cumin, pepper, garlic, sour orange), wrapped in banana leaf and cooked in a pib (earth oven) or on a covered comal. It has a citrus-smoky flavour and an intense orange colour. Caribbean lobster (Panulirus argus) is prepared with butter and garlic, gratin or in cocktails. White Caribbean fish (grouper, red snapper, sea bass) and seafood (prawns, squid, octopus, oysters) are the stars. The most used chillies are the peninsular habanero (with protected designation of origin since 2010), the X-cat-ik chilli (yellow, spicy) and sweet pepper. The recados are the same as in Yucatan: red, black (chilmole) and white. Banana leaf wraps strained tamales, pibes and tikin xic. Mayan chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius), a nutritious local spinach, is used in eggs, soups and drinks. Balche is a Mayan ritual drink fermented from the bark of the balche tree with melipona honey. Xtabentun is an anise-flavoured Yucatec liqueur with melipona honey, originating from the region. Stingless melipona bee honey, sacred to the Maya, has unique properties and is produced in Mayan cooperatives. Pozol and Mayan chicha are traditional drinks.

Cultural significance

Quintana Roo cuisine is a living Mayan identity and a driver of international tourism. The Riviera Maya (Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum) receives more than 15 million foreign tourists a year, many drawn by the gastronomic offer. Restaurants such as Hartwood in Tulum (Top 50 in the world), Le Chique in Cancun and Casa Sirena in Holbox have brought Mayan cuisine to the international level. Tulum, a Mayan archaeological site facing the Caribbean, is a world cultural reference. Cozumel, one of the most visited islands, preserves island Mayan cuisine. The cuisine is part of the UNESCO inscription of traditional Mexican cuisine in 2010. The Day of the Three Wise Men in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, the patronal festivities in Mayan towns such as Tihosuco and the living Mayan rituals in communities such as Yaxunah preserve ancestral ritual cooking. Bacalar, a Pueblo Magico since 2006, has grown as a gastronomic destination thanks to its lagoon of seven colours and its border cuisine with Belize. Mayan cooks such as Rosalia Chay Chuc in Yokdzonot are ambassadors of the traditional Mayan recipe book, and cooperatives of women melipona beekeepers sustain the production of sacred honey.

Frequently asked questions

What is tikin xic?

It is a pre-Hispanic Mayan dish from the Yucatan Peninsula, especially popular in Quintana Roo. It means 'dry fish' in Mayan. It is made with whole fish (grouper, red snapper, sea bass) butterflied and marinated with red recado (achiote, cumin, pepper, garlic, sour orange), wrapped in banana leaf and cooked in a pib (earth oven) or on a comal/grill. It has an intense citrus-smoky flavour and the orange colour of achiote.

Is Quintana Roo cuisine the same as Yucatec cuisine?

It shares much of the repertoire (cochinita pibil, panuchos, salbutes, recados, habanero chilli), because historically Quintana Roo was part of Yucatan until 1902. But it has its own features: greater Caribbean influence (lobster, seafood, coconut), Mayan independence traditions due to the Caste War (1847 to 1901), and the modern international influence since the Cancun tourist boom (1970 to the present).

What is balche?

It is a fermented Mayan ritual drink made with the bark of the balche tree (Lonchocarpus violaceus), water and melipona bee honey. It has low to medium alcohol content and is consumed in Mayan religious ceremonies, especially in Hanal Pixan rituals (Mayan Day of the Dead). Its ritual use is still alive in Mayan communities of Quintana Roo, Yucatan and Campeche, although it is limited to ceremonial contexts.

Where does Quintana Roo cuisine come from?

It originates from the state of Quintana Roo, on the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. Its roots are peninsular Mayan, more than 3,000 years old, with pibil cuisine, recados and nixtamalised maize. The Spanish conquest was late (16th to 17th centuries), and the region remained in Mayan rebellion during the Caste War (1847 to 1901), preserving its traditions. It was a federal territory until 1974, when it became a state.