Zacatecan cuisine: wedding roast, beef birria and mining tradition

What is it?

Zacatecan cuisine is the gastronomic tradition of the state of Zacatecas, in the northern Mexican highlands, marked by mining heritage, ranching and the historical crossroads between the centre and north of the country. Its emblematic dishes are Jerez wedding roast (pork in dried-chilli and chocolate sauce), Zacatecan beef birria, oven Zacatecan gorditas, red and green tamales of the region, adobera cheese, ranch bread, Zacatecan enchiladas, romeritos and adobada meat. Zacatecas, a colonial city declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1993, preserves a mestizo culinary tradition that combines Caxcán, Tepehuán and Huachichil roots with the Hispanic heritage of the richest silver mines of New Spain. It is consumed at family celebrations and religious festivities, especially weddings and christenings where roast is obligatory.

Origin and history

Zacatecan cuisine inherits from the Caxcán, Tepehuán, Huachichil and Zacateco peoples, Chichimec groups that resisted the conquest during the Chichimec War (1550-1590). The discovery of silver mines by Juan de Tolosa in 1546 gave rise to the city of Zacatecas, turned into one of the richest in the Americas. Its mines supplied a fifth of the world's silver for 300 years. The founding of mining and ranching haciendas along the Zacatecan highlands introduced cattle, goats and pigs, as well as European products such as wheat, vine, garlic, onion and spices. Jerez wedding roast was born in Jerez de García Salinas, according to Larousse Cocina, as a colonial festive dish of haciendas; it carries pork cooked in chile ancho and guajillo sauce, orange, chocolate, vinegar and sweet spices, a baroque legacy. Mezcal from the Zacatecan highlands (Sombrerete, Pinos) has more than 300 years of tradition. México Desconocido documents Río Grande adobera cheese and ranch cheese as a ranching legacy. The city of Zacatecas was UNESCO World Heritage in 1993 because of its colonial historical value. Zacatecan migration to the United States since the 1940s has taken wedding roast and birria to California, Texas and Illinois.

Characteristic ingredients

Jerez wedding roast is the emblem dish: pork cooked in strained sauce of chile ancho, guajillo, garlic, orange juice, apple-cider vinegar, bay leaves, clove, cinnamon and a touch of bitter chocolate. It has a sweet-and-sour-spicy flavour and is served with white rice and tortillas. Zacatecan birria is prepared with beef (not goat like Jalisco) marinated with chiles ancho, guajillo, cumin and oregano, cooked in a pot with vegetables, served on a plate with consommé and lime. Zacatecan oven gorditas are different from those of the Bajío: they are baked, not fried, crunchy on the outside, flaky in layers, slightly sweet and are eaten plain or with cheese. The most-used chillies are ancho, guajillo, pasilla and chile cascabel (Romanian). The adobera or ranch cheese, pressed in square moulds, is of semi-aged cow's milk. Ranch bread is semi-sweet, round and sold in markets. Zacatecan romeritos in pipián are an 18th-century convent legacy. Mezcal of Pinos and Sombrerete accompanies roasts. Milk sweets, puchas (sweet bread) and tuna cheese are regional delicacies. Wine is produced in small family wineries near Fresnillo and Ojocaliente.

Cultural significance

Zacatecan cuisine is the identity of one of the states with the most migrants in the United States (especially Chicago, where Zacatecas has almost half a million countrymen). Zacatecan wedding roast is the festive dish par excellence: no traditional Zacatecan wedding, christening or XV años is considered complete without it. It forms part of the UNESCO dossier of traditional Mexican cuisine inscribed in 2010. Zacatecas, a UNESCO World Heritage city since 1993, attracts significant gastronomic tourism: restaurants such as Acrópolis and Quinta Real Zacatecas preserve traditional recipes in an impressive colonial setting. The International Zacatecas Folklore Festival, held every August, includes gastronomy as a cultural axis. Traditional festivities such as the Bracho morismas (the epic battle with thousands of participants) and the festivities of the Virgin of the Patronage include traditional foods. Massive migration to the United States has taken wedding roast, beef birria and adobera cheese to Latin shops and restaurants in Chicago, Aurora and Joliet, where 'Zacatecas in Illinois' is a demographic reality.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Zacatecan and northern wedding roast?

Zacatecan wedding roast (originally from Jerez) is pork cooked in a strained sauce of chiles ancho and guajillo with orange, vinegar, chocolate, clove and cinnamon; sweet-and-sour-spiced flavour. Nuevo León wedding roast is similar but with almonds and prune. Both are wedding festive dishes; the Zacatecan one is darker and sweeter, the Nuevoleonese one thicker and with dried fruit.

Why is Zacatecan birria made with beef and not goat?

In Jalisco, the cradle of birria, goat was originally used because it was abundant as livestock introduced in the 16th century. In Zacatecas, cattle ranching was more important because of the large extents of the highlands dedicated to mining ranching haciendas. That is why Zacatecan birria evolved with beef and is the direct ancestor of the Tijuana-style beef birria popularised globally.

What does Zacatecan cuisine taste like?

It has baroque flavours of the colonial highlands: deep dried chillies (ancho, guajillo), bitter chocolate, sweet spices (cinnamon, clove), vinegar, fresh cheese and lard. Wedding roast combines sweetness, acidity and heat in a single sauce. Zacatecan birria is more subtle than the Jalisco one because of using beef. Pinos mezcal brings smoke to festive dinners. It is substantial and festive cuisine.

Where does Zacatecan cuisine originate from?

It originates from the state of Zacatecas, in the Mexican northern highlands. It combines Caxcán, Tepehuán, Huachichil and Zacateco heritages (Chichimec groups) with the Spanish colonial tradition of the silver mines discovered in 1546 and the subsequent consolidation of mining and ranching haciendas. Jerez de García Salinas is the cradle of wedding roast, an emblematic festive dish of the state.