Mixiotes: what they are, how they're made and their origin

What is it?

Mixiotes are one of the oldest and most emblematic dishes of the Mexican central highlands: pieces of mutton, chicken or beef marinated in a mixture of dried chillies, herbs and spices, wrapped individually in the transparent cuticle extracted from the leaves of the maguey, and steamed for several hours. The parcel seals in the juices, concentrates the flavours and allows the meat to cook tenderly in its own marinade. They are served by opening the wrapping on the diner's plate, releasing an intense aromatic steam. They are typical of Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Puebla and the State of Mexico, where they form part of the traditional repertoire of maguey cooking along with barbacoa, pulque, the maguey worm and escamoles. They are eaten in markets, food stalls and rural celebrations, especially at weekends and at christenings, weddings and graduations.

Origin and history

The mixiote is a dish of pre-Hispanic origin whose technique is documented from before the Conquest. Its name comes from the Nahuatl metl, maguey, and xiotl, cuticle or skin, which translates literally as maguey skin. The Otomí, Nahua and Tlaxcaltec peoples of the highlands used this wrapping to cook game meat, turkeys and small animals wrapped with local herbs and spices. Friar Bernardino de Sahagún, in the 16th-century Florentine Codex, records the use of the maguey cuticle to wrap food, as well as the integral use of the plant for fibres, drinks (pulque, aguamiel) and roofing. After the Conquest, the recipe was enriched with the introduction of mutton, lamb, oil and Old World spices, giving rise to the modern mixiote. During the 20th century, the over-exploitation of the maguey and the decline of plantations led the federal government to regulate and, in some states, ban the extraction of the natural cuticle, replaced in many cases by waxed paper or parchment that preserves the technique but loses the characteristic aroma. In places such as Otumba (State of Mexico), Singuilucan (Hidalgo) and San Pablo Apetatitlán (Tlaxcala), mixiotes are a regional emblem and an economic driver for small producers.

Characteristic ingredients

The mixiote marinade varies by region, but the base is similar: guajillo, ancho and pasilla chillies, soaked and blended with garlic, cumin, pepper, clove, oregano, avocado or epazote leaves, and vinegar or pulque to add acidity. The traditional meat is mutton or lamb, especially shoulder and rib, though mixiotes are also made of chicken pieces, rabbit, beef or, in contemporary versions, of cactus such as xoconostle or of mushrooms as vegetarian options. Some recipes add nopales or tender maguey leaf segments as a garnish inside the wrapping. The maguey cuticle, called mixiote, is a fine, transparent membrane peeled from the outer surface of the leaf with a knife and by hand; it provides a slight herbal, vegetal flavour that sets it apart from any substitute. Today, owing to environmental regulation, many restaurants use waxed paper or foil. The cooking is done in a pot with a steamer, generally over a bed of maguey leaves or banana leaves, for three to four hours, until the meat falls off the bone. It is served with maize tortillas, salsa borracha (with pulque, pasilla chilli and aged cheese) and grilled nopales.

Cultural significance

Mixiotes are part of the intangible cultural heritage of the Mexican central highlands and an emblem of the millennia-old culture of the maguey, one of the plants most symbiotically integrated into the life of the pre-Hispanic peoples. They form part of family and community festivities in Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Puebla and the State of Mexico, especially at christenings, first communions, weddings and graduations, where large quantities are prepared to offer to guests. Traditional Mexican Cuisine, declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010, encompasses mixiotes and other maguey derivatives as pillars of national gastronomic identity. Economically, they sustain small rural producers who grow maguey, raise sheep and keep ancestral techniques alive. The environmental regulation of the extraction of the natural cuticle has generated a debate between maguey conservation and the preservation of the culinary tradition, with initiatives to certify mixiotes made with cuticle from sustainable crops. In contemporary Mexican cooking, chefs such as Enrique Olvera and Elena Reygadas have reinterpreted the mixiote in gourmet versions, bringing it into fine-dining restaurants without losing its traditional root.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between mixiote and barbacoa?

Both are slow-cooking techniques for marinated meat, but the mixiote wraps individual pieces in maguey cuticle and is steamed in a pot, while barbacoa cooks the whole piece (a sheep or large cuts) in an earth oven, generally wrapped in large maguey leaves. The mixiote is an individual portion; the barbacoa is communal.

What do mixiotes taste like?

The meat turns out incredibly juicy and tender, infused with the chilli marinade that provides moderate heat and the fruity notes of guajillo and ancho. The maguey wrapping leaves a subtle herbal, vegetal touch. Spices such as clove, cumin and pepper add depth. The whole is intensely aromatic when the wrapping is opened, with a steam that combines chilli, herbs and mutton.

How are mixiotes served?

Each wrapping is served closed on the diner's plate, who opens it releasing the steam and exposing the stew. They are accompanied by warm maize tortillas, salsa borracha made with pulque and pasilla chilli, grilled nopales, charro beans and avocado. At celebrations they are served with red rice and accompanied by fruit-flavoured pulque curado as a traditional drink.

Where do mixiotes come from?

They are native to the Mexican central highlands, particularly the states of Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Puebla and the State of Mexico, a region where the maguey has been a sacred and useful plant since pre-Hispanic times. The technique is documented from before the Conquest in sources such as Sahagún's Florentine Codex, and has been kept alive among Otomí, Nahua and Tlaxcaltec peoples as a millennia-old culinary tradition.