Mucbipollo: what it is and how the Yucatecan pib is made

What is it?

The mucbipollo, also simply called pib, is the most important ceremonial tamale of the Yucatan Peninsula. Its Maya name literally means buried chicken and describes the traditional cooking method: underground, in an oven of hot stones called a piib. It is made with maize dough mixed with pork lard and achiote, filled with chicken and pork, seasoned with red recado, sweet pepper and epazote, and wrapped in banana leaves. It appears as a central offering at Hanal Pixan, the Maya celebration of the Day of the Dead held from 31 October to 2 November, when Yucatecan families bake large pieces to share with the living and the departed.

Origin and history

The mucbipollo has a pre-Hispanic Maya origin and appears documented from the colonial era as part of the offerings in the cycle of the dead. Yucatan Travel (gob.mx) explains that its name comes from the roots mucb (to bury) and kaax (hen or chicken) in the Yucatec Maya language, and that it was originally cooked with wild game such as pheasant or wild turkey before the Spanish pig and hen entered the recipe. Mexico Desconocido documents how, during Hanal Pixan, Maya families dig a hole in the ground, place hot stones and firewood, and bury the pib wrapped in banana leaves so it cooks with the radiant heat for several hours. The tradition survives today in towns such as Mama, Chochola, Mani and Acanceh, although in the cities it has been adapted to the home or bakery oven.

Characteristic ingredients

The mucbipollo dough, called k'ool, is dense, rich and reddish thanks to the red recado (achiote, cumin, allspice, garlic, oregano, vinegar and salt). It is enriched with pork lard and a little of the cooking broth, which makes it heavy and moist, very different from the fluffy dough of the tamales of central Mexico. The filling combines pieces of chicken and pork previously cooked in their juices, Yucatecan sweet pepper (xkat ik or bell pepper), epazote and sometimes tomato. The piece is assembled in a rectangular dish or pan, lined with grilled banana leaves to make them flexible, and topped with more dough. It was originally buried in the piib for 3 to 4 hours; today it is cooked in a bakery oven at 180 degrees C for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Cultural significance

The mucbipollo is the ritual food of Hanal Pixan, translatable as food of the souls, one of the most important traditions of the Yucatec Maya people. During those days it is believed that the souls of the departed return to eat with their families, and the aroma of the baked pib guides them to the offering. PorEsto and Mexico Desconocido note that the first mucbipollo of the year is buried for the departed children on 31 October, another for the adults on 1 November, and a third for all souls on the 2nd. The preparation is collective: neighbours and relatives gather to dig the piib, stoke the fire, work the dough and pray before uncovering it. Beyond its spiritual value, the pib has become gastronomic heritage promoted by the Yucatan Tourism Ministry as a living expression of contemporary Maya culture.

Frequently asked questions

What does the word mucbipollo mean?

Mucbipollo is a hybrid Maya-Spanish word: it comes from mucbil (buried, in Yucatec Maya) and pollo (chicken, in Spanish). It literally means buried chicken and refers to the traditional cooking method in an underground oven called a piib, made with hot stones and firewood beneath the earth. That is why it is also simply known as pib.

When is the mucbipollo made?

It is made almost exclusively during Hanal Pixan, the Maya Day of the Dead festivity held from 31 October to 2 November in Yucatan, Campeche and Quintana Roo. Some Yucatecan bakeries sell it throughout October. Outside those dates it is hard to find because it is considered a strictly ritual food linked to the return of the souls.

What does the mucbipollo taste like?

It tastes of maize, achiote and smoked meat from the long cooking in banana leaves. The dough is dense, rich and slightly spicy from the red recado, with an earthy base from the achiote. The chicken and pork filling adds juiciness and the epazote gives a herbal touch. It has a much more concentrated flavour than a tamale from central Mexico.

What is the difference between the mucbipollo and an ordinary tamale?

The mucbipollo is a large rectangular piece (not individual), it is cooked buried in a stone oven or in a bakery oven instead of a steamer, it uses red achiote recado in the dough and is wrapped in banana leaves, not maize husk. It is also a ritual dish of Hanal Pixan, whereas tamales are eaten every day.