Panuchos: what they are and how to make them

What is it?

Panuchos are one of the most iconic antojitos of Yucatán and the Maya peninsula. They are made with small tortillas of nixtamalised maize masa which, during their cooking on the comal, puff up slightly forming an air pocket. This pocket is carefully opened along one side and filled with a paste of strained refried black beans (black beans blended with epazote). The filled tortilla is fried in hot lard or oil until golden and crisp. On the fried panucho the classic topping is placed: shredded cochinita pibil, grilled turkey or suckling pig, plenty of pickled red onion with habanero, lettuce or shredded cabbage, tomato, sliced avocado and habanero hot sauce (xnipek or kutbil ik). Larousse Cocina, PorEsto and Directo al Paladar México document them as a peninsular identity antojito, a sibling of the salbutes and of cochinita tacos. They are a common dish in markets, fondas, lunch spots and traditional Yucatecan restaurants.

Origin and history

Panuchos have a Yucatecan-Maya origin with colonial influence. The most widespread legend — recorded by PorEsto and Yucatán Travel — attributes their creation to a character called 'Don Nuche' or 'Don Hipólito Panucho', a cook from Ticul or Acanceh who at the end of the nineteenth century ran out of ingredients to make tortillas and, on seeing a puffed tortilla on his comal, decided to fill it with beans and add cochinita. The word 'panucho' supposedly derives from his name, or alternatively from 'pan untado' (spread bread). Another theory suggests that panucho comes from 'paʼ nuʼkach' in Yucatecan Maya, meaning 'stuffed tortilla'. Panuchos became established as a popular antojito in the markets of Mérida — especially Lucas de Gálvez and Santa Ana — during the twentieth century. The incorporation of cochinita pibil as the main filling reflects the pre-Hispanic tradition of pibil (cooking underground) and achiote as a Maya condiment. PorEsto details that the most traditional versions are prepared with Yucatecan strained bean — a paste of blended and strained black bean, distinct from the common refried bean of the rest of Mexico. Today they appear on the menus of tourist restaurants such as La Chaya Maya, Néctar and K'u'uk in Mérida.

Characteristic ingredients

The masa used is fresh nixtamalised maize, not industrial flour, so the tortillas puff up correctly on the comal. Small tortillas of 8-10 cm in diameter and 2-3 mm thick are formed, cooked on a very hot comal — ideally clay — where they puff up forming an air pocket in the centre. Immediately on removing them they are carefully opened along one side with a sharp knife and filled with the Yucatecan strained bean paste (black beans cooked with epazote and blended with a little of their broth, then cooked until thickened). They are reassembled and fried in hot lard or oil until golden and crisp outside, keeping their softness inside. The traditional cochinita pibil is prepared with pork marinated in a red achiote recado, bitter orange, garlic, allspice, cumin and Yucatecan oregano, wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in a pib (earth oven) for several hours. The pickled red onion is made by slicing it finely and marinating it in bitter orange juice with habanero, salt and oregano. They are served hot with slices of avocado, tomato, lettuce and habanero salsa (xnipek: tomato, onion, habanero and bitter orange chopped). Variants: turkey panucho, suckling-pig panucho, campechano panucho.

Cultural significance

Panuchos are one of the pillars of the Yucatecan repertoire and form part of the 'great trinity' of peninsular antojitos alongside salbutes and cochinita pibil tacos. The 2010 UNESCO declaration of traditional Mexican cuisine — in particular the Michoacán paradigm — has been extended in recognition to regional cuisines such as the Yucatecan, which the Mexican Secretariat of Culture has promoted as one of the most distinctive gastronomic identities of the country. The Yucatán Secretariat for the Promotion of Tourism includes panuchos in its official gastronomic catalogue and tourist routes. In the Lucas de Gálvez and Santa Ana markets of Mérida, the panucho stalls form part of the intangible heritage of the state: some families have been at the same spot for three generations. In popular culture they appear in regional novels, in state tourism promotion and in programmes such as Pati's Mexican Table and Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. Chefs such as Roberto Solís (Néctar), Pedro Evia (Kuuk) and David Cetina (La Tradición) have elevated them into contemporary Yucatecan fine dining. Economically, panucho cooks sustain thousands of microbusinesses in the peninsula. Panuchos have been exported: in Mexico City there are specialised restaurants such as La Chaya Maya and Casa Oaxaca-Mérida; in the USA they appear in Yucatecan restaurants in Los Angeles and Miami.

Frequently asked questions