Pepitorias: the traditional pumpkin-seed sweet

What is it?

Pepitorias are discs of white wafer covered with a layer of piloncillo or honey caramel onto which toasted pumpkin seeds are stuck. The result is a crunchy, light, aromatic sweet, with the deep sweetness of piloncillo and a toasted touch of pumpkin seed. They are one of the oldest typical sweets of central Mexico, sold at fairs, squares, markets and regional confectioneries in Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, the State of Mexico and Querétaro. Their modest price and light texture make them a popular snack, perfect to accompany a coffee or a fruit water. The Mexican pepitoria should not be confused with the Spanish stew of the same name, since this is exclusively a sweet.

Origin and history

The Mexican pepitoria has its roots in pre-Hispanic cuisine, where the pumpkin seed was a fundamental ingredient, toasted and ground in moles, pipianes and ritual sweets. The addition of sugar and the wafer is a product of colonial mestizaje: the New Spanish convents made wafers for the host from the seventeenth century onwards and later used them as a base for sweets sold to the population. Larousse Cocina records that pepitorias are traditionally made in towns such as Tlaxcala, Otumba (State of Mexico) and Ciudad Hidalgo (Michoacán). México Desconocido documents that in Puebla and Tlaxcala pepitorias star at patron-saint fairs such as those of San Francisco Tlaltelolco and are marketed in large baskets. The word pepitoria comes from pepita, seed, and in turn from the Nahuatl ayotetl (squash seed). The sweet is a clear example of mestizo culinary fusion.

Characteristic ingredients

The pumpkin seed used is the dry, peeled seed of Cucurbita pepo or Cucurbita argyrosperma, Mesoamerican squashes cultivated for more than 8,000 years. The seeds are toasted on a comal without fat, lightly salted, which provides the characteristic flavour. The base wafer is made with flour, water, a little sugar and is cooked on a hot plate, obtaining thin, white, crunchy sheets. The caramel or honey is prepared by boiling piloncillo with water until a thick syrup is obtained, sometimes flavoured with cinnamon or orange peel. It is poured onto the wafer, covered with toasted seeds and topped with another wafer to make a double pepitoria, or left uncovered for a single one. Regional variants include pepitorias with peanut, walnut or sesame. Artisanal pepitorias are distinguished by the quality of the piloncillo and the precise toasting of the seeds.

Cultural significance

The pepitoria is one of the fair sweets par excellence in central Mexico, sold at patron-saint fairs, public squares, traditional markets and provincial cinemas. Its economy is entirely popular: it is produced at low cost in family workshops and sold at an accessible price, forming part of the livelihood of hundreds of artisanal producers. In Otumba, State of Mexico, and in Tlaxcala, pepitorias are a regional emblem and are made within families following inherited recipes. The sweet is protected as part of the state gastronomic heritage of Tlaxcala. Traditional Mexican cuisine, recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, includes these seed sweets among the expressions of pre-Hispanic-colonial mestizaje. The pepitoria remains a neighbourhood sweet, not industrialised, that keeps alive the artisanal chain of piloncillo and pumpkin seed.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a pepitoria and a palanqueta?

The palanqueta is a rectangular or square slab of hard caramel with peanuts, walnuts or pumpkin seeds stuck to it, without a wafer. The Mexican pepitoria has a flour wafer as a base and the caramel is softer, which makes it lighter and crunchier. The palanqueta is more resistant and harder, while the pepitoria breaks easily and dissolves in the mouth.

What does a pepitoria taste like?

It tastes of deep caramelised piloncillo, with notes of molasses and cane, balanced by the toasted, slightly salty and fatty flavour of the pumpkin seed. The wafer provides neutrality and crunchy texture. The sweetness-toast-salt balance is characteristic and very addictive, without becoming cloying thanks to the light wafer.

How are pepitorias served?

They are eaten as they are, as an individual on-the-go sweet, accompanying a café de olla, an atole, a fruit water or as a street dessert. At fairs they are sold in bags or baskets. They are also used in pieces as a topping for sorbets, ice creams and cakes, or offered as a courtesy sweet in traditional cuisine restaurants.

Where do pepitorias originate?

They originate in central Mexico, particularly in Tlaxcala, Puebla, the State of Mexico (Otumba) and Hidalgo, where squash and piloncillo are traditional crops. The sweet results from colonial mestizaje: the pre-Hispanic use of toasted pumpkin seed was combined with the Spanish convent wafer and the cane sugar introduced after the Conquest.