Green pipián: what it is and how to make the salsa

What is it?

Green pipián is one of the oldest salsas of Mexican cooking, with a clearly pre-Hispanic origin. Its name comes from the Nahuatl 'pixotl' (pumpkin seed) or from 'pepián', a Mesoamerican ritual stew based on pumpkin seeds. The toasted pumpkin seed is the lead ingredient and natural thickener, complemented with miltomate (green tomato), serrano or green jalapeño chilli, hoja santa, epazote, coriander and, in some regions, romaine lettuce or radicchio to reinforce the green colour. It is an emblematic dish of Puebla, especially of Tepeaca, where it is considered a heritage recipe, as well as of central Mexico (the State of Mexico, Tlaxcala, Morelos) and Oaxaca. It is traditionally prepared with chicken or pork, though it can also be made with rabbit, duck or fish. Its texture is thick and grainy, and its colour a characteristic bright green. It is one of the Mexican dishes with the greatest historical continuity from pre-Hispanic times to the present, considered a living treasure of the Mesoamerican recipe book by culinary historians.

Origin and history

Green pipián is of fully pre-Hispanic origin, according to ethnobotanical and archaeological documentation. Friar Bernardino de Sahagún, in the 16th-century Florentine Codex, described stews called 'pipiyan' or 'pipián' prepared by the Mexica with pumpkin seeds, chilli and vegetables, served at ritual banquets. Squash is one of the three sacred crops of the Mesoamerican milpa along with maize and beans, and its seeds (pepitas) were valued as a nutritious and ritual food. Hoja santa, another key ingredient, was used as a sacred condiment and digestive from Preclassic times. During the colonial period, green pipián kept its Mesoamerican character without major modifications, which distinguishes it from the baroque moles that incorporated many European ingredients. It appears described in New Spanish and 19th-century recipe books as a regional dish. Today it forms part of Traditional Mexican Cuisine, UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity 2010. The magazine Turismo Puebla highlights the green pipián of Tepeaca as one of the identity dishes of the state.

Characteristic ingredients

The traditional recipe for green pipián begins by lightly toasting peeled (green) pumpkin seeds until they pop, without letting them burn so they do not turn bitter. They are ground with raw or lightly cooked miltomate (green tomato), serrano or green jalapeño chilli, garlic, onion, hoja santa, epazote, coriander and a little cumin. Some versions add romaine lettuce, radish leaves or radicchio to intensify the green colour. The salsa is fried in lard or vegetable oil over medium heat while stirring constantly (important: the pipián 'splits' easily if cooked badly or if the oil is too hot), and diluted with chicken broth. It is cooked with chicken, pork or rabbit. The consistency should be thick, grainy and glossy, with an intense green colour. Regional variants: in Tepeaca, Puebla, abundant epazote is used; in Oaxaca hoja santa is the protagonist; in the State of Mexico chepiche is included; in Morelos a more broth-like version is preferred. Green pipián is a technically demanding dish: it requires controlled temperature and constant stirring so it does not split.

Cultural significance

Green pipián is one of the dishes with the greatest historical continuity in Mexican cooking, considered a living treasure of the pre-Hispanic-Mesoamerican recipe book. Its uninterrupted presence from before the Conquest to the present makes it an exceptional gastronomic testimony. SECTUR and the government of Puebla promote the green pipián of Tepeaca as regional heritage, attributing special tourist and cultural value to it. Cooks such as Lula Bertrán, Margarita Carrillo Arronte and Alicia Gironella have brought it into Mexican fine dining. It forms part of Traditional Mexican Cuisine, UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity 2010. It economically sustains producers of pumpkin seed in central Mexico and producers of hoja santa in the Sierra Norte of Puebla, Veracruz and Oaxaca. Pumpkin seed, a nutritious food rich in magnesium, zinc, iron and protein, is promoted by SADER and the Ministry of Health as a healthy ingredient of the ancestral traditional Mexican diet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between green pipián and green mole?

Both are Mexican green salsas, but green pipián is thickened with ground pumpkin seed (its lead ingredient), while Oaxacan green mole uses maize masa as a thickener. In addition, the pipián has a grainier texture owing to the pumpkin seeds, while green mole is silkier. The pipián is purely pre-Hispanic; green mole has a Mesoamerican origin with mestizo adaptations.

Why does green pipián 'split'?

Because the fat of the pumpkin seed separates easily from the water if it is cooked at too high a temperature or not stirred constantly. To avoid this, the paste should be fried over medium-low heat and the broth added little by little while stirring without stopping. If it splits, it can be recovered by adding warm water and beating vigorously, though it is better to prevent it from the start.

Which pumpkin seed is green pipián made from?

From peeled (hulled) pumpkin seed, of a bright green colour. The pepitorra or calabaza de Castilla seed is used, lightly toasted on the comal until it pops without burning. The green pepita is a native Mexican ingredient, part of the milpa system, and provides protein, healthy fats and minerals. The seed with its hull is not used because it makes the result bitter and ruins the texture.

Where does green pipián come from?

It is of pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican origin, with a presence documented from before the Conquest in the Mexica, Tlaxcaltec and Puebla cultures. Today it is considered an identity dish of Puebla (especially Tepeaca), central Mexico (the State of Mexico, Tlaxcala, Morelos) and Oaxaca. It is one of the dishes with the greatest historical continuity in the Mexican recipe book, passed down without interruption since pre-Hispanic times.