Sopa tarasca: the Michoacan soup of pinto beans and tortilla

What is it?

Sopa tarasca is one of the most emblematic broths of Michoacan, originally from the Purepecha or Tarascan region around Lake Patzcuaro. Its distinctive feature is the creamy base of cooked and blended pinto beans, mixed with roasted tomato, garlic and onion, all perfumed with chile pasilla or ancho. Unlike sopa azteca, with which it is sometimes confused, the tarasca has thick body from the beans and a more earthy profile. It is served with strips of fried maize tortilla, cubes of avocado, crema, fresh or panela cheese and, in some versions, pork chicharron. Larousse Cocina, Pati Jinich and Wikipedia document it as one of the dishes created or popularised in Patzcuaro in the mid-20th century, linked to the Posada Don Vasco hotel and restaurant. Today it is the distinctive dish of Michoacan and appears on state gastronomic-tourism menus.

Origin and history

Sopa tarasca gets its name from the 'tarascos', the colonial name of the Purepecha people who inhabited, and still inhabit, the region of Patzcuaro, Uruapan and Zacapu in Michoacan. The soup, however, is not pre-Hispanic: it is considered a creation or codification of the 20th century. Wikipedia and Cocina Delirante attribute its popularisation to chef Felipe Oseguera Iturbide, who included it on the menu of the Posada Don Vasco hotel in Patzcuaro in the 1950s. The recipe combined the Purepecha tradition of intensive bean consumption with the European technique of cream soups. Another version, recorded by Pati Jinich, attributes the creation to Margarita Chavez, a traditional cook from Patzcuaro. Although the name evokes Tarascan heritage, the ingredients, chile pasilla, crema, cheese, reveal its mestizo and recent origin. Despite its relatively short age, sopa tarasca has become a Michoacan cultural icon and appears at state gastronomic festivals, including the International Mole Fair of Patzcuaro and the Michoacan Gastronomy Week.

Characteristic ingredients

The beans used are pinto or bayo cooked unseasoned, then blended with their cooking broth and strained to obtain a fine cream. The tomato is roasted until charred and blended with garlic, onion and a little of the bean broth. The chile pasilla, dark, sweet and of moderate heat, is lightly fried and part is blended into the base, part is reserved in strips for garnish. The soup is simmered for 15 to 20 minutes so the flavours integrate. The consistency should be creamy but not pasty: it can be adjusted with chicken stock or water. The maize tortillas are cut into strips and fried in hot oil until golden. The cheese used is panela or Mexican fresh cheese, crumbled cotija can also be used for a saltier profile. Some regional variants, especially at the La Casa de los Once Patios restaurant in Patzcuaro, include crumbled pork chicharron. Mexican crema is poured in a stream on serving.

Cultural significance

Sopa tarasca is one of the identity dishes of Michoacan, a state whose cuisine forms the heart of the 2010 UNESCO inscription that recognised traditional Mexican cuisine, in particular the Michoacan paradigm, as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Although sopa tarasca as such is not pre-Hispanic, the ingredients that compose it (beans, tomato, chilli, tortilla) are the pillars of the milpa system that supports that inscription. In Patzcuaro, Tzintzuntzan and Uruapan it is an essential tourist dish and restaurants such as El Primer Piso, Posada Don Vasco and Lu Cocina Michoacana serve it as a starter. The Michoacan Ministry of Tourism promotes it in its official gastronomic catalogue. Its popularity has transcended the state: it appears on the menus of Mexican restaurants throughout the country and abroad as a representative of Michoacan cuisine alongside carnitas, morisqueta and uchepos. Chefs such as Lula Bertran and Eduardo Garcia have reinterpreted it on their international menus.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between sopa tarasca and sopa azteca?

Sopa tarasca has blended pinto beans as a base, which makes it creamy and thick with an earthy profile. Sopa azteca or sopa de tortilla has a base of only roasted tomato, is lighter and brothier. Both are served with fried tortilla, avocado, crema and cheese, but the bean is the backbone of the tarasca and its absence defines the azteca.

What does sopa tarasca taste like?

It tastes of creamy earthy bean with a sweet background of roasted tomato and mild smoky notes from chile pasilla. The crema and cheese add unctuousness, the strips of tortilla provide crunchy texture and a toasted-maize flavour, the avocado refreshes. It is a medium-bodied soup, slightly spicy, with a quite particular profile that differentiates it from any other Mexican soup.

How is sopa tarasca served?

It is served very hot in a deep bowl or clay pot. The creamy soup is poured and immediately topped with strips of fried tortilla, diced avocado, Mexican crema in a stream, crumbled panela or fresh cheese and optionally strips of fried chile pasilla and chicharron. It is a main course for cold weather or a starter on tasting menus. It is accompanied with hot tortillas and hot salsa to taste.

Where is sopa tarasca originally from?

It is native to Patzcuaro, Michoacan, codified in the 20th century by local cooks and chefs, attributed to Felipe Oseguera Iturbide of the Posada Don Vasco hotel in the 1950s. The name evokes the Purepecha or Tarascan people of the region, although the recipe is modern mestizo. Today it is the flagship dish of the state and of the Michoacan cuisine recognised by UNESCO.