Sopa tarasca: what it is, what's in it and how to make it

What is it?

Sopa tarasca is one of the most emblematic broths of Michoacán, originating in the Purépecha or Tarascan region around Lake Pátzcuaro. Its distinctive feature is the creamy base of cooked and blended pinto bean, mixed with roasted tomato, garlic and onion, all scented with pasilla or ancho chilli. Unlike sopa azteca —with which it is sometimes confused— the tarasca has a thick body from the bean and a more earthy profile. It is served with strips of fried maize tortilla, diced avocado, cream, fresh or panela cheese and, in some versions, pork crackling. Larousse Cocina, Pati Jinich and Wikipedia document it as one of the dishes created or popularised in Pátzcuaro in the mid-twentieth century, linked to the Posada Don Vasco hotel and restaurant. Today it is a distinctive dish of Michoacán and appears on state gastronomic tourism menus.

Origin and history

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

Characteristic ingredients

The bean used is pinto or bayo, cooked unseasoned, then blended with its cooking broth and strained to obtain a fine cream. The tomato is roasted until blackened and blended with garlic, onion and a little of the bean broth. The pasilla chilli —dark, sweet and of moderate heat— is lightly fried, part of it ground into the base, part reserved in strips for garnish. The soup is simmered for 15 to 20 minutes so that the flavours integrate. The consistency should be creamy but not pasty: it can be adjusted with chicken broth 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 restaurant La Casa de los Once Patios in Pátzcuaro— include crumbled pork crackling. The Mexican cream is drizzled in a thin stream when serving.

Cultural significance

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

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between sopa tarasca and sopa azteca?

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

What does sopa tarasca taste like?

It tastes of creamy, earthy bean with a sweet undertone of roasted tomato and mild smoky notes of pasilla chilli. The cream and the cheese add smoothness, the tortilla strips provide a crunchy texture and a toasted maize flavour, the avocado refreshes. It is a medium-bodied soup, slightly spicy, with a quite particular profile that sets it apart 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, drizzled Mexican cream, crumbled panela or fresh cheese and optionally strips of fried pasilla chilli and crackling. It is a main dish for cold weather or a starter on tasting menus. It is accompanied by hot tortillas and hot salsa to taste.

Where does sopa tarasca come from?

It is native to Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, codified in the twentieth century by local cooks and chefs —it is attributed to Felipe Oseguera Iturbide of the Posada Don Vasco hotel in the 1950s. The name evokes the Purépecha or Tarascan people of the region, although the recipe is modern and mestizo. Today it is an emblematic dish of the state and of the Michoacán cuisine recognised by UNESCO.