Tatemado: what it is, how it's done and what it's for

What is it?

Tatemado is an ancestral Mexican technique that consists of charring chillies, tomatoes, tomatillos, onions, garlic and other vegetables directly over fire, embers or a very hot comal until their skin partly burns, leaving black charred spots. The word comes from the Nahuatl 'tlatlémo', meaning to burn or toast. It is a ubiquitous technique in Mexican cooking, essential for most raw and cooked salsas, moles, adobos, marinades and stews. Tatemado develops smoky, caramelised and deep aromas that cannot be achieved by other techniques. In some regions such as Colima, 'tatemado' is also the name of a specific dish of pork roasted over fire with a marinade. The technique is applied in traditional wood-fired kitchens, on a clay or iron comal, on charcoal grills, and in modern kitchens with gas burners directly over the flame.

Origin and history

Tatemado is a pre-Hispanic technique documented by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún in the sixteenth century: the Mexica and other Mesoamerican peoples charred chillies, tomatoes and tomatillos over fire to make salsas with a metate and molcajete. The Nahuatl word 'tlatlémo' means 'to burn' or 'to roast over fire', according to Larousse Cocina. The technique has been applied since the pre-Hispanic era to chilli on a comal or directly over fire to soften its skin, intensify its flavour and remove the raw-herb aroma. After the introduction of the domesticated tomato and the tomatillo from southern Mexico to the rest of the continent, tatemado spread to these nightshades. The technique varies regionally: in Oaxaca, the charring of dried chillies is the basis of the seven moles; in Jalisco and Colima, tatemado is applied to chillies, tomatoes and meats; in northern Mexico, molcajete salsa or salsa borracha contains charcoal-charred ingredients. México Desconocido documents the Colima 'tatemado' as a colonial dish where the pork is roasted over fire with a dried-chilli and vinegar marinade, an emblematic dish of the state. Tatemado is also a technique used with plantains, squash, corn (for esquites) and avocados in regional cuisines.

Characteristic ingredients

The tatemado technique has specific applications. For fresh chillies (jalapeño, serrano, poblano, habanero): they are placed whole directly over the flame of the fire, embers or a very hot comal, turning them with tongs until the skin partly burns, about 3-5 minutes. The blackened skin can be removed afterwards (especially for peeled poblano chillies) or left on to impart a smoky flavour. For tomatoes and tomatillos: they are placed whole on a comal or embers until the skin splits and burns, releasing juice and taking on aroma; 5-10 minutes. For whole onions and garlic: they are roasted with the skin until partly charred, which sweetens the sugars and removes the pungency. For dried chillies (ancho, mulato, pasilla, guajillo, chipotle): they are toasted on a dry comal, turning them constantly until they crackle slightly without charring (if they burn, they turn irreversibly bitter); they are then hydrated. For vegetables such as corn, courgettes, potatoes, nopales: they are roasted on a comal or embers with or without oil until grill marks and caramelisation are achieved. Tatemado releases furanic and Maillard compounds that give the characteristic smoky-caramelised flavours.

Cultural significance

Tatemado is a fundamental technique of traditional Mexican cooking and part of the UNESCO dossier of traditional Mexican cuisine inscribed in 2010. Without tatemado there would be no deep Mexican salsas: molcajete salsa, Oaxacan charred salsa, Hidalgo salsa borracha, Jalisco salsa macha, and practically any mole or adobo. Contemporary Mexican cooking has highlighted the value of tatemado: chefs such as Enrique Olvera (Pujol), Jorge Vallejo (Quintonil), Edgar Núñez (Sud777), Daniela Soto-Innes (Cosme NY) and Carlos Salgado (Taco María) make tatemado a signature technique. Charcoal tatemado is preferred over gas by chefs and traditional cooks, as it adds an extra smoky flavour. The technique has also become popular in American, Californian and international cuisine thanks to Mexican migration and the boom in signature Mexican cooking. The pre-Hispanic cooking of the central highlands (Mexico City, State of Mexico, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, Puebla) and of the Oaxacan sierra preserves tatemado techniques in homes and neighbourhood markets. It is a democratic technique: it is done both on a rural wood hearth and on a premium industrial stove with high-power burners.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between charring (tatemar) and toasting?

Charring (tatemar) involves a greater degree of burning or partial charring of the skin of the chilli, vegetable or ingredient, with a pronounced smoky flavour. Toasting is less intense: it simply heats until lightly golden without burning, especially for seeds, nuts and dried chillies where charring would turn them irreversibly bitter. Tatemado is done over direct fire or embers; toasting is done on a dry comal at a controlled medium temperature.

Why are ingredients charred?

Three main reasons: 1) To develop flavour: the Maillard and caramelisation reactions give smoky, sweet and deep flavours that the raw ingredient does not have. 2) To concentrate: the heat evaporates water and concentrates the sugars and aromatic compounds. 3) To soften textures: the skin loosens and the vegetables soften to be ground better in salsas. Tatemado also removes the raw-herb flavour of chillies and vegetables.

Can you char on a gas stove?

Yes, it is a common practice. The chilli, tomato or garlic is placed directly on the lit burner over a medium-high flame and turned with tongs until the skin partly chars. It works perfectly and is preferred in urban kitchens. The difference from charcoal or wood is subtle: charcoal adds extra smoky notes that gas does not, but the culinary result is very similar. For best results, use a live flame, not an electric hotplate.

Where does tatemado come from?

It originates in Mesoamerica, a pre-Hispanic technique documented since the sixteenth century by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún. The word comes from the Nahuatl 'tlatlémo' (to burn). It is practised in all traditional Mexican and Central American cuisines, with particular relevance in Oaxaca, Jalisco, Colima, Mexico City and the central highlands. In Colima, 'tatemado' is also the name of a specific dish of roasted pork, an emblematic dish of the state.