Tatemado: direct-fire roasting technique for chillies and vegetables

What is it?

Tatemado is an ancient Mexican technique that consists of roasting chillies, tomatoes, tomatillos, onions, garlic and other vegetables directly on fire, embers or a very hot comal until their skin is partially burnt and they have black charred patches. The word comes from the Nahuatl 'tlatlemo', meaning to burn or toast. It is a ubiquitous technique in Mexican cuisine, essential for most raw and cooked salsas, moles, 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 stew of pork roasted over fire with marinade. The technique is applied in traditional kitchens with wood, on 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 Sahagun in the 16th century: the Mexica and other Mesoamerican peoples roasted chillies, tomatoes and tomatillos over fire to prepare salsas with metate and molcajete. The Nahuatl word 'tlatlemo' means 'to burn' or 'to roast over fire', according to Larousse Cocina. The technique has been applied since the pre-Hispanic era to chillies on comal or direct fire to soften their skin, intensify their flavour and remove the raw herb aroma. After the introduction of domesticated tomato and tomatillo from southern Mexico to the rest of the continent, tatemado spread to these solanaceae. The technique varies regionally: in Oaxaca, the tatemado 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 uses ingredients tatemados over charcoal. Mexico Desconocido documents Colima's 'tatemado' as a colonial stew in which pork is roasted over fire with a marinade of dried chilli and vinegar, an emblematic dish of the state. Tatemado is also a technique used with plantains, squash, corn cobs (for esquites) and avocados in regional cuisines.

Characteristic ingredients

The tatemado technique has specific applications. For fresh chillies (jalapeno, serrano, poblano, habanero): they are placed whole directly over the flame of fire, embers or a very hot comal, turning them with tongs until the skin is partially burnt, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. The blackened skin can be removed afterwards (especially for peeled poblano chillies) or left to impart smoky flavour. For tomatoes and tomatillos: they are placed whole on a comal or embers until the skin breaks and burns, releasing juice and becoming aromatic; 5 to 10 minutes. For whole onions and garlic: they are roasted with the skin on until partially 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 reaching charring (if they burn, they become irremediably bitter); then they are hydrated. For vegetables such as corn cobs, courgettes, potatoes, cactus paddles: they are roasted on comal or embers with or without oil until grill marks and caramelisation are achieved. Tatemado releases furan and Maillard compounds that give the characteristic smoky-caramelised flavours.

Cultural significance

Tatemado is a fundamental technique of traditional Mexican cuisine and part of the UNESCO inscription of traditional Mexican cuisine in 2010. Without tatemado, deep Mexican salsas would not exist: molcajeteada salsa, Oaxacan tatemada salsa, Hidalgo salsa borracha, Jalisco salsa macha, and practically any mole or marinade. Contemporary Mexican cuisine has highlighted the value of tatemado: chefs such as Enrique Olvera (Pujol), Jorge Vallejo (Quintonil), Edgar Nunez (Sud777), Daniela Soto-Innes (Cosme NY) and Carlos Salgado (Taco Maria) make tatemado a signature technique. Charcoal tatemado is preferred over gas by chefs and traditional cooks, as it provides additional smoky flavour. The technique has also been popularised in American, Californian and international kitchens thanks to Mexican migration and the boom in author Mexican cuisine. The pre-Hispanic cuisine of the central altiplano (Mexico City, State of Mexico, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, Puebla) and the Oaxacan sierra preserves tatemado techniques in homes and neighbourhood markets. It is a democratic technique: it is done both on a rural wood stove and on a premium industrial stove with high-power burners.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between tatemar and toasting?

Tatemar implies 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: simply heating until lightly golden without reaching burning, especially for seeds, nuts and dried chillies where charring would irremediably embitter them. Tatemado is done over direct fire or embers; toasting on a dry comal at controlled medium temperature.

Why are ingredients tatemados?

Three main reasons: 1) To develop flavour: 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 vegetables soften to grind better in salsas. Tatemado also removes the raw herb flavour from chillies and vegetables.

Can you tatemar on a gas stove?

Yes, it is common practice. Place the chilli, tomato or garlic directly over the burner lit on medium-high heat and turn with tongs until the skin partially chars. It works perfectly and is preferred in urban kitchens. The difference with charcoal or wood is subtle: charcoal provides additional smoky notes that gas does not, but the culinary result is very similar. For better results, use a live flame, not an electric hob.

Where does tatemado come from?

It is of Mesoamerican origin, a pre-Hispanic technique documented from the 16th century by Fray Bernardino de Sahagun. The word comes from the Nahuatl 'tlatlemo' (to burn). It is practised in all traditional Mexican and Central American kitchens, with particular relevance in Oaxaca, Jalisco, Colima, Mexico City and the central altiplano. In Colima, 'tatemado' is also the name of a specific stew of roasted pork, an emblematic dish of the state.