Tlacoyos: the pre-Hispanic blue-maize antojito stuffed with broad bean and bean

What is it?

Tlacoyos are one of the oldest antojitos of the Mexican repertoire and represent a living manifestation of pre-Hispanic cuisine. They are made with nixtamalised maize dough — ideally blue, purple or speckled maize, although it can also be white — shaped into an oval, elongated form (10-15 cm long by 5-7 cm wide), stuffed from the raw dough with a dry filling: cooked dried broad-bean paste, ground refried black or pinto bean, curd cheese with epazote, or pressed chicharrón. They are cooked on a hot clay or steel comal until the dough is done and the filling is heated through. They are served hot with green or red salsa, grilled nopales, crumbled fresh cheese, cream and chopped onion. Larousse Cocina, Pati Jinich and México Desconocido document them as representative antojitos of the highland repertoire — State of Mexico, Mexico City, Hidalgo, Tlaxcala and Puebla. Their cultural value is intensified by the use of blue maize, a native variety in danger but defended by food sovereignty initiatives.

Origin and history

Tlacoyos are undoubtedly pre-Hispanic. The original Nahuatl word 'tlatlaoyo' means 'that which is cooked on stone' or 'thick stuffed tortilla', and appears documented by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún in his Historia general de las cosas de la Nueva España (16th century), where he describes Mexica cooks preparing similar antojitos for the Tlatelolco market. México Desconocido notes that tlacoyos were everyday food of the pre-Hispanic popular classes, while the nobility consumed more elaborate variants with quail, turkey meat or frog filling. The oval and elongated shape of the tlacoyos is originally pre-Hispanic: the word 'tlacoyalli' means 'oval or elongated thing' in Nahuatl. After the conquest, the tlacoyo survived as a popular antojito and was enriched with European ingredients: the bean — which although American intensified its cultivation — and fresh cheese as an accompaniment. The industrialisation of nixtamalised maize kept tlacoyos going but used white flour; the use of blue maize as the main ingredient has been recovered from the 2000s onwards thanks to gastronomic-rescue movements led by chefs such as Carmen Titita Ramírez Degollado, Yuri de Gortari and Edith Kwap.

Characteristic ingredients

The optimal dough is nixtamalised blue, purple or speckled maize, freshly ground on a metate or hand mill, ideally from native maize such as the blue conical maize of Hidalgo or the speckled bolita of Tlaxcala. If maize flour is used, Maseca has a blue version ('Harina de Maíz Azul Maseca') that reproduces the colour and part of the flavour. The dough is hydrated with water and salt until it reaches a firm but malleable consistency. The most common traditional filling is peeled dried broad beans cooked until they become a paste, or ground refried black beans formed into a dry paste. Curd cheese with epazote, pressed chicharrón or fresh cheese are also used. A ball of dough of 60-80 g is formed, lightly flattened, the filling is placed in the centre, closed and shaped into an oval, elongated, flat form. It is cooked on a hot comal without fat on both sides for 4-6 minutes per side, turning once so that it browns evenly. Some stalls finish them on a griddle with a little oil for greater browning. Pati Jinich describes regional variants: tlacoyos from the Coyoacán market (Mexico City) with broad-bean filling; Hidalgo tlacoyos with speckled maize; vegan tlacoyos with broad bean and nopales in her Pati's Mexican Table recipe.

Cultural significance

Tlacoyos are one of the most revered pre-Hispanic antojitos in contemporary Mexican gastronomy. Their consumption is associated with the traditional antojito makers of the markets of the Valley of Mexico: the Coyoacán market, La Lagunilla, San Juan, Mercado Hidalgo, and especially the tianguis of Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, the State of Mexico and Puebla. The 2010 UNESCO declaration of traditional Mexican cuisine — the Michoacán paradigm — recognises nixtamalised maize antojitos, including tlacoyos, as living manifestations of the Mexican gastronomic system. The use of blue maize, in particular, is linked to the food sovereignty movement and the defence of native maize against the importation of American transgenic maize, a movement led by organisations such as Sin Maíz No Hay País and backed by chefs such as Enrique Olvera (Pujol), Eduardo García (Máximo Bistrot) and Liz Galicia. Pati Jinich has popularised tlacoyos on her PBS programme Pati's Mexican Table as an example of ancestral Mexican cuisine. In popular culture they appear in markets, fondas, regional fairs and traditional cookery books. Economically, tlacoyo antojito makers sustain thousands of family micro-businesses of women in the Valley of Mexico.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between tlacoyo, gordita and huarache?

The tlacoyo is oval, elongated and flat (10-15 cm long), stuffed from the raw dough with broad bean, bean or curd cheese before cooking on the comal. The gordita is round and thick, puffs up on the comal and is split open on one side to be filled with cooked stews. The huarache is elongated but much larger (20-25 cm), also with a raised rim, and is served with toppings on top. All three use maize dough but differ in shape, technique and way of serving.

What do tlacoyos taste like?

They taste of nixtamalised maize dough cooked on the comal — if it is blue maize, it has a deeper, sweeter flavour, with notes of toasted maize. The filling provides the distinctive profile: broad beans are earthy and creamy; black beans aromatic and sweet; curd cheese fresh and lactic; pressed chicharrón spiced and spicy. The green or red salsa adds acidity, the nopales vegetal freshness and the fresh cheese saltiness. It is a rustic, deep and satisfying antojito.

How are tlacoyos served?

They are served hot, freshly made on the comal, on a flat plate. They are topped with julienned grilled nopales, green or red salsa, crumbled fresh cheese, drizzled Mexican cream, chopped onion and coriander. They are accompanied with an extra tortilla, agua fresca, atole or pulque. At street antojito stalls they are served on a disposable plate; at elegant restaurants they are elevated to tapas or starters with modern presentation but respecting the traditional essence.

Where do tlacoyos originate from?

They originate from Mesoamerica, with clear pre-Hispanic roots. The Nahuatl word 'tlatlaoyo' means thick stuffed tortilla, documented by Sahagún in the 16th century. Their current epicentre is central Mexico: Mexico City, the State of Mexico, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo and Puebla. The use of native blue maize intensifies their cultural value as a manifestation of ancestral cuisine and the defence of native maize.