State by Plate: Morelos and cecina de Yecapixtla

The communicative of Cecina de Yecapixtla begins with the earliest indigenous cultures successful Mesoamerica. The thought of salting nutrient to sphere it dates backmost thousands of years. In pre-Columbian Mexico, for example, the signifier is believed to person originated successful Chiapas with the salting of cervid meat. 

After the Spanish conquest successful the aboriginal 16th century, livestock specified arsenic cattle were introduced to Mexico. Over time, this led to the improvement of cured beef specialties specified arsenic machaca and carne seca, culinary staples particularly fashionable successful bluish states similar Chihuahua and Sonora. 

Morelos was erstwhile an important stronghold for Spanish assemblage rulers. (Margarito Peréz Retana/Cuartoscuro)

However, the crown jewel of Mexico’s cured and air-dried beef is not recovered successful the north, but successful the south-central authorities of Morelos. It’s called cecina, the delicacy that has made municipalities similar Yecapixtla and Puente de Ixtla famous. 

The improvement of cecina accumulation successful Morelos

Cecina is primitively from Spanish provinces similar León, but it came to Mexico the aforesaid mode the Spanish themselves did: aboard ships. The past and hand-crafted contented associated with its accumulation successful Morelos began successful Yecapixtla during the 16th period connected onshore granted to Hernán Cortés by the Spanish Crown — astir apt contemporaneous with the opening of the Convento de San Juan Bautista by Augustinian friars — and these ancestral methods person been handed down from procreation to procreation ever since. 

However, it bears noting that Yecapixtla itself dates backmost to 1325 erstwhile it was founded by the Xochimilcas. The proliferation of cecina, though, is simply a overmuch much caller phenomenon. In 1869, the twelvemonth Morelos became a state, determination were reportedly lone 3 families dedicated to making the cured nutrient successful Yecapixtla. 

Like different Spanish specialty, jamón serrano, cecina is sliced precise thinly but widely. The limb cut, called cañada oregon pulpa negra successful Spanish, is sliced nary much than a fewer millimeters heavy earlier it’s salted connected some sides and laid retired level connected tables of woody planks up to 40 feet agelong — indispensable to accommodate the extended strips — to aerial adust successful the sun. This is indispensable for cecina to instrumentality connected its diagnostic color. A maestro manus is needed not lone to chopped the nutrient decently but to brackish it finely. 

The clip allotted for aerial drying varies, arsenic the beef should ideally beryllium 40% dehydrated. Generally, nary much than 45 minutes to an hr is allowed for this measurement earlier the nutrient is folded and hung connected poles oregon implicit wires to chill for astir 10 minutes successful a closed room. Finally, the cecina is greased with abdominous earlier being stored successful woody oregon integrative containers until sold. 

Cecina de Yecapixtla being aerial dried connected woody planks. (Gobierno de Mexico)

When the cuts are yet grilled, they’ll person a decently smoky flavor, with a somewhat salty undertone. 

The champion ways to acquisition cecina successful Morelos

So beloved is cecina successful Morelos that an estimated 200 tons of it are sold weekly. The champion mode to bask cecina locally is with sides of nopales, bulb oregon leek and caller cheese, oregon successful tacos with akin ingredients, positive a spicy salsa. Longaniza sausages are different fashionable accompaniment.

Nopales, of course, are likewise a specialty of Morelos, arsenic is queso. The municipality of Tlalnepantla unsocial typically produces much than 33% of the nationalist nopal full annually. The prickly pear cactus from which nopales are harvested is memorialized connected the Mexican flag, with an eagle perched atop it devouring a snake. 

The municipal marketplace successful Yecapixtla is simply a large spot to illustration locally made cecina, arsenic is the erstwhile Cuatros Vientos, present known arsenic Fonda 107. Located successful Alpuyeca, connected the road betwixt Cuernavaca and Acapulco, this travelers’ favourite has been serving delicious determination specialties specified arsenic cecina and requesón for implicit 50 years.

The root of itacates

Itacates are Morelo’s instrumentality connected the ever-popular gordita. (Tacomania/X)

The gastronomy of Morelos is besides distinguished by its itacates, triangular gordita-style treats made from masa de maíz and chopped unfastened to capable with toppings similar beans, cheese, chorizo, potatoes oregon adjacent chapulines (grasshoppers). 

The sanction comes from the Nahuatl connection “itacatl,” meaning culinary provisions bestowed, arsenic astatine communal gatherings. Itacates are intimately associated with the municipality of Tepotzlán, wherever they were traditionally eaten by cornfield harvesters during breaks. This contented is apt influenced by the information that Quetzalcoatl, the deity liable for giving maize to Mexico, is said to person been calved successful Tepotzlán.

The commencement of an iron-clad, armored taco

Plenty of Mexican taco styles are ubiquitous astir the country. Not truthful the acorazado,whose sanction virtually means “battleship.” This taco gets its “armor” not from its ingredients, but from the usage of 2 tortillas to maximize extortion for the filling. Born successful Cuautla during the property of the Mexican Revolution, this specialty, too, was inspired by the hardworking colonisation of Morelos. 

Originally, the ingredients were atom and a hard-boiled egg, cushioned precocious and debased by tortillas. Rice, similar nopal, is simply a large harvest successful Morelos, and the authorities leads the mode nationally successful its production. The simplicity of the archetypal look has since evolved into aggregate permutations, arsenic the taco dispersed from Cuautla and took basal successful Cuernavaca.

The spirits of Morelos

The acorazado, Morelos’ “armor-plated” taco. (Gobierno de Mexico)

Morelos is known for respective spirits, including a potent aguardiente de caña known arsenic Zacualpan — named for the municipality, Zacualpan de Amilpas, from which it springs — made arsenic beardown arsenic the instrumentality volition allow. It has been distilled successful the authorities since 1896 and is sold successful earthy oregon aged varieties, often flavored by fruits. 

For over 100 years, Tehuixtla, successful the southbound of the state, has for been making a mentation of rompope, the uniquely Mexican rum-spiked eggnog invented by Poor Clare nuns astatine the Santa Clara convent successful Puebla. In 1890, nuns from that metropolis visited Tehuixtla to amusement section women however to marque much wealth from their dairy products, and a section saltation of the drink, which omitted vanilla spirit successful favour of cinnamon, was born. 

Although not 1 of the 9 Mexican states permitted to marque mezcal nether the appellation of root label, the municipality of Palpan de Baranda successful Morelos has go famed for its “maguey distillate,” amended known locally arsenic palpeño. Pulque, meanwhile, is made successful the municipality of Huitzilac and it’s celebrated each May during the section Feria del Pulque y la Barbacoa. 

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas section adept for the USA Today question website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos question guidebook and a contributor to galore websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related contented and manner features focused connected food, vino and golf.