[Aztlan] Achiote:They may some folks who do not know what achiote is

[David Hixson]

Yes, I guess we should have covered what exactly
Achiote is before delving into its rare (almost
unheardof) association with hallucinogens.  Thanks,
Justin!

So, if anyone is traveling in the northern Maya
lowlands (the area I am most familiar with) and sees
on the menu "Pollo Pibil" "Cochinita Pibil" or "Filete
Maya", don't think you are going to have an
hallucinogenic experience (nor "purge" your body by
ingesting it).

Achiote is simply a mild and colorful spice.  The
"Pibil" recipes are modern-traditional dishes that use
tomato, onion, citrus, cumin and achiote to bake
and/or grill chicken, pork, beef or fish.  The word
"Pibil" actually means "slow-cooked in an pit-oven"
(dug into the earth and baked over hot coals covered
by banana leaves, generally used for pork or chicken).

However, when you order it in a restaurant Pibil just
means slow-cooked in a modern oven with achiote paste,
additional spices, citrus, (often tomatoes and onion)
and ideally wrapped in banana leaves.  Beef or Fish
dishes, of course, don't need to be slow-cooked, so
adding the word "Maya" to them generally just
signifies "cooked with achiote paste and other
regional spices".

Good examples of these dishes can be found at most
traditional Yucatecan restaurants in Merida,
Valladolid, and even a few places in Cancun (as well
as more specialized locations, including local
festivals in small villages where the meals were truly
cooked "pibil" in earth-ovens).

Here are some links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recado_rojo

http://www.recipezaar.com/123308
http://www.los-dos.com/recipes/verarticulo.php?IdArticulo=268
http://www.yucatantoday.com/culture/eng-yucatecancuisine.htm
http://www.yucatan.com.mx/especiales/yucateca/pollo_pibil.asp

-Dave




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