CULINARY THUMBNAIL

Here are the most notable characteristics of this state's cuisine:

1. strong influence of indigenous cultures
2. seashore, tropical lowland and cool upland environments provide a great diversity of produce
3. culturally and biologically closer to Guatemala than Mexico
4. less use of chili pepper here than rest of Mexico

TRADITIONAL DISHES TO LOOK FOR

Order of Chiapas style tamal de bola, a tamale steamed in corn shucks; bought from a street vendor in Coyoacán, Mexico City; copyright free image courtesy of Alejandro Linares García via Wikimedia Commons.

• Ningüijute (mostly Tuxtla Gutierrez) -- a seed-based pork mole
• Pictes -- tamales made with fresh sweetcorn
• Estofado de Pollo en Frutas -- a chicken and fruit stew; the chicken is marinated in a paste made mostly of onion, garlic, cinnamon, and vinegar, then further cooked with tomatoes
• Cochito Horneado -- roasted suckling pig flavored with a paste of ground seeds and herbs
• Chispola -- a beef and vegetable stew

SWEETS

• Dulce de Camote y Naranja  -- sweet potato dessert made with sugar and orange juice
• Cocada -- dessert composed of coconut, egg, and sugar, sometimes also milk, and a fruit such as pineapple
• Jamoncillo -- finely ground nuts or seeds, especially pumpkin, pine-nuts, or peanuts, prepared with milk and sugar
  

NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS

• Pozol de Cacao --  pozol is made by grinding boiled corn kernels to form the moist paste called masa, stirring the masa into water, and adding a pinch of salt or sugar; this one has ground cacao (chocolate) added
• Tascalate -- foamy cold drink of ground, toasted corn, cacao, seeds, and the brightly orange condiment achiote

Information on this page based on material presented in Gastronomía: Atlas cultural de México, 1988, an extensive and well illustrated work by various authors, published by the Secretaría del Educación Pública, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia in Mexico City.