A Yucatecan tradition: Frijol con Puerco Monday

In Yucatán, the week starts with a dish full of tradition and ancestral flavour: frijol con puerco (pork and beans).

Frijol con puerco Monday is one of Yucatán’s most deeply rooted traditions. Like cochinita Sundays, frijol con puerco Mondays are part of the Yucatecan identity.

For people from other parts of Mexico, “frijol con puerco Monday” may sound a bit odd. After all, why is Monday the day to enjoy this regional dish?

To some, eating frijol con puerco religiously every Monday may seem strange, but it is one of the most meaningful traditions. You can’t walk the streets of the centre at the start of the week without noticing the aroma of traditional cooking.

One of the advantages of living in Mérida is the variety within the regional food scene.

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Frijol con puerco Monday: an ancestral tradition

Frijol con puerco is widely known across the region. One feature of Yucatecan cooking is making the most of resources. In Yucatán, people use the herbs, fruit, vegetables and meat produced in the state — and it is also customary to use every part of the animal to make a wide range of dishes and waste nothing.

Frijol con puerco is a nutrient-rich meal found in the most important traditional-food restaurants.

Although no one knows exactly why Mondays became the day to make it, there are a few possible explanations.

A dish for practical women

One belief is that many years ago people made frijol con puerco to save time.

On one hand, it is a meal that is easy to prepare and doesn’t take many steps. On the other, since it needs long cooking, the only attention it requires is making sure there is enough water for the meat to turn out right.

Also, in a time when families were larger than today, the usual thing was to make meals that stretched far enough to feed many people over several days.

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Food for slaves?

Another belief is that centuries ago frijol con puerco was reserved for slaves. It was not only cheap and easy to make; it also allowed every part of the pig to be used so it went further.

Why the Monday tradition?

Living in Mérida is an adventure, but there are traditions that are sacred, at least for Yucatecans. To start the week right, a good plate of frijol con puerco can’t be missing from your table.

In the old days, farmhands came back from their Saturday workdays in the afternoon with a piece of pork, or some parts of the animal. Without special containers to store them, they had to use these ingredients as soon as possible.

So the most common thing was to find a way to use these resources and make them last long enough to be eaten over several days.

All it took was a kilo of beans, a few pieces of meat and a sprig of epazote to create magic.

Today the dish has become more varied. Tomato salsa, chopped onion, radish, coriander and tortillas are just some of the sides used to enjoy a hearty lunch.

You can be sure that every Monday you’ll find a plate of frijol con puerco at the nearest food stall.

Little by little, you’ll find that living in Mérida goes far beyond quality of life or tourist sites: here, the food traditions are broad and varied too.