100% Yucatecan Lenten food: quick, cheap recipes

Lent arrives with the best flavours. If you’re looking for a Lenten or red-meat-free recipe, here are the best dishes — plus what Lent is and what it means.

In Mexico, Easter is taken very seriously, since most Mexicans are Catholic.

What is Lent? Lent is a period of forty-six days. It is a religious observance, and in those weeks your usual menu changes: the main Lenten food is fish.

Yucatecan food is generous during Lent thanks to how easily red meat can be removed or replaced.

The main idea is to avoid red meat. According to several studies, during Lent the population shows a better health level, with a significant drop in cholesterol and obesity rates.

When does Lent begin? From Ash Wednesday until the eve of Easter Sunday.

During that time, some Catholics observe certain days of fasting and penance to commemorate the 40 days Jesus fasted in the desert. So Lenten food is commonly made with healthy ingredients such as fish and vegetables.

That tradition goes back many centuries, when Christians made pilgrimages to Rome and rested in marshes, feeding on fish and whatever they found in that habitat, such as crabs or birds.

Read: 5 favourite buffet breakfasts in Mérida.

What do the days of Lent mean? The Via Crucis in Tixkokob

As part of Holy Week, processions take place in different cities, and the Passion of Christ is even re-enacted.

For example, in Mérida and other towns, the Via Crucis takes place with all the elements and characters recalling that era. The most famous place to see it is the town of Tixkokob.

As in Iztapalapa, Mexico City, in Tixkokob the whole town takes part in the Via Crucis, so you’ll see everything from people dressed as Roman soldiers to a man playing Jesus carrying his cross.

Facts to know about Easter and Lent:

• Palm Sunday starts Holy Week. Very popular, it involves going to Mass with palm leaves, which the priest blesses.
• Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
• Holy Saturday.
• Easter Sunday.
• On Maundy Thursday, the washing of the feet takes place, as Christ did with his 12 apostles.
• On Good Friday, the Passion is re-enacted. In Mérida, a good place to see it is the Cathedral and the Santiago neighbourhood. Another option is the convent route, visiting the towns of Maní and Acanceh.

We recommend: The what, how and where of cochinita pibil — recipe and 10 places to try it.

Cheap, quick, meatless 100% Yucatecan Lenten dishes

Still not sure what to make during these days? Here are 5 traditional, red-meat-free recipes that are delicious and guilt-free.

Papadzules

Typical Yucatecan food is delicious, and there are cheap, quick meatless recipes perfect for Lent. Papadzules are one example.

Of pre-Hispanic origin, this Mexican dish became famous in colonial times. Its name comes from Maya and has several meanings — “papak” (to smear) and “zul” (to soak), or “food of the lord” from Maya “papa” (food) and “dzul” (lord).

To make this Lenten dish you need:

• 1 sprig of epazote boiled in two cups of salted water
• 24 thin tortillas
• 350 g toasted, ground pumpkin seeds
• 10 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

For the chiltomate:

• 4 roasted, peeled tomatoes
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 tbsp lard or corn oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 habanero chile (optional)

How to make Yucatecan papadzules?

1. Blend the seeds with the epazote and the water used to boil it, into a thick paste.
2. Heat the tortillas, pass them through the paste and fill with chopped egg. Roll them and arrange in a dish. Cover with the rest of the sauce and the chiltomate.

For the chiltomate, peel and roast the tomatoes and add the chile. Fry the onion in hot lard, add the tomato, salt and pepper. Let it cook until it thickens.

Read: Yucatecan tradition says eat frijol con puerco every Monday.

Pan de cazón

Lenten meals, as mentioned, are red-meat-free. For a very nutritious dish, we recommend pan de cazón, a classic of the season.

Although its origin is disputed between Campeche and Yucatán, it is an exquisite dogfish-based dish that works as a main course for your Lenten meals.

To make it you need:

• 1 dogfish (cazón)
• ripe avocados
• refried beans
• tortillas

For the beans: salt, ½ bunch epazote, 250 g black beans, 200 g onion, 2 habanero chiles.

For the chiltomate sauce: 3 habanero chiles, epazote, ½ onion, water, 200 g lard, 2 kg red tomatoes.

How to make pan de cazón?

1. Cut the dogfish in half, butterfly and gut it. Grill it, turning every 30 minutes. Cut into pieces and boil for 45 minutes. Remove and shred.
2. Soak the beans in water for about 6 hours. Rinse well. Boil in a pot of water, add chopped onion and epazote, salt, and continue cooking. Once done, blend the beans and the broth.
3. Fry the onion in a little lard, pour in the blended beans with epazote, add the whole habanero chiles.
4. In a pot, put the whole tomatoes and add water halfway up. Cook on high heat for 10 minutes, then blend with some of the cooking water.
5. Fry the onion in lard, add epazote and the blended tomato. Add the whole habanero chiles and season with salt. Let it boil.

To assemble the pan de cazón:

Carefully hollow the tortillas and fill with beans and cooked dogfish. Place in the centre of the plate and cover with chiltomate sauce. Repeat up to 3 tortillas. Cover with more sauce and serve with 3 slices of avocado and habanero.

Tikin-Xic fish

Another very delicious Lenten recipe and a Yucatán icon is tikin-xic fish. Unique and exquisite, it’s a great choice for your table.

Tikin xic is a white fish marinated with regional spices — mainly achiote — and cooked in soft banana leaves. Achiote and banana leaves are staples of regional Yucatecan cuisine.

To make it you need:

• 1 whole fish
• 4 tbsp achiote
• 120 ml sour orange
• 50 ml vegetable oil
• 2 banana leaves
• ½ green pepper
• 1 tomato
• ½ red onion
• 1 güero chile

How to prepare fish for Lent?

1. Butterfly the fish and clean with water. Cut the pepper, tomato, onion and chile. Lightly grill the banana leaves.
2. For the marinade, grind the achiote with sour orange juice, strain and mix with vegetable oil. Rub the fish, cutting the skin so the marinade penetrates.
3. Cover the fish with the vegetables, wrap in the banana leaves and chill for 30 minutes.
4. Bake the fish at 180 °C for 25 minutes, or until well cooked; serve with white rice and beans.

Egg with chaya

Another Yucatán dish is egg with chaya — a cheap, quick meatless recipe, a Yucatecan favourite.

Pre-Hispanic in origin, it’s very common at Yucatecan breakfasts and lunches. Chaya is an endemic plant native to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, considered a superfood for its vitamin A and C, iron and calcium.

For one person you need: chaya leaves, 2 eggs, salt, onion.

1. Wash and finely chop the chaya and onion.
2. Fry the ingredients in a little oil, add the eggs and a little salt — done!

Brazo de reina

Brazo de reina is a Lenten classic in Yucatán. Its Maya name is dzotobichay (corn dough with chaya), made with those ingredients plus hard-boiled eggs and ground pumpkin seeds.

Its origin dates to colonial times and it is now popular during Lent or at pre-Hispanic ceremonies such as the “huajicol”, held for good harvests.

If you like tamales, brazo de reina is a very tasty Yucatecan version, a red-meat-free recipe. You need:

• 1 kg corn dough
• 20 chaya or spinach leaves
• 150 ml lard
• 120 g ground pumpkin seed
• 1 large banana leaf
• 6 eggs
• 6 tomatoes
• 1 habanero chile
• 20 g epazote
• salt and pepper

How to make brazo de reina for Lent?

1. Boil the eggs, then slice them.
2. Boil the chaya and spinach leaves. Chop finely.
3. Clean the banana leaf on both sides, remove the thick edge and cut roughly 20 x 20 cm pieces.
4. Mix the dough with the chaya, chopped epazote, lard, salt and pepper. Make balls of about 200 g or a roll about 1 mm thick.
5. Add two tablespoons of pumpkin seed and cover the surface. Place a slice of egg.

6. Using the banana leaf, fold the dough so the egg stays inside as a filling, forming a tube.
7. In a steamer with boiling water on medium heat, place the brazos de reina for 1 hour.

For the tomato sauce: cut the tomatoes and onion into quarters. In a pan with hot lard or oil, add the tomato, onion and habanero. Fry for 5 minutes or until the onion turns clear. Blend, season with salt and pepper, and serve over the tamales.

What did you think of these ideas? Get a head start on Easter and try some of these simple Lenten dishes. They are very nutritious and could be the best excuse to add them to your regular diet.

Yucatán’s food offer is generous and vast for any demanding palate. Lenten meals don’t have to be just tuna — Yucatán offers delicious, cheap, quick red-meat-free recipes for this season.

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