Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Yucatán

@saminsbiggestfan
 on 2022.02.14
5 Places
@saminsbiggestfan
To illustrate the transformative power of acids, Samin visits Yucatán, where sour oranges, salsas and Mayan honey add new dimensions to every dish.

Mérida

Mérida

At Doña Conchi's home Samin and local home cook Doña Conchi make pavo en escabeche, a turkey stew with meatballs formed from ground pork.

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Taqueria La Lupita

Yucatan restaurant · Mérida

After cooking the pavo en escabeche with Doña Conchi, she meets photographer Rodrigo Ochoa to sample various piquant salsas at a Taqueria La Lupita.

In the town of Tixcacaltuyub, Samin learns about Melipona honey, some of the world's most prized honey, from her guide, Andrea Figueroa, and hosts Doña Pascuala and Don Carlos (who, according to the Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat website are affiliated with the Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya)As our host explains, although honey is usually considered a sweet ingredient, it’s actually a sour food that hovers near the middle of the pH scale.

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Mercado San Benito

Market · Mérida

Then it’s back to Mérida, where Samin and her chef friend Regina scour a local market for chocolate and tomatoes — two sour foods — that will be incorporated into dinner that evening.

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Merci - Homemade food

Brunch restaurant · Mérida

At the end of the episode, she cooks with Regina Escalante, the chef of Restaurante Merci in Mérida. They cook a meal in Regina's home that features tikin xic — fish cooked in banana leaves — and a citrus pavlova.

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