A travel through Chiapas' gastronomy shows us a cultural geography full of surprises and intense flavors,
as intense as its people. Enjoying Chiapas' meals is part of Chioapas' people daily affairs. Even
death is received with food, as the noon mole during a funeral. After prayers its time for tamales prepared
with local herbs and seasonings from each community or region, for instance, the saffron tamal,
ball tamal, saint herb, chipilin, aligator fish, cuchunuc flower and the
most representative: mole tamal or "Chiapaneco".
Craftsmanship food such as ball cheese made in Ocosingo are filled with integral symbolisms
from Chiapas, as web as a beverage prepared with corn and cocoa, pozol, which has great
nutritional power and has a prehispanic root. There are also other meals with a local identity. Just mention
the Chinese food from Tapachula city, San Cristóbal's ham, Comitan's
catalan sausage, Tuxtla Chico's beans tamal or the big meal from Chiapa de
Corzo or Zoque's pucsaxe.
Sausages are mainly from highland cities, like San Cristóbal and Comitan, most wanted are the salamis,
Catalan sausages, shoulder blade ham and long pork sausages, it is such a handcraft, that the fabricants
can’t fulfill the demand at year's last months. These foods seal the hybrid identity; it's Chiapas'
Castellan side.
Tascalate is prepared by washing corn, sun drying it and later broil it in an oven side by side
with the cacao. When ready it is grinded with cinnamon, toasted tortillas and achiote, which gives a nice
orange color. Mixed with cold water or milk and sweetened with sugar.
Bread elaboration is not only for self consume, it allowed trading it for other regions products. San Cristobal
de Las Casas' bread is a tradition up to our days. It still is a homemade bread though industrial flour is
used, called cazueleja always present at parties, made with eggs, raisins, pecans and
coconut; called marquesote, cocked inside tin cans, party bread, with fancy shapes covered
with sesame seeds; yoke bread, lard bread, donuts, among others make a great variety of city's colonial
bread.
