Food - Yucatecan and other

Typical Yucatecan food is quite different from other Mexican dishes.  The most common dishes you see on local menus here are;  cochinita pibil, salbutes, panuchos, tamales colados, poc chuc, queso relleno and a few others.  I have tried all of them since we've been here.  Our favorite local place is outdoors and opens at 5 pm.  We heard about it from San Miguel friends when we visited Merida for the first time many years ago - it's called Loncheria Poderosa and it is still here in the San Sebastian neighborhood - not too far from where we are.  We had our first salbutes, panuchos and tamales colados there.  This trip it was one of our first nights out when Carol and Diane were here.  The tamales are very different from the usual Mexican tamales in SMA and other places.  The masa is smoother and juicier and they are steamed in banana leaves.  They are usually filled with chicken or turkey (pavo) and are quite delicious and topped with a tomato sauce after unwrapping. 


PANUCHO AND SALBUTE                                           TAMALE COLADO

We also have had cochinita pibil several times in different restaurants. It is shredded pork marinated and cooked in a sauce made of achiote paste or powder and orange juice and more.  The pork is wonderfully tender and delicious.  It is mostly served with refried beans . avocado, and pickled onions.


COCHONITA PIBIL

The salbutes and panuchos are a little bit like tostados - they are similar except that one of them has refried beans and the other does not.  Shredded turkey is usually put on them along with other salad goodies.  The tortillas are very thin and one of them is crispy fried and the other is not.  I can never seem to remember which is which but doesn't matter because they are equally delicious. 

The poc chuc consists of thin slices of marinated pork which has been then grilled over charcoal.  i've only had that once - at the restaurant in Izamal.  It was tasty but a bit chewy. 


POC CHUC

Yesterday, we walked to the Parque Santa Ana about a mile from home, where there were 6 or 7 little stands serving mostly Yucatecan food.  The tables and chairs were all out in front and a waiter from each stall was out front trying to entice customers to sit in their section.  We chose one at random and sat down at the red Coca Cola plastic tables.  They had chiliquiles with pavo on the menu and John chose those. I was a bit more adventurous and chose the queso relleno which I was not really sure what it was going to be other than it involved cheese.  It turned out to be like a cheese pie - cheese on the outside (Edam) with a filling of seasoned ground beef.  It was swimming in some kind of sauce.  The dish was way too salty so I really didn't care for it.  John said the chiliquiles were just o,.k.  So, we won't be back there.,  However, the beverages were the best part - I had fresh mango/orange juice and it was very good.  John had lemonade - all freshly made and cold.  All of the restaurants like these are very cheap. 


QUESO RELLENO                                                         COCA COLA TABLES


CHILIQUILES

Today we went back to the Lebanese restaurant - La Terraza.  Unlike when we went on a Sunday, today there were only a few people eating.  We had the lamb skewers - chunks of marinated lamb and sweet onions - grilled over a charcoal fire.  We also shared a stuffed eggplant, some labne and pita bread.  We went home stuffed. 


LAMB ON A SKEWER & ONIONS               LABNE - YOGHURT, LIME, GARLIC, OLIVE OIL
 
I am also cooking our main meal many days at home since we bought some pork chops and ground beef at Costco,  Had the pork chops the other night and they were delicious in spite of this woefully inadequate kitchen.