Overlooking the sea, Campeche has a culinary scene of its own — deep and little told. Here are five reasons it has become one of the great gastronomic destinations of the Yucatán Peninsula.
- Fresh local seafood. Moro crab, campechano shrimp, pompano and dogfish travel from the Gulf to the table, heightened by local ingredients such as coconut, chaya, achiote, sour orange, habanero chili, xcatic chili, tomatillo, nance, sapodilla, tamarind and cashew.
- Three heritages on one plate. Campeche's cuisine draws on Mayan, Caribbean and Spanish influence, and on the legacy it shares with the Peninsula. All that depth lives in its flavors, recipes and ingredients.
- Jewels shared with Yucatán. Dishes of Mayan origin with venison, turkey or wild boar sit alongside Spanish pork preparations: lechón, cochinita pibil, lime soup, papadzules, pibipollo, poc chuc, beans with pork and panuchos are just a few examples.
- A true culinary identity. Xcatic chilies stuffed with dogfish, pompano in green sauce, pickled octopus, crab legs, chicken in capers, the unmissable coconut shrimp or the local stew. From the freshest starters, like the campechano cocktail, to the most distinctive, like the piguas; comfort food such as claveteado ham or Pomuch bread; the great tamale called brazo de reina; desserts like Moorish cream or coconut cake; and drinks such as honey wine, pozol, horchatas or cashew water.
- A thousand ways to enjoy it. This cuisine is found in iconic restaurants, on the famous 59th pedestrian street with tables in the middle of the road, in downtown cafés and rooftops, in barrio cantinas and taquerías, in markets, street-food stalls and seafood spots along the boardwalk.
We can arrange a private dinner with a local chef in your home.
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