[gentle music]
♪ ♪
- Oh, it's cold. It's cold.
So this is called a cenote.
It's a natural sinkhole.
It's very unique to the Yucatán Peninsula.
They were very sacred to the Mayans.
They believed that this was a passage to the underworld.
♪ ♪
The Maya define the culture of Yucatán.
As one of the great civilizations
in Central America, their influence is everywhere.
This is huge!
Their DNA runs through every local dish.
- [speaking Spanish]
- And their ancient ways are still a source of inspiration.
- Let's let it burn a little bit more, and...
- More? - We grind.
- I'm Eva Longoria,
born and bred in Texas with Mexican-American roots,
which makes me a Texican.
I'm exploring Mexico to see how the people, their lands,
and their past have shaped a culinary tradition
as diverse as its 32 states.
I don't think I've ever seen an avocado this big.
- Here in Yucatán, there are so many great ingredients.
- With searingly hot weather all year round,
time moves at a slower pace in Yucatán.
- [speaking Mayan]
- When it's taken hundreds of years to build the pyramids,
waiting a day for your dinner to cook is no big deal.
- Eight hours?
I just hope I can be as patient as my hosts.
I want to taste the pig!
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
Yucatán state is cut off from the rest of Mexico
by dense forest, but its long coastline
has always linked it to the outside world.
It has the largest Maya population in Mexico,
dating back 4,000 years.
The ancient Maya were pioneering and industrious.
They thrived here until the arrival
of the Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s.
The region's turbulent history and unique geography
have heavily influenced the cuisine.
So today, I am trying cochinita pibil,
which is probably the most famous dish from the Yucatán.
You can't come here without having it.
It's known worldwide.
Hola. - Hola.
Buenos días. - Hola. Buenos días.
- Buenos días.
[speaking Spanish]
- [speaking Spanish]
Now, there are variations on the recipe.
But cochinita pibil is slow-cooked pork
marinated in a tangy spice mix...
Oh, wow.
Traditionally served in a taco with pickled red onions.
Look at that.
You know it's good when there's pork fat dripping out.
Mmm.
I'm going to the award-winning restaurant, IXI'IM,
where cochinita pibil is transformed into fine dining.
It's run by Luis Ronzón,
one of the region's most exciting chefs,
who makes his cochinita pibil
using both ancient and modern techniques.
Hello! - Hello.
How you doing? - Good.
Soy Eva.
- Mucho gusto Nice meeting you.
- Nice to meet you. - Welcome.
- Thank you. I'm excited.
I've heard amazing things about your restaurant.
Luis starts by cooking the pork
the traditional Mayan way: outdoors.
- This pig is a descendant of the same breed
that the Spanish prize for jamón ibérico,
one of the world's finest hams.
- I've never seen this orange.
- Yeah.
- You use sour orange.
The Spanish brought this citrus gem,
which is now a Yucatán staple.
Here, it's mixed with spices
from the neighboring Caribbean.
- So...
- Mm-hmm.
- The marinated pig is entombed in a steel box
before being put in the oven,
which is literally a freshly dug hole in the ground.
What do you call the oven?
What is--P-I-B? - P-I-B.
- Oh.
- Pib style. - No?
- It is basically a crock pot in the ground.
- Yeah, kind of. Yeah.
You couldn't have said it better.
- Wouldn't it be easier just to put it in a crock pot?
- Yeah. No, 'cause you don't have the flavor of the soil.
- Yes, the flavor... - You know?
- Of the region. - Of the branches
and everything. - Of the tierra.
- Right. And this is a romantic technique, no?
- A very romantic technique. - It is.
- I mean, it's romantic because I'm not the one
digging the dirt, but yeah. - Yeah.
- This ancient way of slow-cooking is ingenious.
Once buried, the pig needs no supervision,
and the meat is protected from hungry animals.
I mean, what's not to like?
Oh, but there is a downside.
- So we're gonna leave it here for eight hours.
- Eight hours? - Yeah.
- Thank goodness for that.
I just wish our crew would hurry up and get over here.
- I'm dying to eat the pig, guys!
- [laughs] We're hungry. - Come on!
I want to taste the pig!
I mean, if you could smell this right now,
you'd be yelling for it too.
- So this one, we buried yesterday.
- The big reveal. - Yes. Yeah.
- [gasps] Oh, wow.
Can I take the banana leaf off? - Yeah, please.
- Look at this! [gasps]
Look at that. Look at the juice.
Oh, my God.
It's just, like, falling off!
Oh, my gosh.
Well, I need more now.
I mean, you can taste the comino, the clove.
That sour orange really is-- - Yeah.
Sour orange and the spices, no?
Wow. - Mm-hmm.
Mmm!
- My mouth is watering now. - Watching me?
- Yeah. - [chuckles]
- So I wanted you to try, like, the normal way.
- Mm-hmm. - And also,
I want you to try my way,
which is the way we serve it at the IXI'IM restaurant, so...
- OK.
This is beautiful!
Here in his kitchen garden,
Luis grows his produce the same way as the Maya.
- Now, I'm sure the ancient Maya would feel at home
in Luis's garden, but what would they think
of his breathtaking dining room?
But I'm at the heart of the action--in the kitchen.
- What? Yes! - Yeah? OK.
- Yes. Don't threaten me with a good time.
[laughs]
Salud. - Cheers.
- Luis is from Mexico City,
but it's Yucatán that's captured his heart.
So what was your favorite thing about the cuisine
when you moved here?
- Yes? This dish? - Yeah, yeah.
- Oh, yeah.
- Really? - Yeah.
- Luis has swapped out the traditional pickled red onions
for his own sides of sweet potato, parsnip, and beets.
Just a little bit of butter, guys.
- Yeah. - Just a little bit of butter.
- Salt.
- And that's it. - And that's it.
- I'm just gonna wait here while he roasts those beets.
The pig from the pib
is about to have a sophisticated makeover.
- Watch out. Aah!
- We're gonna make, like, a very crispy skin, no?
- That's a good idea. - Yeah.
- I concur.
[crunches] - Do you hear that?
- Yes. - That's a crispy skin.
- Yes!
- And I'm gonna put it in here. - Oh, that's beautiful!
- So that's the way we plate it.
- Look at that presentation. - Yeah.
- The puréed vegetables and habanero chili salsa
turns this dish into a rainbow of color.
♪ ♪
[gasps]
I've never had a meal like this.
One of the best meals of my life.
- Thank you.
- This is Luis' love letter to Yucatán,
to the people
and the land he now calls home.
I'm just gonna-- don't mind me.
I'm just gonna stay here in the kitchen.
You have work to do. Go ahead.
- [laughs]
- I'm so happy.
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
- Mérida is the capital of Yucatán,
and it's a city that runs on its stomach.
Hola. [laughs]
I'm here to meet one of Mérida's best chefs
and gastronomic pioneers.
- Mucho gusto. - Mucho gusto.
- [speaking Spanish]
This market sells all the spices that we will need
to cook later on in the night. - OK. OK.
- So you want to take a look? - Yes.
- Let's go. - I love a spice market.
- Chef Roberto Solís is famous for putting a new spin
on the foundation of Yucatecan cuisine:
el recado.
What is el recado?
I've never heard that word until I got to the Yucatán.
- El recado is a colored paste
made from a combination of spices.
They come in lots of different flavors
and are used everywhere here,
but you'll struggle to find el recado outside Yucatán.
- No. No.
- No? - Just here.
- Why? That's so weird.
- That's weird. [laughter]
- Because it feels like such a good idea.
- Yeah. - Like, to do a paste
on chicken and fish and pork. - Yeah.
- Is this their family recipe?
- [speaking Spanish] - [speaking Spanish]
- For generations, Don Enrique's family
have been recado alchemists.
- Uh-huh.
- It's much smokier. - Yes.
- No.
Many of these spices came to the Yucatán
over 500 years ago,
when the region was colonized by the Spanish.
And you can still see a strong European influence
all around Mérida.
Today, people flock to its thriving food scene.
Twice voted capital of culture,
it's a magnet for creativity.
Roberto's been at the forefront
of that creativity here in Mérida and in the Yucatán,
so let's see what he's up to.
Roberto's restaurant is called Huniik,
which means "unique spirit" in Mayan.
Here, it's all about turning ancient recipes on their head.
Wow.
Oh, this is beautiful!
This is gorgeous!
- [chuckles] - How are you?
Oh, you look so handsome
in your chef's clothes. - Welcome.
[laughs]
- Known as the Recado King,
Roberto's star of the menu tonight is his black recado.
Are we doing the spices here? - Well, yes.
We're gonna grind the spices here.
- All right. - But actually,
we're gonna burn the spices here.
- Ooh! - [laughs]
We have onion, oregano, cumin, garlic,
annatto seeds, the pepper. - Uh-huh.
Roberto is making his recado negro from scratch...
- So if you want to start... - Yeah. What do I do?
With me as his wingman.
We put it in here? - Yeah.
- Oh, my God! [laughter]
- Good. - I already--
I already messed up. OK.
- Put some cumin. Just a little bit.
- A little bit? - Like a spoon.
Yeah, that's good. - What is this one
called again? - Annatto seeds.
You can put more, more, more, more, more, more.
- The spices are lightly toasted,
but when it comes to the chili...
It's burning! [laughs]
We crank up the heat.
- The more you burn the chili...
- The less hot. - The less hot.
Now, you can start smelling. - Yeah.
Oh, it's smoking. - [laughs]
- Wave it towards you. - [laughs]
- It smells amazing.
Is this what makes it black, is that char?
- Yeah. - Yeah?
And he really does mean "burn the chili."
[coughing] - Yeah, yeah.
[laughs]
[coughing continues]
Are you guys OK? - [laughs]
- Is it just me?
- Let's let them burn a little bit more, and...
- More? - We grind.
- This goes against all my instincts.
And now, we grind it? - Yeah, let's go.
- OK.
- Oh, my God.
Are we sure this is gonna taste good?
- Yeah, of course. [laughs]
- And all of this is just for the flavoring.
We haven't even started cooking yet.
Is this right? - Yeah.
- Oh, yeah. The paste is coming.
- Yes.
[laughs]
- All right. I think I just pulled a muscle.
- I think we are, yeah, just finished.
Amazing.
- How do you know if it has the right balance?
Mmm. Ooh, that smells great. - Yeah.
It's good.
- Now, we're gonna add... - The orange.
- The sour orange.
Why am I doing all the work here?
- [laughs] [speaking Spanish]
- I don't know how much to put.
- [speaking Spanish]
- Then you mix it, no? - Yeah.
It looks so weird, huh? - No, it looks amazing.
- You're like, "Yeah." [laughs]
- Oh, wow. Oh, my God.
That is so complicated.
- [laughs] Yes.
- Let's put this on something. - Yes.
So first, we're gonna get this white onion.
- Mm-hmm.
- Are we making Yucatán onion rings?
- I think it's a bit more than that, but...
[laughter] - I'm just teasing.
This is one of Roberto's signature dishes:
onion tempura.
With the recado? - With the recado.
Yeah. Why not, right? - Oh, my God.
Roberto adds the recado negro to the tempura batter.
- So I'm gonna dip this.
- And like everything else in Yucatán,
it's a slow process.
- Yeah. - [laughs]
- It's time-consuming. - Yeah, it is.
- Oh, my God. These are gorgeous.
So the black doesn't mean it's burnt.
It's just the color. - Exactly.
- Mm-hmm.
- Oh.
- These beautiful blackened onions
are presented on a bed of charcoal.
Have you had to tell some clients
not to eat the charcoal? - You know, it's funny
because some people just-- - 'Cause it's the same color.
- And everybody like... [laughter]
It was so funny.
- You want to confuse people? - Yeah.
Well, I want to-- - Is this the goal?
- Mmm.
- You know? - Wow.
For as complex as that paste was, it's not overwhelming.
- No, it's not overwhelming. - You're not like--
- It's just giving you some creaminess.
- Mmm. - Crunch, creaminess.
- I've never had anything like this.
This is gorgeous, and it's delicious.
- Felicidades. - Gracias.
- I'm just gonna stand here while you make the next dish.
Once more, Roberto's toying with my taste buds,
serving coconut ice cream with grilled mango
coated in his recado negro.
Smoky with a hint of spice.
Is it hot? - Yeah.
- Oh.
[laughter]
It is so good!
- Yeah, it is. - I think I'm gonna cry!
[laughter]
I thought that recado was gonna overpower this whole thing.
- You know what it reminds me? When you put marshmallow
on the grill, you know? - Yes, yes!
It reminds me of that. - The texture, you know?
- It has a crispy texture. - Yes, exactly.
- Oh, my God, this is like... - Exactly.
- I'm in heaven. - [laughs]
- Now I know why you're the king of the recado negro.
- Yes, salud. - Gracias, Roberto.
- Gracias. - Muchas gracias.
Wow.
[cheering]
- Most of us have heard of the Day of the Dead.
It's one of Mexico's biggest celebrations,
and my personal favorite,
where spirits come back to eat, drink,
and party with the living.
This celebration is rooted in Aztec and Spanish cultures
and share similarities with the Maya ceremony Hanal Pixan,
meaning "food for the souls."
[upbeat music]
♪ ♪
Hola. - Hola, Eva.
- [speaking Spanish]
[rooster crows]
- Two-thirds of the population of Yucatán
are of Mayan descent.
And at the heart of the peninsula
is the Maya town of Xocén.
- I've come to help Chef Alberto Cucu
prepare one of the world's oldest dishes.
- Mm-hmm.
- Sí.
- Uh-huh.
- Mm-hmm.
- Red is incredibly symbolic to the Maya.
The color of blood, it represents the sunrise
and the rejection of darkness.
- I grew up making tamales.
And in my home, it's still a family tradition.
Oh, my God! It's peeling right off!
- Hola. - Hola.
- Mucho gusto, señora.
- ¿No? No habla español? - Uh-uh.
- My Spanish isn't great, but it's way better than my Mayan.
I'm hoping the language of food is universal.
[speaking Spanish]
- OK, their tamale technique
is totally different than mine.
God, you guys are fast.
[laughter]
- Así.
- Oh. Oh, see? That's already a tip.
- [speaking Mayan]
- These tamales are filled with a Maya corn sauce
before adding tomatoes and shredded chicken.
Mmm.
- [laughs]
- ¿Sí? Yeah! - Uh-huh.
[laughter]
Being Maya tamales, there's only one way to cook them.
- I'm starting to appreciate just how much
cooking underground matters to the Maya.
It represents the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
- [speaking Spanish]
- [speaking Mayan]
- Maybe it's because I grew up on a ranch
cooking from scratch with my family
or because I have some Mayan ancestry,
I don't know, but this feels very comforting and familiar.
Oh, wow.
Look at that. That's super crispy.
These are a very different texture
from the steamed ones I make.
- Wow.
You guys, look at this.
Mmm.
It's crispy on the outside but really soft on the inside.
Wow.
Mmm.
[laughter] - Pollo.
- Mmm.
I might have to start cooking my tamales underground, y'all.
The Maya tradition of cooking underground
is still alive today,
and it keeps them connected to their land,
to their history, and their culture.
- Uh-huh.
- Mm.
- Mm-hmm.
- Uh-huh.
- Muchas gracias.
The more I learn about Yucatán culture,
the more I fall in love with it.
Muchas gracias. - Uh-huh.
[upbeat music]
It's my turn to get starstruck
and meet a chef I've admired for years:
Regina Escalante.
[gasps]
- Hola. Mucho gusto. - It's so nice to meet you.
I'm such a fan!
- Oh, thank you for coming to Merci!
Please, have a seat. - Yes, of course.
Regina trained as a chef in France
before returning home to Mérida
to open her wildly popular restaurant, Merci.
The thing I love about her is
she obsesses about every detail
but particularly the mother of all ingredients: salt.
- And you know what's funny? That when I was in France,
I learned about all these different types of salt.
And for my surprise, when I came to Mérida
and I learned that the quality of the product
that we have here was just, like,
really above and beyond on--
- A global level? - Yes, on a global level.
- So you traveled the world just to return home
and find you guys have the best salt in the world.
- Yes. - [laughs]
- Oh, yes. I definitely think so.
- 50 miles west of Mérida is Celestún,
an Instagrammer's paradise.
Pink lakes, flamingos, blue skies,
and blinding white salt flats.
Were you born in Yucatán? - Yes.
I was born and raised in Mérida.
Well, my mother came to live here
when she was from the U.S., when she was 18 years old.
She was born in Pennsylvania.
- So she's American. - Yeah.
- We're both Mexican-American. - Yes!
- Do you ever find it difficult to navigate that identity,
or you love it?
- Growing up in Mérida, for me,
I used to be very shy about it.
- I was a fish out of water.
You know, people always say, like,
"Oh, you're half Mexican, half American?"
I'm like, "No. I'm 100% Mexican..."
- Yes, I know. - "And 100% American
at the same time, all the time."
- That's what I try to do with my cooking,
just to be unapologetic
and just like the confidence that you give out to the world.
- Oh, are these the salt lakes?
- Yes, this is where it starts.
- The salt flats of Celestún produce many forms of salt,
but flor de sal is the purest.
It's the magical result of climate and geography.
Salty seawater combines with sweet rain,
slowly evaporating in the tropical heat.
And it leaves behind this pinkish-colored crystal.
- Hola, Manuel. - Hola. Buenos días.
- Presentó Eva.
- Hola. Eva. Mucho gusto. - Mucho gusto.
[speaking Spanish] - [speaking Spanish]
- Oh, wow.
- Sí.
- The crystals here, they're much bigger
than, like, a regular salt... - Yeah, yeah.
- That you would have. - They're huge.
- But it takes much longer to dissolve when you eat it.
This salt will not leave us
with, like, a real metallic flavor.
- And this is also linked
to when the flamingos come and visit Celestún.
It's said that the flamingos get this pink color
because they eat the artemia.
- The harvesting of the flor de sal is so delicate,
it has to be done by hand.
Oh, God. I'm gonna mess it up.
They say if you don't scoop it right,
then it just becomes normal salt!
No wonder it's the most expensive salt in the world.
- Brilliant! - I did it.
Now, this is a perfect spot for lunch.
Wow! - So this is a sea bass.
- You don't understand how excited I am
to finally eat fish on a beach in the Yucatán.
Do you know what? I'm surprised
that there isn't more seafood
in the Yucatán cuisine. - I know.
Back in the day, people didn't have the ability
to refrigerate food at their homes.
- Mm-hmm. - My grandmother would tell me
that when she grew up, people thought
that they were gonna get sick of eating fish
that was caught, like, in the morning.
And with the heat, the food would spoil really fast.
- The fish is stuffed with garlic, rosemary, thyme,
that Yucatán favorite, sour orange,
and of course, a healthy dose of salt.
When you have ingredients this fresh, simplicity is key.
You have specialized in, like, opening up
the gastronomy here outside of the traditional Yucatán dishes.
- I feel that here in Yucatán,
there are so many great ingredients
that I want to just let the ingredients speak for itself.
We're gonna put some oil on it to start out.
We're gonna prepare the brush.
And this brush is gonna be our secret weapon
to just layer up all these herbs.
- This is a great idea, an herb brush.
[sniffs] Oh, that smells so good.
A brush made of parsley, rosemary, and thyme
is also a neat way to apply the garlic purée.
Oh, that's gorgeous.
- We're gonna do some mangoes, also grilled.
- And salt!
This is my idea of food heaven.
Truly, I'd have this as my last meal on Earth.
- I'm gonna bring some of the-- - Bring the salt!
- Flor. - Bring the salt.
- [laughs]
- Fish on a beach. Now, I feel like I'm in Mexico.
I put my onions first.
Now, for the star ingredient.
- This is the flor de sal, so-- - This is the flor de--
- Yeah. - This is what we harvested.
- You're just gonna put a little, tiny bit.
So what's the secret in all of this?
It's to season to perfection all the ingredients
so that when you add the flor de sal, you don't overseason.
- Yeah, mm-hmm. - OK?
- Mmm.
[gasps]
Wow.
Mmm, that fish is amazing!
The contrast of the crunchy salt and the soft, sweet fish
is just sublime.
I feel like the Yucatán
has the most appreciation for the land and the rain
and the natural elements
and the fruit that comes from the tree.
Like, there's such a thank you to...
- Yes. - La tierra.
- We have delicious ingredients.
And with delicious ingredients, we can make delicious recipes.
[gentle music]
♪ ♪
- This is huge!
♪ ♪
Part of the magic of Yucatán is its world-famous pyramids,
a reminder that the Maya have been shaping
the landscape and culture here for the last 4,000 years.
In honor of my own Mayan ancestry,
I'm making a pilgrimage to Uxmal.
Only 40 minutes' drive from Mérida,
but it feels like a world away.
Don Pepe! - Ah.
- Don Pepe is a Mayan archaeologist,
and he knows the secrets to this sacred site.
And it's probably why he got the cool hat and I didn't.
- [speaking Spanish] - No.
Uxmal was built around 500 AD,
and the level of detail here is mind-blowing.
- Little wonder they worship the god of rain.
Apart from the cenotes,
there are no lakes or rivers in Yucatán.
- This ability to collect water and irrigate crops
allowed the ancient Maya to put down roots here
and call it home.
So I've heard that Don Pepe is a great cook.
He and his wife, Maria, make this signature
pork and bean broth inspired by Yucatán's history.
The pork, a nod to the later arrival
of the Spanish conquistadores.
- Uh-huh.
In honor of the Mayan rain god,
water plays a key part.
- Epazote is a bitter herb that many Mexicans swear
stops the gassy side effects of beans.
Oh, my gosh, I love beans,
so I know I'm gonna love this one.
- Oh, sal. OK.
- Uh-huh.
- Sí.
- Of course it's cooked underground.
This is Yucatán.
Thankfully, Don Pepe already has one in the oven.
Wow, I think you win... - Sí.
the underground contest of most hours.
[laughter]
- El olor, yeah.
- [sniffs] Oh, that smells good.
- Wow.
Mmm, it tastes like barbecue in a soup.
Smells amazing.
Oh, look at that. Look at that.
- This is the pork.
Oh, my gosh! - Sí.
- I'm so excited about this.
Wow, this is, like,
definitely slow-cooked.
This is just falling apart.
Look at this one. Lookit. Lookit.
Oh.
- Mmm.
Mmm.
[laughter]
- OK. - ¿Claro?
- Wow, you can really taste the smokiness.
In the U.S., we get jittery
if our fast food isn't fast enough,
but here in Yucatán,
no one bats an eye if dinner takes two days to cook.
Mmm.
Sitting in the shadow of Uxmal,
their pyramids are a constant reminder
that good things take time.
[gentle music]
♪ ♪
- I'm arriving in Izamal.
This town used to be known for a Mayan pilgrimage.
There's a lot of pyramids around.
But now, it's really a food destination.
So today, we are going to be making
our food pilgrimage here.
40 miles east of Mérida is Izamal,
known as the Yellow City.
You know you've arrived when you're surrounded
with golden yellow walls on every street,
on every building.
Even the city's largest
and most important building is yellow:
the Monastery of St. Anthony of Padua.
Hola. - [speaking Spanish]
- Local restaurateur and Miriam Azcorra
was born and raised in Izamal.
- Oh.
- Mm-hmm.
- Oh, my gosh. - Sí.
- When the Spanish conquered Izamal,
they dismantled the pyramids,
forcing the Maya to repurpose the stones.
¿No?
- Con las piedras. - Con las piedras.
- The monastery was built for a Christian god,
but it remained holy to the Maya,
who worshipped the sacred stones of their former temple.
- Mm-hmm.
- Así. Wow.
♪ ♪
- There are many theories of why the town is yellow.
The most likely is because the largest pyramid in the area
was dedicated to the sun god,
but that's not the only yellow ball deified here.
- Es queso. - Wow.
- Amazingly, Dutch cheese is the main ingredient
of queso relleno.
It's the signature dish at Miriam's restaurant, Kinich,
which specializes in home-cooked comfort food.
How did Dutch cheese get here
and become the most famous dish of this region?
- Uh-huh.
- But unlike the Europeans
who prized these golden globes for the cheese inside,
here, it's all about the part
that I would usually throw away.
So you're not gonna use the inside of the cheese?
You're gonna use the outside of the cheese?
- The outside.
- It's said that once the wealthy merchants
had scooped out the creamy cheese,
their servants found an ingenious use
for the discarded rind.
OK.
- OK.
- The meat of choice? A familiar favorite: pork.
- Sí, igual.
- Uh-huh.
- Mm.
- Mm-hmm.
- Capers. - Alcaparras.
- I love capers, so let's put more.
- Oh, this is almonds?
Mediterranean bay leaves and olives
also go into the pot, and then it's cooked again.
So we close it back in a cheesecloth.
- So it's just gonna take a bath.
- Mm.
- Sí.
- Yeah.
- Oh, yeah. That's soft.
At last, our queso relleno is ready.
Now, I understand what bursting with flavor means.
Ooh, can I touch it?
- Yes.
- Oh, my goodness.
That looks really good!
Over 16 ingredients and three stages later,
it's finished with a Mayan corn sauce and tomato salsa.
This is one intricate dish,
and I can see why diners come here to enjoy its complexity.
Gracias.
Mmm.
- Mm.
- Wow.
Mmm. - Mmm.
- Oh, that's so good.
- Mm-hmm.
- For me, this is the dish that sums up Yucatán.
It's a region that isn't afraid
to embrace different cultures.
The people here are so secure
in who they are and where they come from.
New influences are simply blended with the ancient
to create something unique.
In Yucatán, there's an appreciation
that good things are worth the wait.
♪ ♪