On route from Campeche to Merida, our go to pit stop for lunch is at Chujuc Haa in a pueblito called Hecelchakán. For being in the middle of nowhere I’m amazed that it has a 4.1 with 205 reviews on google. They make the best Chiles Rellenos of ground beef I have ever had. Their mole and fried plantains are damn good too.
Chiles Rellenos above
Chicken and rice smothered in Mole
Platanos Fritos (Fried Plantains)
“Chiles Xcatik Rellenos de Cazon.” Aka, large Xcatik chilis stuffed with shark, then breaded and deep fried. Don’t ask me what kind of chili Xcatik is because I don’t know and I think it’s most likely only found in Campeche. Head down to the very end of the Campeche boardwalk and walk into the restaurant, “La Palapa del Tio Fito.” Here you’ll find a number of shark dishes and this one has got to be my favorite. If you're a seafood fan and don’t mind a little heat, then this is a must try. 🐟 + 🌶️⠀
Can you guess what this is? I was freaked out at first but WOW! Delicious. Its a ginormous cow tongue!
“Tamales de masa colado” aka tamales of strained dough. Ok.. I know that this doesn’t look all that appetizing but it might just be my camera angle or the lighting. ⠀
Take my word for it though, these tamales are supreme. The soft pudding-like dough of the tamale is what makes it one-of-kind.⠀
This is a super complicated recipe (trust me I watched an 18 minute YouTube video on it). Noteworthy is the special step in mixing the corn dough with water and vigorously straining the dough. You throw away the actual dough, then boil the water down to a thick paste and that is actually what becomes the base for your tamale. I lost you didn’t I. I told you it was complicated⠀
“Colar” means to strain, hence the name “Tamales colados.”
Virgen de Guadalupe. She is the patron saint of Mexico commonly seen... well... everywhere pretty much. Venerated and celebrated year round but also gets a day dedicated solely to her, December 12th. If you happen to be driving on the rural roads of the Yucatan during the days leading up to the 12th, you’ll notice large Virgin statues strapped to the top of cars or on the backs of bicyclists or even runners doing a kind of relay race holding a lit torch. They call these people “peregrinos,” on a pilgrammage from one town to the next showing their deep devotion for the virgin.
“Molcajete Mixto” aka... a meatfest. This is for all you savage carnivores out there. All you vegetarians, look away now, you have been prewarned. You can barely see the “molcajete,” behind all that meat but its the name for the traditional mortar and pestle used in mesoamerica. This greasy mess consists of Poc Chuc (pork), arrachera (beef), Longaniza (similar to chorizo sausage), and grilled nopal (cactus). My personal favorite is the longaniza which famously comes from a city called Valladolid. It’s got a perfect smokey, spicy, salty taste to it. Go to Aduana Vasconcelos and they will help fill your belly.⠀