19 Tastiest Yucatan Foods To Try That You Don’t Want To Miss
Traveling to the Yucatan and not sure what foods to try? The Yucatan cuisine is very distinctive for its flavors unlike any other state in Mexico. There are so many traditional Yucatan foods to try that it can be overwhelming to know which dishes are not to be missed.
But don’t worry, I ate my way through the cities of Valladolid, Izamal, Merida, and more to discover the best Yucatan dishes so you don’t have to waste time!
The food from Yucatan is a delightful fusion of flavors combining Mayan and Spanish ingredients.
A mixing of herbs, spices, vegetables, and fruits that are native to the Yucatan and what Mayans have used for years with items introduced by the Spanish.
After sampling a few dishes, your taste buds will awaken sampling flavor profiles you’ve never encountered.
In this Yucatan food guide, I dive into all the delicious and mouthwatering meals from breakfast, dinner, desserts, and more.
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Best Traditional Yucatan Foods To Taste
Lunch & Dinner
1. Cochinita Pibil
If you only have time to enjoy one meal in the Yucatan, Cochinita Pibil is it! Cochinita Pibil is the most famous Yucatan dish and for good reason.
What makes it so special? It is the labor intensive slow cooking of pork in an underground pit.
The key to making it is patience and the entire process from start to finish is between 1 – 2 days with the meat cooking about 8 hours.
A longstanding tradition in the Mayan culture was to cook pork in an underground earthen oven.
A large pit (pib) is dug filled with layering of hard wood and rocks before starting a fire.
Once the fire heats up the rocks, the food (marinated pork) is placed on top of the hot rocks either wrapped in banana leaves or more often in a metal box.
Note: Before cooking, the pork is marinated in an achiote paste (annatto seeds) and sour oranges that is the first step in making this beloved dish.
The vessel with food is covered with dirt, covered in banana leaves, and then left to cook perfectly overnight.
In the Yucatan, cochinita pibil is the most popular meat to be cooked underground, but you can cook any meat or even tamales.
If you have ever been to a luau in Hawaii and seen how they cook the pig in the ground, it is a similar variation of this method.
One of the best ways to enjoy this outstanding dish is to place the tender pulled pork onto a freshly made corn tortilla and topped with pickled red onions.
The pairing of the pickled onions and pork is truly magical…
2. Poc Chuc
Another traditional Yucatan food you’ll see on most menus is Poc Chuc which translates to “grilled over charcoals”.
Poc Chuc is pork marinated in the popular Yucatan sour orange before grilling over charcoal.
When served, the pork is sliced very thin, served with a topping of pickled onions, avocado, and a side of beans.
As seen in the picture, it may come in one large piece of grilled pork or you may find it sliced into long strips.
Either way it is a tasty combination of tangy sweet and savory that can be eaten alone or stuffed into a corn tortilla.
The Mayans have definitely perfected the art of cooking pork using methods that haven’t changed much over the years.
3. Panuchos
When I first ordered a panucho, it visually reminded me of a mini tostada.
But not to be confused with a tostada, as a panucho is a corn tortilla stuffed with a thin layer of black bean paste, then quickly fried before topping with a meat (chicken or pork), tomato, red onion, avocado, and maybe a little lettuce or cabbage.
As the tortilla is fried just a touch, it isn’t hard or crispy and is a delicious bite!
Panuchos are a Yucatan street food that you will see both in restaurants and from food vendors although originally a quick and tasty food you’d get from a street cart.
Since they are rather small, usually 3 will come per order but they make a great dish to share with others if you want to order a few meals and split.
4. Salbutes
A salbute is very similar to a panucho but the main difference is the lack of black bean filling.
Salbutes are usually thought of as a street food eaten for breakfast or lunch but these days you can find them also in restaurants and at any time of the day.
Made with a puffy deep fried corn tortilla and topped with meat of choice (turkey or chicken usually) and garnished with tomato, pickled onions, lettuce, and avocado.
I enjoyed eating both the panuchos and salbutes but preferred the panuchos a little more as I like the addition of the black bean paste.
But if you are in the Yucatan Peninsula, you should try one of each at least once!
Note: You’ll often see salbutes and panuchos referred to as antojitos meaning “little cravings” as they are small and quick to eat.
5. Tacos
Yes, tacos can be found anywhere in Mexico, but the fun is sampling the best tacos of each region!
Each state in Mexico will be known for their style or type of taco with variations that make them distinct to the place.
And the Yucatan is no different. Although you can get all kinds of tacos, the 2 types of tacos that I think are a must try during your stay are:
- Cochinita Pibil
- Seafood
As I previously mentioned, the most common way to enjoy Cochinita Pibil is in a taco topped with pickled red onions.
The pork is absolutely the most succulent bite that will explode in flavors due to the long and slow cooking of the pork in an underground oven.
The next most popular type of taco in the Yucatan to sample is a seafood taco.
Most commonly you’ll see shrimp tacos (Tacos Gobernador) but you may see other seafood options including fish and octopus.
After that you can find some very delicious Tacos Al Pastor and Tacos Arabe even though they are not distinctly from the Yucatan.
6. Longaniza de Valladolid
Longaniza de Valladolid is a smoked sausage that is made from pork and reminds me of chorizo but with a little extra flavor and impact on your palate.
Usually in long links or a plate of coiled sausage, this flavorful meat is pork seasoned with achiote paste, sour oranges, garlic, and then grilled to add a delicious smokiness.
Although this dish may have been created in Valladolid, it is a dish you can order throughout the Yucatan.
You’ll see a variety of ways Longaniza de Valladolid is incorporated into Yucatan dishes ranging from whole sausages, ground into salbutes, panuchos, in tacos, and mixed with eggs for breakfast.
No matter how you eat it, sampling Longaniza de Valladolid is worth adding to your list of Yucatan foods to try.
7. Empanadas
I had always associated empanadas with South America but was very happy to see empanadas as a popular staple in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Empanadas in the Yucatan are crescent shaped made of a masa dough and can be filled with all sorts of savory ingredients such as meat (chicken, pork, or beef), cheese, veggies, spices, and sauces.
The most common type of empanadas you’ll come across in the Yucatan are Chaya Empanadas.
In the chaya empanadas, the dough is stuffed with Chaya leaves and cheese, usually the Dutch Edam cheese.
Further down in this post I’ll talk a little bit more about it but chaya is a vegetable similar to Spinach and a popular Mayan food.
8. Tamales
Tamales are one of my favorite meals in Mexico no matter what region I’m in. Each state has its own variation in the way tamales are made and the filling used.
On the Yucatan Peninsula, tamales are made with an outer corn masa with pork or chicken, black bean paste, and/or chaya wrapped in a banana leaf.
Usually there are vegetarian options too filled with veggies, cheese, and possibly an achiote seasoning.
When you unwrap a tamale, the masa is soft from the steam and a very yummy bite.
9. Lomitos de Valladolid
Another dish that was created in Valladolid is Lomitos de Valladolid and one I thoroughly enjoyed.
It is a tasty meal selection for dinner as it is a hearty Yucatan stew consisting of pork marinated in the juice of sour oranges and achiote seasoning.
The seasoned pork is then combined with tomatoes, onions, oregano, chili peppers, and topped with two halves of a hard-boiled egg.
The addition of the egg might sound a little odd but it really adds to the flavor profile!
10. Ceviche
With its location along both the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, there are ample places to get fresh seafood in the Yucatan.
From shrimp to local fish, octopus, and shellfish ordering ceviche that is straight from the sea is abundant here.
The ceviche in the Yucatan is full of freshness as the seafood is marinated in sour orange and lime juices which “cook” it.
In addition, red onions, cilantro, peppers, seasoning, avocado, and cucumber are tossed into the mix.
Eaten cold, ceviche is usually served as an appetizer and with chips.
11. Queso Relleno
Queso Relleno is a traditional food from Yucatan that comes in the shape of a ball made of cheese and an assortment of fillings such as pork, onions, raisins, hard-boiled egg, and even pumpkin seeds.
What makes this dish unique is the cheese used, Edam cheese (Dutch).
Edam cheese is a round ball of cheese with a hard exterior and a soft interior. The Dutch would utilize and eat the soft interior discarding the hard outer shell.
When Mexicans in the Yucatan saw this, they decided to make a delicious meal using the hard exterior of the Edam cheese.
It was with this idea that the Queso Relleno became a Yucatan staple!
Overall, this dish is a cheesy and gooey meal with melted cheese, minced pork or beef, onions, raisins, hard-boiled egg, spices, and even pumpkin seeds inside the ball shaped Edam rind.
If that doesn’t tempt you enough, a sauce is poured over it that usually consists of a tomato based sauce and a white (flour based) sauce “k’ool”.
12. Tlacoyos
I’ve traveled to many regions throughout Mexico and somehow I had never encountered Tlacoyos until my time in the Yucatan.
I absolutely loved the taste and texture of biting into a Tlacoyo which traditionally is considered a street food.
Over time it has evolved to become a common item on restaurant menus.
Tlacoyos are patties of masa (corn) dough with an oval shape resembling a boat.
The masa used may consist of blue, yellow, or white masa but the ones I tended to see in the Yucatan were with yellow masa.
Like most indigenous people in Mexico, corn is the number one food of the Mayans and the center piece of many dishes.
The masa boat is stuffed on top with black beans and/or fava beans, cactus (nopales), pork, pickled red onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and maybe some cheese.
Although considered an “antojito” or small snack, I found tlacoyos to be filling. Whether you get them from a street vendor or in a restaurant they are enjoyed best when fresh.
13. Sopa de Lima
Sopa de Lima or “Lime Soup” is another Yucatan dish that is a great starter or a full meal if you are looking for something lighter.
The broth of this tasty soup is made with Yucatan limes, vegetables, chicken or turkey, cilantro, avocado, and maybe some crunchy tortilla strips on top.
Different from the limes you may find elsewhere, the Yucatan limes are sweeter and give it a refreshing tangy, citrus flavor.
Breakfast Dishes
14. Huevos Motulenos
At home I never eat breakfast but in the Yucatan, breakfast quickly became my favorite meal of the day.
And even though I loved all the breakfast items I sampled, Huevos Motulenos was by far my favorite.
Huevos Motulenos has slightly fried corn tortillas stacked with a black bean paste, cheese, fried eggs, pieces of ham, and peas covered in a tomato sauce with sweet plantains and a habanero salsa.
This tasty meal originated in the town of Motul, east of Merida hence the name Huevos Motulenos.
It is one of the most popular Yucatan breakfast selections for a good reason as your taste buds won’t know what hit them!
If you just look at the ingredients that goes into making it, it sounds like an odd combination but it seriously works all together.
On the plate it makes for a visually vibrant meal with some slight variations depending on where you order it.
By far, Huevos Motulenos is the menu item I ordered the most for breakfast. It’s also the one meal I’d travel back to the Yucatan to enjoy in a heartbeat.
15. Huevos Divorciados
Huevos Divorciados is another top breakfast pick with its name translating to “Divorced Eggs”.
When you look at it, you can clearly see a division between the two sides of the dish inspiring the “divorced” separation between the two eggs.
With a fried egg on each side, one side is covered in a Pipian (red sauce) and the other side in a Relleno Negro (black sauce).
Red Pipian is a mole sauce made of pepitas (pumpkin seeds), red chilis, onion, garlic, tomatoes, spices, and corn tortillas or bread for thickening.
The black colored Relleno Negro sauce is made of a black spice paste, charred chilis, burnt tortillas (for thickening), onion, and garlic.
The two sauces are separated by a border made of beans and chips and finally garnished with plantains.
If you enjoy Huevos Rancheros, Huevos Divorciados is a fun variation of the classic Mexican breakfast.
16. Scrambled Eggs With Chaya
Huevos con Chaya is scrambled eggs mixed with the leafy chaya (Mayan spinach) and served with beans and tortillas.
Although similar to spinach, chaya has a distinctively different taste.
Scrambled with eggs, it is a healthy breakfast option that isn’t too heavy. Even though I enjoyed it, the other breakfast dishes listed here won me over more.
17. Huevos Encamisados
If you haven’t noticed yet, every Yucatan breakfast comes with eggs and Huevos Encamisados is just that.
Personally, I love eggs in any form, so all of these breakfasts are right up my alley!
When you order Huevos Encamisados you’ll get two puffy looking tortillas with a side of black beans and salsa.
The corn tortillas are stuffed with raw eggs and after being cooked on a comal, the eggs have puffed up and steamed at the same time.
Drizzle some fresh salsa roja on it and enjoy! It may be a simple dish but so good…
Yummy Desserts
There are many desserts to discover in the Yucatan such as flan, ice cream, and churros but the clear stand out in my opinion are the marquesitas!
18. Marquesitas
Prior to my trip to Valladolid and Merida, I had never heard of marquesitas but I quickly became familiar with this delightful dessert.
Marquesitas are a sweet treat that is the ultimate choice when eating Yucatan street food.
Each Marquesita is dough batter poured onto a hot griddle resembling a big waffle maker to make a thin yet slightly crispy crepe that includes your fillings of choice before being rolled much like a mega taquito.
The most popular ingredient combo is Edam cheese (Dutch), strawberries, banana, and Nutella chocolate sauce.
The saltiness of the melted cheese with the sweet Nutella and fruit will make your taste buds smile.
Absolutely nothing fancy here but just a combination of flavors that hits the spot.
You can also add jam, cajete (caramel taste), and/or cream cheese with the price dependent on the number of toppings you choose.
It is the perfect hand held dessert to eat as your walking through the square or enjoying in a kissing chair!
Originally an ice cream vendor named Leopoldo Mena wanted to drum up some business in the winter months as ice cream sales were down.
If you have ever been to the Yucatan in the winter this is hard to believe as it is always hot!
Regardless, he had the idea to make a cone-like snack filled with cheese and jam. It was a hit and later other fillings were added.
Why the name? It’s said that a daughter of a wealthy Marquis was a frequent customer who was a big fan of them.
Tip: In Valladolid, the best spot to get a marquesita is in the main town square directly across from the church or El Atrio del Mayab restaurant.
She sets up around 5pm and the line gets longer as the night goes on. Get there early or be prepared to wait.
Drinks
19. Agua de Chaya + (chaya con pina)
Agua de Chaya is a fresh juice made with water and the chaya leaf that I’ve mentioned above which is the Mayan version of spinach.
It has a very veggie flavor as you can imagine filled with nutrients and a healthy way to kick off your morning with.
Each morning, I enjoyed having Chaya con pina with my breakfast which is chaya juice blended with pineapple juice (pina).
The slight addition of some sweetness with the vegetal taste won me over!
Make a point to order at least one as it is something you’ll only find in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Food Tours In Merida
Food Experiences Near Valladolid
Walking Taco Tour In Valladolid
Authentic Yucatan Cooking Class
Enjoy sampling all the wonderful Yucatan foods on your trip. Let me know which Yucatan dishes were your favorite!
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Vanessa Shields
Vanessa Shields is the founder of Traveling Ness helping people with trip ideas, itineraries, travel planning, and boosting confidence for female travelers to take a solo trip. She has been a travel writer and content creator since 2019.