Mucbil Pollo
¡O como sea que se escriba! Lo hemos visto escrito de unas diez maneras distintas en diferentes letreros hechos a mano por toda la ciudad. Muchas de las cocinas económicas, incluida la Casa de los Tornillos a la vuelta, tenían anuncios diciendo que los estaban horneando y que los vendían para llevar. Entonces, ¿qué es esta cosa misteriosa?, te preguntarás.
Bueno, aquí hay una foto. ¿Eso ayuda? ¿No? Bueno, intentemos explicarlo. Por aquí, los mayas celebran el Día de Muertos a finales de octubre. Esta festividad se llama Halloween en Gringolandia, pero los mayas la llaman Hanal Pixán, que significa “comida de las ánimas”. A medida que se acerca la fecha, empieza el alboroto sobre comer pibes durante las celebraciones. Y cuando terminó el Hanal Pixán, los yucatecos nos saludaban en persona o por teléfono preguntándonos: “¿Ya comieron su pib?”
Ehhh… no.
Pero ayer, nuestra ya mencionada muchacha maya que nos ayuda con la casa y su lozana hija vinieron a limpiar, y nos trajeron dos pibes recién horneados. Por lo que entendemos, son tamales grandes con relleno de pollo, achiote y chaya. La masa del tamal está hecha de maíz (¿de qué más?) y lleva frijoles negros mezclados. Todo está envuelto en hojas de plátano y horneado bajo tierra en un hoyo, llamado pib en maya, de ahí el apodo. Estoy seguro de que en los hogares modernos de Mérida ahora hornean sus pibes en el horno, pero te garantizo que los que recibimos estaban hechos a la antigua.
Nos comimos los pibes en el almuerzo. O más bien, nos comimos uno. Ni siquiera pudimos terminarlo. Cada uno pesaba como cinco libras. No es broma. Y la corteza estaba dura y correosa. El pollo de adentro estaba sabroso y tierno, pero parecía que no había suficiente. Otra cosa curiosa: uno de nuestros pibes era cuadrado y el otro redondo.
Nos consideramos muy afortunados de tener la oportunidad de comer pibes auténticos horneados en la tierra maya. Pero algún día nos gustaría probar una versión de alta cocina que quizá sea un poco más fácil de masticar.
Comments
John 9 years ago
How can I cook Mucbil Pollo in the oven?
Can I also steam it?
Reply
Manuel 10 years ago
You want to try one "Haute cuisine"? Just go and get a proper one. The mucbipollo is the Mayan lasagna. It is not because you ate a leathery muc baked by your maid that all of them are like that. Would you judge the whole Japanese cuisine because you ate an oily teriyaki made by the guy who cleans?
Just replace the lard with olive oil and you are on your way.
Reply
Working Gringa 10 years ago
Manuel, you are so right! We have had many a delicious pib since that day :-)
Reply
dd 15 years ago
Although there are a many similarities, including time of year. El Dia de Los Muertos (day of the dead) and Halloween are not really related.
Reply
alicia 16 years ago
damn i miss my gran mother and mother pibs... they both cook it on the oven and yea it is not that chewey and easyer to eat... we used to eat it with a cup of hot chocolate... there is a lot more delicious food in yucatan and i'm pretty sure that all you guys are going to loved so if you have a chance don't think 2 times about go to yucatan to try our food... panuchos, tamales, salbutes, cochinita pibil and a lot more... wow i'm stared feeling hungry!!!
Reply
Paola 16 years ago
Hi,
I am a Yucatecan living in Calgary/. I really do miss the Mucbilpollos and mor ethe ones with espelon ( it is not balck beans, tehse beans are different) and having for desser Xeck and Dulce de Papaya, sis you try the dulce de papaya. I haven't have a PIB for a long long time, but I am hoping I will have one soon. :)
Reply
Dan 19 years ago
You fared better than John Lloyd Stephens. He wrote of this 1841 October celebration: "We have reason to remember this fete from one untoward circumstance. A friendly neighbor, who...was in the habit of sending us fruit and dulces more than we could eat, this day, on the top of a large undisposed-of present, sent us a huge piece of mukbipoyo. It was as hard as an oak plank and as thick as six of them; and having already overtasked ourselves to reduce the pile on the table, when this came, in a fit of desparation we took it out into the courtyard and buried it. There it would have remained till this day but for a malicious dog which accompanied them on their next visit; he passed into the courtyard, rooted it up, and, while we were pointing to the empty platters as our acknowledgment of their kindness, this villanous dog sneaked through the sala and out at the front door with the pie in his mouth, apparently grown bigger since it was buried."
Reply
Day of the Dead or Hanal Pixan? Celebrate Them Both! 19 years ago
[...] Our celebrations aren’t going to end there. [...]
Reply
Miguel 19 years ago
Hi WGs,
Mucbipollos have now gone international. They've made it all the way to Canada thanks to a group of yucateco friends that have chosen Montreal as their new residence.
So if you ever want to spend a different below 0 (Celsius) Hanal Pixan in the land of maple syrup, don't hesistate to contact us. By the way, we do the haute cuisine version with tons of pork and chicken... and I'll assure you, it is as good as the best pib anywhere in the white pueblo.
Reply
Working Gringos 19 years ago
This year, we've been invited to share the mucbil pollos at the home of aforementioned housekeeper and family. That will be in Oxtapacab, and the mucbil pollos will probably be accompanied by pavo en relleno negro.
Here's a curious thing. We told them we were going to be in Michoacan for Day of the Dead this year, and they told us they would *postpone* their Hanal Pixan celebration so they could do it with us!! So we'll be going to their house on November 8 for mucbil pollo and other goodies.
When we said to them, "Uh, but isn't Hanal Pixan on November 1?", the Mayan woman laughed and said it didn't matter... no importa. We are supposing that she wisely realizes that "the Dead" really don't care what day it is.
So if you're looking for Day of the Dead information from us, tune in after November 8 and we'll have lots to tell!
Reply
Anonymous 20 years ago
u know about the mucbil pollo,i am from merida, and it has been that way all the time,i mean that's the way it is,and i always liked to eat it with a cup of coffee,weird isn't?? and i loved it now i miss it but i hope to be able to eat it again pretty soon.
p.s. smile:D
Reply
(0 to 11 comments)Next »