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Cochinita — I still have dreams about this Mexican delicacy [1]
['Séamus Bellamy']
Date: 2025-09-05
I lived in San Miguel de Cozumel, Mexico, for long enough that I got used to the heat. There are a lot of things I miss about living there. The smell of the ocean. The humor and kindness of the people in my neighborhood. The questionable crew of dock workers who accepted me into their fold at the coffee shop I frequented. Fresh tortillas from the joint half a block over from my home. And Sundays.
Every Sunday, you'd see the signs hit the street. Some fancy, some scrawled on a scavenged piece of cardboard. They all advertised one thing: Cochinita. It's a word I associate with simple pleasures and an immense helping of happiness, even during troubled times.
Cochinita pibil (also puerco pibil or cochinita con achiote) is slow-roasted pork. It's a native dish of the Yucatán Peninsula that takes a hell of a lot of patience, planning, and a plot of land. Folks who speak Spanish will tell you that Cochinita means "baby pig." But not everyone rolls this way. Adult swine, pork shoulder, and pork roast are often used as well. The meat of a full-grown pig goes further. That means more food for large families or, in many instances, a little more money made on Sunday to use for the rest of the week.
Folks who live on Cozumel Island start on Saturday afternoon. They pop the pig into a cooking pit with coals, bury it, and then dig it up the following day. Traditionally, Cochinita is marinated in citrus juices. The resulting pulled pork is juicy, flavorful, and unlike anything I've eaten, anywhere else. It's a favorite meal for many after attending Sunday mass. You can make lots of it with minimal effort. That's why it's a favorite for restaurants and home cooks looking to earn extra cash.
I've had it in tacos or soup for breakfast at restaurants, and I've walked home with steaming hot plastic grocery bags of the stuff to eat at home. There hasn't been a single time that I've eaten it that I wasn't left feeling content and, somehow, loved.
On difficult days, when the news of the world is just crushing or intrusive thoughts go for my throat, it's a comfort I long for. But, currently living far north of the Mexican border, one I can only dream of.
[END]
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