Learn how to cook Pepian

Pepián is an ancestral dish that originated in the department of Chimaltenango, in western Guatemala. Many sources place the emergence of this typical food in pre-Columbian times, where it was made by communities of Mayan-Kaqchikel ethnicity that elaborated it for important ceremonies, usually religious or political. Today the tasty dish has evolved and several versions have been created and are protagonists of some of the country's festivities, and was even declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Nation in 2007 by the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Guatemala.

The reddish sauce that characterizes this dish is traditionally known in the country as "recado", which is a thick stew or soup based on vegetables and a wide selection of spices, usually thickened with bread, tortilla or raw corn-based dough. If you didn't have the opportunity to try this delicious traditional Guatemalan dish on your trip through the country, we share with you the recipe so you can make it and share it with your family and friends.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of beef (beef, pork backbone or whole chicken, cut into pieces)
• 1 dried guaque chile (chule guajillo)
• 1 dried raisin chile (pasilla or poblano chile)
• 2 ounces of sesame seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 ounces of green pepitoria (pumpkin seeds)
• 4 fat peppers
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 chili bell pepper
• 10 miltomatoes (green tomato or tomatillo)
• 1 large onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• ½ güisquil
• ½ pound green beans
• ½ pound of medium potatoes
• 1 large carrot
• 8 pieces of cold French bread or 5 cold corn tortillas
• 1 liter of water or broth (vegetable, chicken or beef)

Preparation

1. In a pot, place the meat and cook with the liter of water or broth.
2. Add potato, güisquil, green beans and carrot chunks to finish cooking together with the meat.
3. In a comal or frying pan, brown the chiles, tomato, onion, miltomato, seeds and spices.
4. Then blend them with a little of the meat broth and the lightly toasted bread.
5. Put the mixture over medium heat and add the bunch of cilantro.
6. Let the mixture boil until it thickens.
7. Add the meat and the cooked vegetables, it can be served with white rice and tortillas.

Now all you have to do is enjoy the delicious Guatemalan pepián you prepared.

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