Valladolid, Yucatan – An excuse to indulge in one of the region’s most succulent bean-filled snacks, the city’s first-ever Panucho Festival is Saturday, March 30.
Over 30 restaurants, hotels and other businesses are adding bite to the event.
The Valladolid Panucho Festival begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Calzada de los Frailes, where live trova music, a brass band and traditional dance is planned on three stages.
At 6, Yucatecan chef and reality television star Geny Falla, a “MasterChef Mexico” finalist, will judge the best panucho in a competition.
Also, a local ice cream parlor will offer panucho-flavored ice cream, Sipse reported.
After dark, visitors will be led down Calle 41-A to the former convent of San Bernardino de Siena where a videomapping sound-and-light show will be shown.
Outside Yucatan, it’s relatively hard to find a panucho, much less a good panucho.
A panucho is made with a refried tortilla stuffed with refried black beans and topped with chopped cabbage, pulled chicken or turkey, tomato, pickled red onion, avocado and pickled jalapeño pepper.
Other open-face antojitos like salbutes and tostadas, are related to the mighty panucho, but not quite the same.
According to lore, in the 19th century a traveler headed to Campeche on the Camino Real. He met a merchant, known as Don Hucho, who sold food along the road. But at the time, Don Hucho had run out of the foods he normally serves.
So he improvised a sandwich consisting of bread with strained beans and boiled eggs.
The dish caught on as a “Don Hucho,” but over time the bread became a tortilla and its name morphed into “panucho.”
The Festival del Panucho will include shops and chefs from Pixoy, Xocén, Kanxoc, Yalcobá, Ticuch, Popolá and Tixhualactún.
