In the time that I was living in Havana, Cuba, I had the opportunity to receive in the kitchen of Kika’s Bocadillos the best Mexican representation at that time in the whole island. For that occasion, the kitchen of Kika’s Bocadillos dressed with a charro as well as a Mexican big hat and , with the rhythm of rancheras we received three great and worthy representatives of that magical and colorful land, full of traditions, music, tequila and much, much chili .

My Mexican friend Maritza borrowed me her beloved mother Lourdes and her beautiful aunt Luz María, who kindly and with a big smile agreed to share with you one of her favorite typical recipes: Tacos de Cochinita Pibil.

This is a traditional dish of the cuisine of the Yucatan Peninsula and owes its name to its ancient cooking. Pibil, which derives from the Mayan word pib (buried), is a culinary method consisting of, literally, burying food in a hole in the ground, covered with burning coal and stones. Although at the current time the pibil is a rarely used method, in a recipe dating from the early 1900s the whole pig was cooked, without its viscera, wrapped in banana leaves in a ground oven.

The recipe that I proudly share with you does not require soil drilling in your garden, so do not be scared. On this occasion we will replace the traditional ground oven with a modern pressure cooker and the charcoal with the well-known gas stove.

It is a very easy recipe to prepare and, if you really like the spicy food, you will be delighted with the result and, surely, it will be on your list of dishes to make in case of an invasion of friends in your home, as it lends itself to satisfy a large number of people, with relatively short preparation time.