[Mexico] Chef Citlalli's traditional Pico de Gallo

Nov 17, 2021 | Interviews Recipes

[As part of our Ursino project, each month we invite you to discover a traditional recipe shared by a chef, celebrity, or anonymous contributor. Discovering a dish, its history, how it is eaten, and the memories associated with it is precisely what our students around the world do. Based on this, they conduct research to discover the origins of dishes and their ingredients.

The goal: for them to discover for themselves that our cultures, particularly our culinary cultures, have always been enriched by diversity and encounters between peoples.

Creative and passionate, chef Citlalli Méndez Cedillo has kindly shared with us a traditional Mexican recipe that is close to her heart: the famousPico de Gallo. Between history, anecdotes, and traditions, join us on a colorful and flavorful journey to Mexico!

Describe this dish to us.

 This recipe is typically served with molletes  (small bread rolls cut in half, covered with black bean purée and cheese, then toasted in the oven to melt the cheese). When I worked in Los Cabos, Baja California (a state in Mexico), it was very hot and we used to make this recipe with mango. It's DELICIOUS! And it's such a fresh recipe that you can even eat it on its own with nachos (totopos in Mexican Spanish). Chef Margarita Carrillo taught me how to make it. " 

What does this dish remind you of? Do you have any special memories or stories associated with it?

 It reminds me of diversity. When I was little, I only ate tomatoes and onions, but when I discovered the recipe with fruit, it was a real explosion of flavors. As time went by, I realized that the recipe could be made with lots of different ingredients, such as green tomatoes, prickly pears, bacon... such diversity depending on where you are! It's a super simple recipe, and it really annoys me when I go to a restaurant and they don't put more love into this sauce!" 

Molletes

Pico de Gallo

Does this dish seem rather old or recent to you? Is it disappearing? Which region do you think it belongs to?

 It's quite old. So old that it already existed among the Mayans under the names jolchoc, xeh, or xol-chon. I think that over time it has grown in popularity because it's a simple, inexpensive recipe that can easily be used as a side dish or even a dessert. It is found in several states, depending on the ingredients, for example:

In Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo, it is made with jícama (a tuber also known as a potato pea) and orange. In the state of Jalisco, oregano is added. In Guanajuato, prickly pears are added. In Oaxaca, they add pomelo. In Tabasco, they also add orange and call it sarampico. In Zacatecas, they add bluefin tuna... The list goes on! 

 

How and when is this dish usually eaten?

 "You can eat it as a snack, as an accompaniment to fish, in a salad, or even as a dessert after a good meal. The ingredients just need to be fresh!" 

Are there any other traditional dishes that you are keen to pass on to your daughter?

 "Of course!!! There are so many... tamales, molcajete sauces, pozole ...In fact, all Mexican cuisine, I think!" 

What do you associate with cooking and mealtimes? Why do you think this is important in a culture or society?

  "I associate it with conviviality, chatting, and a beautiful, large table. Colors, freshness, laughter, and a lot of work!" 

 

 

The recipe for Pico de Gallo

Ingredients

  • Elongated tomatoes
  • 100g onions
  • 20g cilantro
  • 1 to 2 Serrano peppers
  • 1 lime
  • Salt
  • 30ml olive oil
  • Optional: 1 avocado or 1 mango

Steps

1. Finely dice the onion and add the lemon juice. Let stand for 3 minutes.

2. Dice the tomatoes and add them to the onions.

3. Finely dice the chili pepper (without the seeds) and cilantro.

4. Mix everything together in a salad bowl and season.

Bonus

What is your Proustian madeleine?

Cotton candy! It's just colored sugar, nothing fancy, but the colors and the sensation of air on your palate... It's one of the most memorable things from my childhood!

Three guests you would like to invite to dinner?

A Buddhist, a true one! [laughs], Chava, my husband, and Remedios Varo (Spanish surrealist painter)

What is your favorite world food?

Gyros!

Can you recommend a restaurant?

My house!

If you want to learn more about chef Citlalli Méndez Cedillo, follow her on Instagram.