Merida restaurant bets on the gastronomic use of cannabis

Mèrida, Yucatàn (April 20, 2021).- Yucatán is fertile land for the gastronomic use of cannabis. Various initiatives focused on this market have been seen in Mérida and “Asadito Astral” is one of them. They do not use the plant as a psychoactive ingredient, but as a gastronomic component, with ancient and contemporary culinary techniques, explained its founder Armando Ortegón.

The grill master pointed out that cannabis is a plant that is currently being handled in gastronomy worldwide in a new way, it is being given a new twist. “Beyond knowing it as an unnerving, it is one more ingredient to change our diet.”

In the same way, he assured that cannabis brings benefits to the body that, although they are not unknown, have long been limited for people who are in the environment of its consumption.

Underground cannabis cuisine is not always the most suitable, he warned, as there are concentrations of the herb that are too strong for the system, causing the well-known pale, a state of hypertension.

In Asadito Astral they do not do this, he clarified, because when using marijuana as an ingredient “it does not put”. It seeks to take advantage of the plant as one more component in the various menus developed in the company.

“Cannabis has been present at the gastronomic level for several years in its form of hemp, a ‘cousin'”, which despite not being the same, can also provide the same concentrates and properties, he explained.

It is not to have a ‘trip’

Hemp uses cannabidiol (CBD) to improve body function, and thanks to this, he explained, we can use it not only as a gastronomic ingredient, but also as a nutritional one. Cannabis food takes advantage of this to make teas, for example, or other mixtures that are used in a wide variety of dishes.

“It is not ‘I cook it so that I can wear it and have a trip’, but I cook it so that I can take advantage of it as another ingredient in the kitchen such as oregano, rosemary, coriander or parsley, which in addition to giving flavor They provide nutrients for food ”, he explained.

There are countless similar initiatives in the gastronomic field, this because people are learning about the use of the plant. There are also academies internationally that take this seriously and offer certification courses to formalize its use.

In the case of Yucatán, Armando Ortegón commented that the interest is very wide, since the state has a great variety of gastronomic properties. It attracts many cooks because of the countryside, its crops, and the close connection with ingredients. 

“Once cannabis enters, after its regulation, it could be taken advantage of in an incredible way, not only by cultivation but by the mixture of ingredients, its freshness and the possibility of combining it,” he said.

For Armando, there is an interesting proposal in Yucatán about the use of the plant as another ingredient and the outlook for growing, investing and producing is very optimal, “the possibilities are enormous.”

Particular odors

As for its flavor, the chef commented that it has a characteristic one. It is somewhat bitter, an herb with a very particular smell, however, it has notes that can be optimally combined with fresh fruits and salads. There are processes to enhance the flavor, or decrease it according to need.

Armando Ortegón learned to cook with cannabis through trial and error. When he began to “get back on track” in his Gastronomy career and realized the great variety of things that can be done, he chose to experiment and use his knowledge in this company.

One of Asadito Astral’s initiatives are the G-Astronomical Dinners, meetings that are held randomly in which they offer a non-psychoactive menu based on ingredients that are usually found in the cannabis market such as seeds, hemps and stems.

For example, last Sunday they offered a two-course dinner in which the main course consisted of picaña mezcalera with papa cambray al ají and cannabis chimichurri. For dessert, a red fruit pie with a cannabis topping; and charcoal-smoked in this substance. All special strains for the event.

“We mix all of that and give food new flavors. What we do is take people to try the ways in which these flavors are mixed in foods that we already know, on the grill, “he concluded.

There is still no date for the next dinner, however, those interested can find out about this and other Asadito Astral initiatives -such as courses and contracts- can visit their Instagram page at @asaditoastral or @frentecannabicodelsureste.

Source: La Jornada Maya