Have you ever heard of the Yucatecan joroches? They are a dish that, although it is not widely known in other parts of the country, is iconic of the gastronomy of Yucatan, which can never be missing in peninsular homes.
According to the Larousse Cuisine dictionary, joroches or joloches are a stew that is prepared with small balls made of corn dough, lard, and Chaya leaves, which are cooked in a strained bean broth, and seasoned with fried tomato sauce.
Some say this dish has its roots in traditional Mayan cuisine. This dish is an economical but delicious option that emerged – as we know it – from the ingenuity of Yucatecan families to prepare economical foods with the ingredients they had on hand.
Joloches or joroches are a stew that is prepared with small balls made of corn dough, lard, and chaya leaves, which are cooked in a strained bean broth, and seasoned with fried tomato sauce.
In Campeche, they also prepare a version of joroches, which they cook with stewed dogfish.
These joroches are usually hollow inside (that is, without any filling) so that the dough cooks well. However, there are some times that people allow themselves to experiment and prepare other things with the base of the joloches, such as tamales. Some fill them with eggs, sausage, cheese, meat, and even pumpkin flowers.
The name of this dish derives from a word in the Yucatecan Mayan language “joroch” which is the way the dough balls in the stew are named. The official name is Joroches, but many people pronounce Joloches – with an L instead of an R.
TYT Newsroom
