Pib: Maya Underground Cooking
The Yucatan peninsula has always stood apart from the rest of Mexico when it comes to culinary tradition, offering up a delicious fusion of Caribbean, Maya and Latin flavors. Here the food is steeped in history, with unique dishes, recipes and culturally significant cooking methods preserved and proudly passed on from one generation to the next. One of the more obvious examples of this is the Maya Pib or Piíb, the practice of roasting a wide variety of meats, vegetables and other local foods in an underground oven.
Earthen ovens are by no means unique to the region, with cultures in many parts of the world developing their own such cooking methods or using similar pits to preserve food from spoiling. The pib however stands out due to its construction and design, as well as its continued widespread use across the Yucatán Peninsula despite the availability of modern cooking methods. The origins of the technique seem to be in the pre-Hispanic Maya civilization which stretched across the Peninsula in an area which also includes parts of modern-day Belize and Guatemala. While it is difficult to date the practice exactly, due to loss of most pre-Columbian written records as a result of the Spanish colonization, there are fragments of texts from the 16th century referring to pib being used by the Maya people at the time. Most experts conclude that the technique must predate Latin influence as there is no Spanish tradition of such earthen oven cooking.
The pib itself is a pit dug in the earth of varying depth depending on the type and quantity of food being cooked. Large cuts of meat necessitate a deeper pit. Pits are often reused multiple times before new ones are dug. The shape can vary depending on local custom, with square, rectangular and circle pits being found across the Peninsula. The earth is chosen carefully, as it is this earth which is thought to give pib-cooked food its unique rich flavor of the land. It is important that the earth has few small rocks or stones in it, as some types can explode when exposed to heat for an extended period.
This is a pib used by a local family in Carrillo. Jesús demonstrated the methods taught to him by his father.
Once the pit is dug, a pyramid-like pile of wood is built over it with the cooking rocks placed on top of them. The type used varies, but generally hard woods are selected as they are slower burning and can withstand higher heats, meaning the rocks reach higher temperatures and can stay hot enough to cook for longer. The fire is often started with smaller sticks and foliage, as well anything flammable that is to hand. The rocks themselves are chosen for type and size, and are reused multiple times until they have broken apart and are no longer large enough to retain heat sufficiently.
The rocks absorb the heat from the fire and can retain a high temperature for many hours.
The fire is left to burn until the wood is consumed and the rocks are heated through. The rocks and remaining embers are then spread across the floor of the pit. Food is placed into the pit either in covered ollas (pots) or wrapped in, then placed on top of, banana leaves. The leaves serve to protect the food and add moisture to create steam for the cooking process. The pit is then covered with a lid, traditionally made of greenery, however it is common for any appropriately sized piece of metal to be used. This lid is then covered with the dirt dug out of the pit, with special attention paid to ensure that no steam or smoke escapes, as this would allow heat to also escape.
Jesús filled this pib with handmade tamales, potatoes and a leg of jabalí, wild boar, which is popular in the region.
The food is covered with leaves to protect it and to add moisture for the cooking process.
Cooking times vary depending on the types of food being placed in the pib. Leaf-wrapped tamales, small cuts of meat like chicken and many of the vegetables commonly used can be left for around an hour. Larger cuts and tougher meats are cooked for longer. The region's most famous dish, Cochinita Pibil, is usually cooked overnight to ensure the meat is very tender. A wide variety of foods can be cooked in this way, with popular choices including almost any meat, caldo (a soup usually made of chicken), adobo, relleno and even elote en pib (pib-roasted corn). While many think of meat first when it comes to pib cooking, there are plenty of vegetarian dishes prepared this way. There is also variation across the region with local specialties such as roasted armadillo in the Valladolid area or Brazo de Reina (a type of tamal) popular in Maya communities. Things that are not commonly cooked in the fashion include frijoles (beans) and eggs.
Pib cooked tamal with delicious salsa.
While the best known pib dishes are often weekend or special festival treats, pib cooking remains an everyday activity for families all across the Peninsula, especially in smaller towns and communities. Children are taught from a young age how to construct the pit and prepare the food. It is common for the work to be shared across the family and, while it still often falls upon the women to prepare tamales and vegetables, it is increasingly common for women to take a more active role in the construction of the pib itself.
As more and more people move into urban areas, pib cooking has had to evolve and be adapted to new situations. While some people try to replicate their traditional dishes in gas ovens, many feel that the flavor of the land is missing from the results. Another way people try to continue the pib tradition in urban spaces is by constructing underground ovens, often using scrap metal from old cars or other items, although this method also has its detractors. Traditionalists claim that you need to venture out of the cities into smaller communities to find true pib cooking. Despite these changes however, the pib method is not under threat as it remains an important part of the region’s culture.
If you are interested in visiting the Yucatán Peninsula and experiencing the unique culture, food and way of life, why not try one of our Spanish or Maya immersion experiences. You will live with a local family, sharing meals and free time, while taking language classes at Na’atik’s intercultural school in the heart of Quintana Roo. To find out more, visit our Spanish and Maya pages or contact us at say@naatikmexico.org.