Pati Jinich reflects on Hispanic Heritage Month and Mexican cuisine, interview

During Hispanic Heritage Month, people choose to explore how food influences culture. While many people appreciate that recipes passed from generation to generation are an archive, it is more than just a walk-through history. Each flavor adds nuance to the story. Pati Jinich chooses to share those stories for anyone who wants to join her table.

Through both her television show, Pati’s Mexican Table, and her cookbooks, Pati Jinich is part historian and part culinary educator. While many people have mastered her delicious recipes for their family meals, it is more than just another delectable dinner.

Woven into every dish is culture. There are stories of the farmer whose family has tended the fields for years. Sometimes it is a reference to pivotal time in history. All those items come together to flavor the food, cocktails, and memories made during the moment.

As a Gran Centenario partner, Pati has graciously answered some questions about Hispanic Heritage Month, Mexican cuisine, and creative cocktail and food pairings. Below is a transcript of that email discussion.

Cristine Struble/FoodSided: Some people may not realize that each Mexican state has a unique approach to cuisine. How do you hope to educate people that each state has specialties, history, and culture that influence the food on the plate?  

Pati Jinich: The goal of my show Pati’s Mexican Table is not only to entertain but to educate my audience on the variations of Mexican cuisine from state to state, including the role history and culture plays in it. The more seasons I do of Pati’s Mexican Table, the more I feel like I'm not going to have enough time to do justice to all the stories, foods and regions from Mexico. Additionally, the different regions of Mexico share such a deep love and appreciation of tequila—there’s a tequila to go with every type of dish and every type of celebration, big or small. So, it’s exciting to be partnering with Gran Centenario again to highlight the rich and vibrant culinary culture in Mexico. 

 I'm excited to share Chihuahua with my audience this season, as it is a new state for Pati's Mexican Table. I had not been to Chihuahua in any of the past seasons, and I'm dedicating an entire season to Chihuahua. It was such an incredible journey. We met so many people, cowboys, cattle ranchers, farmers, producers, artists, Mennonite families that taught us how they make the iconic Mennonite cheese and desserts, and we visited so many Rarámuri families that shared meals and stories with us. And I am excited to share all these episodes and recipes especially alongside Gran Centenario Tequila and in time for Hispanic Heritage Month. Every time I go to a different region of Mexico, its new flavors inspire new cocktails to pair along with the food, too! 

CS: Chihuahua has a rich food culture that often focuses on beef and cheese. What are some innovative or creative ideas that showcase the nuance of this state’s cuisine style?  

PJ: Chihuahua is a state that is underappreciated inside and outside of Mexico, and it's a state that has so much to give in terms of food, traditions, people, stories and characters. Just for some examples, its northern culture and unique art (such as Mata Ortiz pottery, Raramuri clothes, norteño music). Something some people may not know is that Chihuahua is the cradle of chipotle chiles, and chipotle chiles are one of my most favorite ingredients in Mexican cuisine. Chihuahua is the state that grows most of the jalapenos that are turned to chipotles by being dried, smoked and marinated in adobo sauce, then sent to the rest of the country and the rest of the world and they are just an incredible ingredient. My favorite tequila to pair with anything that has chipotle is the Gran Centenario Reposado to highlight the spicier notes. 

Also, Chihuahua is one of the leading growers and exporters of pecans. Many incredible things they make with pecans, like Mexican Wedding Cookies, pair so well with Gran Centenario Añejo for those sweeter notes.  

Other surprises are the richness, depth and unique takes of the Rarámuri, indigenous cuisine in Chihuahua, so many delicious salsas that use oregano and cumin and so many ways of cooking beans and making pozoles. Incredible tasting gorditas, a wide array of dishes that use chipotle. I encourage viewers to tune in to see my experiences from cattle ranching, cowboy land, Mennonite communities, Rarámuri families from the Sierra to the Copper canyon to the Capital city of Chihuahua, so many incredible places. I loved every part of my experience with Chihuahua!  

CS: Are there ways to incorporate Chihuahua staples of beef, cheese, walnuts, apples, etc into a singular dish?  

PJ: There are many dish options that combine those Chihuahua essentials! Beef is stellar in burritos, like the Burritos de Deshebrada. Cheese is incredible in so many things including Chacales, a Cracked Corn Soup. Pecans and Apples get a sweet treatment in a Date, Pecan and Apple Cake that I will share in one of the later episodes too! But of course, we eat so many of the iconic foods of Chihuahua aside from the Burritos, Chacales and Cakes, such as the Chile Verde con Queso, Asado de Puerco and Discada.  

CS: As people celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, are there ways that people can set the table with both food and stories that give them a deeper appreciation for Hispanic culture?  

PJ: Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity that is very generous and extensive, because it's not only one day like Cinco de Mayo, but you get a full month to celebrate Latinidad in being Mexican, in the US.  

Of course, we get to share it with all our other sister Latin countries and cultures, but it is a great opportunity to get to know one another, celebrate one another, and really shine a light as to all that Latinos have to offer and how we enrich the American Table in so many ways.  

I encourage people to reconnect with their roots by celebrating dishes, recipes, and ingredients that have been important to your family, your family history, to the place that you're from, and even wherever you call home.  

Mexico has such a rich tapestry of vibrant food culture, with different regions offering unique dishes. Explore the different regions, get to know these ingredients, and share them with people around you by inviting others to share these meals with you– whether that means inviting them to your home and introducing these dishes on your table, or encouraging them to try new cuisines in under-the-radar restaurants and eateries. 

CS: You have continued your partnership with Gran Centenario. What do you think is a misconception about tequila that needs to be debunked?  

PJ: That Tequila is just a party spirit! Tequila is one of the most important pillars of Mexican culture and cuisine. I don’t think there’s a celebration in Mexico that doesn’t scream for tequila, just like mariachis are known as a symbol of Mexican identity, just like guacamole, avocado, chilaquiles, pozole, and tacos define what it is to be Mexican. Tequila is Mexico’s preferred spirit, and it has a long history and tradition in the country. 

Gran Centenario Tequila is Mexico's number 1 tequila, and rightfully so. It has over 150 years of a proprietary way of making tequila, which is the most sublime, as it mixes aged, blended tequilas with new, younger tequilas. They offer Plata, Reposado, Añejo, Cristalino, Leyenda and their newest tequila is Gallardo, which launched earlier this year. They are all incredibly delicious to sip on, but personally, I love to sip on the Cristalino, which has apple notes, a hint of sweetness, and a little bit of tartness. The Leyenda is very caramelly, nutty, deep, and absolutely delicious. 

The history of tequila in Mexico goes hand in hand with who we are and how we celebrate, not only in Mexico but anywhere around the world where you see a Mexican celebrating, we want to celebrate with tequila. Increasingly, people are realizing that tequila is a spirit that is absolutely delicious to sip on its own, to drink on the rocks, and fabulous for making cocktails. 

Gran Centenario Tequila is proud of its roots and origin. It comes from the highlands of Jalisco in the region of Tequila. They are proud of their origins, techniques, and attention to detail in creating an incredible product. Their pride in their Mexicanness is something I share. I am incredibly proud of being Mexican, and just like Gran Centenario, I want to shine a light on the beauty of our cuisine and culture. 

CS: When pairing tequila with food, are there any specific rules or can cooks choose to complement or contrast flavors?  

PJ: I typically do Gran Centenario Plata for lighter dishes like ceviche, light soups and things that have fruit. I go for Reposado for tacos, burritos, guisados, and opt for an Añejo to pair with more intense flavors like lamb. I love Gran Centenario Leyenda for sweets and desserts and Gran Centenario Cristalino is great as an appetite opener. There really are no hard rules when it comes to pairing, people should just try and see what combinations they like best. Whether neat, on the rocks or cocktails, the possibilities are infinite.  

CS: Do you have a special recipe and/or food and beverage pairing that you would like to share for Hispanic Heritage Month? 

PJ: There is so much delicious food! For the Gran Centenario Plata, I love pairing it with chacales, which is cracked corn that’s dried, rich, and toothy. It is cooked in a rich roasted tomato broth, and you eat it with melted cheese on top. I think the Gran Centenario Plata goes really well with that. Another great pairing is aguachile. I tried a dried beef aguachile in the city of Chihuahua, which was absolutely delicious. Aguachile is perfect for the Gran Centenario Plata. 

I think the Reposado goes really well with Discada chihuahuense, which is the mixed meat grill I described earlier. In Chihuahua, they cook it in a disco, which is a field plow that, after its useful life, is repurposed for cooking. They flip it around and cook bacon, chorizo, chile verde, onions, tomatoes, sometimes potatoes, beef tenderloin, and pork tenderloin, all in bite-sized pieces. I like to add chipotles in adobo sauce. Chihuahua is the largest producer of chipotle chiles, so you will find a lot of food with chipotle in Chihuahua. 

Discada de asado de puerco, which is like a pork stew cooked in a colorado chile or red chile sauce, goes well with Reposado. I like Añejo for sopapillas, cheesecake, desserts, or barbacoa. The Chihuahua-style barbacoa is incredibly delicious, very simple to make, and very different from the rest of Mexico, as they use beef instead of lamb or goat. I think the Gran Centenario Añejo pairs perfectly with that. 

I increasingly love to drink my tequila neat or on the rocks. When I’m not doing that, I like to splash it with fresh grapefruit juice or fresh orange juice and some sparkling water. That makes me so happy.

This Hispanic Heritage Month, take a few moments to taste of the complexity of flavors of Mexican cuisine while sipping Gran Centenario tequila. It is time to add your own chapter to food history.