Tacos de mixiote
Mixiote is a central Mexican dish of meat marinated in a dried-chile adobo and steamed in a parcel made from the thin outer skin of the maguey leaf, also called mixiote. The tender, saucy meat is eaten from the opened parcel or in corn tortillas as tacos.
Etymology and the membrane
The word comes from Nahuatl: El Financiero breaks it into metl, maguey, and xiotl, the film or membrane of the leaf. Larousse Cocina describes the mixiote as the thin outer skin peeled carefully from a maguey penca to give a wide, translucent sheet, which is dried, rolled and sold in markets and must be soaked before use. Peeling this skin damages the leaf and the plant's ability to produce aguamiel for pulque, so its sale is restricted in some places; plastic cooking bags or aluminum foil are now common substitutes, though cooks say the flavor is not the same.
History
Citing Mexico's agriculture ministry, El Financiero places the dish's origin in the southern part of the Mexican high plateau, particularly the pulque-producing maguey lands of Tlaxcala, and notes that the Maya, Mexica and Otomí used the membrane for steam cooking. Lamb and beef were the original meats of the modern dish once those animals were introduced, but cooks have steamed a wide variety of animals in mixiote, from chicken and rabbit to game such as squirrel and armadillo.
Preparation and regional variations
Pieces of meat are marinated in a sauce of guajillo and pasilla chiles, often moistened with pulque and seasoned with cumin, oregano, thyme, marjoram, clove, bay, garlic and avocado leaf. Portions are placed on squares of mixiote, gathered into bundles, tied with string and steamed for hours until the meat is falling off the bone. Because the result is very juicy, plated mixiotes are served in deep dishes.
In Hidalgo, lamb, goat and rabbit are the most common fillings. In the State of Mexico, towns such as Texcoco and Chalco are known for pork mixiotes, including green versions made with tomatillo, chile, nopales and epazote. Tlaxcala favors chicken and rabbit marinated for a day in a cooked sauce of guajillo and ancho chiles, served with lettuce, radish, rice and green salsa. Mixiotes are a popular market breakfast and lunch in central Mexico, especially on Sundays, and the meat is commonly eaten in corn tortillas as tacos.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg lamb or mutton shoulder on the bone, cut into 8 portions
- 6 guajillo chiles and 3 pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup pulque or light beer (or water with 1 tbsp vinegar)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano and 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 3 whole cloves
- 2 dried avocado leaves, toasted (optional)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 bay leaves
- 8 sheets of mixiote, soaked, or 8 squares of parchment paper and foil
- Corn tortillas, salsa verde and chopped onion to serve
Steps
- Toast and soak the chiles for 15 minutes. Blend with the garlic, pulque, cumin, oregano, thyme, cloves, avocado leaves and salt into a smooth adobo.
- Coat the meat with the adobo and marinate at least 4 hours.
- Place a portion of meat with sauce and a bay leaf in the center of each sheet. Gather the edges into a pouch and tie with kitchen string. If using parchment, wrap each pouch again in foil.
- Set the parcels upright on a rack in a steamer or tamalera over simmering water. Cover tightly and steam 2 1/2 to 3 hours, adding hot water as needed.
- Open the parcels at the table. Pull the meat from the bone and serve in warm tortillas with salsa verde and onion.
Where to try it
- Ricos Tacos de Mixiote, Puebla
Reviews
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See also
References
- "Mixiote". Larousse Cocina. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "¿Qué tipos de carnes se pueden usar para hacer mixiotes?". El Financiero. Retrieved 2026-10-10.