Seven bean dishes from six states are finalists in Mexico's 2026 traditional-recipe call
The culture ministry's sixth “¿A qué sabe la patria?” drew 116 bean recipes from 20 states and Mexico City. The finalists go on sale at Los Pinos on December 4.
By Durango Reviews Team ·
Good to know
- The sixth “¿A qué sabe la patria?” call, devoted to beans, drew 116 recipes from 20 states and Mexico City; Puebla sent 24, Veracruz 22 and Hidalgo 14.
- The seven finalists come from Guerrero, Morelos, Oaxaca, Chihuahua, Hidalgo and Puebla, and ten more dishes received honorable mentions.
- Entrants reported 99 local bean varieties; 75 entries said they came from an Indigenous community and seven from an Afro-Mexican one.
- The finalists are recreated at Cencalli, in Mexico City's Los Pinos complex, from December 2 to 4; on the last day the dishes go on sale to the public.
- Durango was among the 20 states that sent recipes, but none of the finalists or honorable mentions comes from there.
Mexico's culture ministry (Secretaría de Cultura) has named seven finalists in the sixth edition of “¿A qué sabe la patria?” (What does the homeland taste of?), its call for traditional recipes, devoted this year to beans under the slogan “Orgullosamente frijoleros” (roughly, proud bean eaters). The call drew 116 recipes from 20 states and Mexico City, the ministry said on October 30. Puebla sent the most, 24, followed by Veracruz with 22 and Hidalgo with 14.
The ministry presented the results through its unit for living cultures, intangible heritage and interculturality (UCUVI), in collaboration with Alimentación para el Bienestar. Culture Secretary Claudia Curiel de Icaza said the chosen recipes put the spotlight on cooks who keep Mexico's food diversity alive, with notable participation from Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities. Of all the entries, 75 said they belonged to an Indigenous community and seven to an Afro-Mexican one. The peoples represented include the Chinantec, Ch'ol, Maya, Mixtec, Nahua, Otomí, Popoloca, Rarámuri, Totonac, Tseltal, Triqui, Yokot'an and Zoque.
The seven finalists
| Dish | Cooks | Community, municipality and state |
|---|---|---|
| Frijol con carne | La Hornilla de mi Abuela Ruperta | El Papayo, Guerrero |
| Tamales de frijol con salsa de ciruela (Tamale yeyeyo ka xokotechile) | Non tlakuale pa nin to tlatl / La comida de nuestra tierra | Cuentepec, Temixco, Morelos |
| Tortilla de yuca con frijoles (He sey raun ña nien maa) | Frijol Árbol | San Felipe de León, Oaxaca |
| Tecomare con ejotes | Ta'ri Raramuri | San Ignacio, Bocoyna, Chihuahua |
| Frijol quebrado con patas de chivo con ximfi y flores del Valle (Tsasjūū n'e rä ua rä t'äxi n'e rä xinfi n'e yä dōni b'atha) | Cocineras Tradicionales de Cerritos Ixmiquilpan de Remedios | Ixmiquilpan, Hidalgo |
| Frijol molido negro (Ndutyi Ndia) | Si'iva ñuu / La semilla del pueblo | Tlapa de Comonfort, Guerrero |
| Tamal de frijol con mole de pescado seco (Tlatlaollo ikan mixmolli) | Tiahue Ixtlahuacan | San Mateo Ozolco, Calpan, Puebla |
Ten more dishes received honorable mentions. They include frijol con plátano macho, beans with plantain, from Tres Valles, Veracruz; frijoles de humo enchilados from Tlatlauquitepec, Puebla; and two from Yucatán: joroches de frijol served with squash, from Yaxunah, in Yaxcabá, and ibes con puerco from Santa Elena.
Entrants reported 99 local bean varieties. The ministry singles out the acerados, named for their metallic gray look; the bayo, which absorbs the flavor of the herbs and chiles it is cooked with; the mild, golden amarillo; and the flor de mayo and flor de junio, pinkish and sweeter.
Ib, the Maya lima bean
The Santa Elena mention is built on ib, the name the Yucatán peninsula gives the lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus). Mexico's agriculture ministry (SADER) said in September that ib is part of the Maya milpa, the traditional cornfield, that its seeds come in many colors, sizes and shapes, and that it goes into traditional Yucatecan dishes such as toksel, polkan, frijol colado and ibes with pork. Specialists at INIFAP, the national forestry, agriculture and livestock research institute, say its seeds can contain about 26% protein, according to SADER.
Tasting the finalists
From Wednesday, December 2, to Friday, December 4, the seven finalist recipes will be recreated at Cencalli, the House of Maize and Food Culture (Casa del Maíz y la Cultura Alimentaria), in the Los Pinos cultural complex in Mexico City. The awards are presented on the last day, when the dishes go on sale so that the public can get to know and taste them, the ministry says. It has not published times or prices.
Durango, our home region, was among the states that sent recipes, but none of the finalists or honorable mentions comes from Durango.
How this story was reported: from the Secretaría de Cultura's release of October 30, 2026, and SADER's article on ib of September 24, 2026, both read on October 31, 2026.
Sources
- La Secretaría de Cultura del Gobierno de México presenta los resultados de la convocatoria “¿A qué sabe la patria? 2026” Secretaría de Cultura, October 30, 2026
- El ib, frijol de la gastronomía yucateca y tesoro de la milpa maya Secretaría de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural (SADER), September 24, 2026
- Catálogo Único de Claves de Áreas Geoestadísticas: municipios de Guerrero Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI)
Researched and drafted with AI assistance, then checked against the 3 sources above in a separate fact-check on October 31, 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us.