La Tradición *
Reviewed Monday, 1 October, 2007 – Regional specialties. Open every day, 11am – 6pm. Calle 60 No. 293 at Calle 25, Colonia Alcalá Martín. Information: 925.2526
AL RESCATE DE LO NUESTRO (“Rescuing What’s Ours”) is the slogan of La Tradición, and its menu proves the point with all the diehards of the Yucatecan table: Queso Relleno, Poc Chuc, Pavo en Escabeche, Salbutes, Panuchos, Sopa de Lima . . . and the list goes on. Part official restaurant, part cocina económica, La Tradición might appeal to those seeking regional cuisine in a more comfortable and “safe” setting than a street stall. Wooden furniture, a fully stocked bar, proper clean bathrooms and too much air conditioning all sound pretty good on certain days. Nonetheless, for the money I would rather suffer the discomforts of heat and flies at, oh, let’s say El Buen Gusto, where the food is exponentially more fresh and delicious. Nothing at La Tradición was bad, but then nothing made me moan with pleasure, either. (Never eat with me at El Buen Gusto.) Further, I had one main dish and one refresco and the tab came to $91 pesos – enough to feed a family of three at a cocina económica. Still, I was delighted to try a dish I have never before seen on a menu in Mérida: Pavo en Sackool. Sackool is a sauce I would describe as muy Maya. First, the name: kool (or k’óol) is a broth thickened with masa, much as the French would use a roux. The technique not only thickens but also adds a subtle taste of corn. Sac or sak means "white", so in this case the k’óol is a thick white sauce with a poultry stock base as compared to the red and black k’óol also found throughout Yucatán. A large bowl full of the creamy white gravy was dotted with hefty chunks of wood-grilled achiote turkey, and a light Salsa de Jitomate Yucateca spiraled the bowl in delightful color. But trust me, my description is far more poetic than the meal itself. Occasionally, I found a piece of crispy charred turkey that awakened me with flavor, but mostly it was dry and flavorless. And the k’óol was off several beats because the cook didn’t start with a rich enough stock, leaving the sauce more akin to mucelage than to gravy. But don’t let that stop you! La Tradición is a convenient, clean and comfortable setting for sampling the many flavors of Yucatán.
Yucatán:
A Culinary Expedition
A Culinary Expedition
PART ONE: North
Mérida
PART TWO: East
PART THREE: South
PART FOUR: West