Durango's food and the origins of local cooking

The first settlers in the Durango area were semi-nomadic indigenous people: Acaxas, Xixenes, Tepehuanos, and Zacatecos, who subsisted by hunting and gathering nopales, organs, mesquite, and some herbs. Later they began to grow corn, beans, and chile.

Today they grow tobacco, sweet potato, corn, chili, beans, and squash, as well as many fruit trees, such as pomegranate, quince, peach, apricot, pear, and apple. Pigs, cattle, and sheep are also raised, which is why a lot of cheese is made.

There is a great family tradition in the preparation of sweet preserves, such as apple and quince "orejones", quince and pear "cajetas" and jellies, "coradillos", fig preserves, and sun-dried peaches.

Traditional flavors in Durango

Some typical Durango dishes are caldillo, asado de bodas, chicharrones de vieja (goat carnitas), peanut and milk enchiladas, pipián rojo (chile, pumpkin seeds and corn), barbacoa de olla, white beans (patoles) stewed with chorizo and tornachiles, panochas - flour tortillas - salt and sweet, gorditas de nata, corn gorditas stuffed with stews, chile colorado and sweet tamales, atoles, champurrado, torrejas with maguey honey, sweet potato and pumpkin in piloncillo honey, walnut palanquetas, chilacayote empanadas, pulque bread, semitas de anís, sweet potato rolls, sweet potato with coconut, gorditas de cuajada (baked fruit), buñuelos, arroz con leche, date and walnut rolls, tacos de alacrán (a recently created dish) and mezcal as a spirit drink. As you can see, there is nothing lacking to delight the palate of visitors. Colors, dishes, and flavors; if you visit Durango, you have to try them!

Durango red roast

Undoubtedly the most prepared dish in the kitchens of Durango. The main element of the so-called relic is a delicious tradition where the Catholic faithful offer to the community and visitors a dish composed of asado, patoles, and ''sopas'' as an offering to a saint as payment of a manda (promise). This delicious stew is an obligatory filling for the traditional gorditas. It is worth mentioning that it differs from the asado de bodas in that it is prepared mainly salty and only adds a touch of sweetness provided by the orange. It is made with puya and guajillo chiles and unique homemade seasoning.

Durango Stew

Emblematic dish of Durango's cuisine that is part of the tradition of mountain broths. Dried meat, chili, onion, and garlic are the ingredients of the traditional and endemic stew, although the recipe has been modified by replacing the original ingredients with others that are more easily available. Its creation, like that of many other traditional stews, was the result of the search for dishes that would reduce the harsh climates of the vast mountains of Durango. This exquisite dish can be tasted in fondas and restaurants throughout the state.

Chile pasado

Originally from the north of the state of Durango, this handmade product is used in the preparation of a great variety of stews; proof of this is its presence as an essential ingredient in the original Durango stew. Due to its elaborate preparation method, it has a unique flavor, smoky, sweet, and easy to combine. The chile pasado is endemic to the area and will be difficult to find in other parts of Mexico; therefore, if you are visiting the city of Durango do not forget to go to the food markets and buy this delicious ancestral product.

Durango plate

This delicious dish owes its name to the fact that it was prepared on a disk to plow the land at rest time. It is very popular in the northeastern Mexican states, although the recipe varies from region to region. In Durango, the main difference is that it is made with ground beef; it is also a traditional filling for the delicious gorditas.  Continuing with the northern tradition, the discada duranguense is mainly consumed on weekends to celebrate a family or sporting event or simply to get together with friends, of course, accompanied by some beer.

Gorditas

It is true that gorditas can be found throughout the country; but in no national gastronomy do gorditas have as much relevance as they do in Durango.  Originally, the gordita was elaborated with the purpose of protecting the stew that the peasant women gave to their husbands to be eaten at the time of rest from work (milpa). Being a practical and delicious snack, it did not take long to spread throughout the country. You can find them in any corner of the state, but the ones elaborated in the municipality of Nombre de Dios stand out, a mandatory place to visit and taste these preparations.  Red roast, discada, huevos perdidos, pressed chicharrón, and green egg, are some of the delicious traditional fillings of the gorditas.

Mezcal

Seven states of the republic have the denomination of origin in the production of this pre-Columbian drink, but none like Durango. There are several characteristics that make Durango's mezcal unique, from the fact that it is mostly handmade, that the agave is endemic to the region (agave Durangensis), and the peculiar flavor generated by the method of cooking the agave's pineapples. With an intense flavor, but complete in aromas and flavors of smoke, wood, and quiote, it is a delight on its own or accompanied by a little orange.  There are several tours to the main artisanal wineries in the town of Nombre de Dios, which is located just 40 minutes from the capital.

Chepo ice cream shop

More than 120 years of tradition support the unique flavor of Chepo ice creams.  These are carafe ice creams with unique flavors and a creamier texture than traditional ice creams. They originated in Ciudad Lerdo in the lagoon of Durango, but today they can be tasted in the squares and parks of the main cities of the state.  It is traditional to go with the family to taste the delicious ice creams with natural and original flavors. If you visit Lerdo, don't forget to visit the original branch located in Victoria Park in this city.

Ranchero Bread

As its name indicates, this bread has its origins in the towns and ranches located mainly along with the mountain range of the Sierra Madre. It is part of the landscape of the old houses and haciendas the presence of an adobe oven where different delicacies such as semitas, empanadas, gordita de horno, and maizcrudos were prepared. The empanadas filled with chilacayote, sweet potato, and fruit cajeta (fruit jam) stand out.  Fortunately, the custom of making these products in the traditional way has not been lost; they can be found in traditional markets, towns, and highways throughout the state.

Aged cheese

Durango has a great tradition as a producer of dairy products and their derivatives. There is a great variety of cheeses, most of them made with techniques inherited from the Spaniards; although the Excélsior cheese produced in the Mennonite communities of Durango, the second largest in the country, also stands out.  In the ranches, it is customary to take the cattle up to the mountains to graze during the rainy season and in small huts close to the grazing areas, products such as curd, cottage cheese, cream, and of course ranchero cheese are produced.  Today, fresh, aged, and flavored ranchero cheese can be found in most traditional markets, in stores specializing in products from Durango, and even in supermarkets throughout the state of Durango.