“Contrasts for the palate” is how we can describe Merida´s gastronomic atmosphere, a veritable mosaic of contrasting tastes: light or heavy, sweet or sour, simple or elaborate; to be enjoyed at a street stall or at a gala dinner table.
A place where tradition meets imagination and innovation to offer an incredible range of options where you can find everything from typical markets or restaurants offering the most delicious Yucatecan dishes using traditional recipes and others very trendy places where this tradition is thus again giving rise to unusual flavors and shapes trendy restaurants.
Merida is a quiet paradise. The peacefulness of the town and the beauty of its streets, make it a place of elegance and contrast amid its colonial houses, Mayan archeological sites, and architecture. Its food, layered with exquisite gastronomic heritage, will take over your taste buds.
For a weekend at the beginning of November, the food on the altars for Hanal Pixan (which in Mayan means Food for the Souls) comes from all over the Yucatecan Cuisine map, but the central focus of culinary delight this weekend, the main one is the mucbil pollo, commonly called simply the pib (or pibe). All over town, women and their daughters and mothers and grandmothers have been baking or preparing to bake pibs this weekend. Chickens that have been raised all summer have been slaughtered, masa has been prepared, and plans were made for cooking sessions.
At the beginning of the year the “white city” Mérida celebrates its anniversary with a festivity that goes beyond a citizen celebration. Different expressions of art and culture deprive of the regular simplicity found in any other celebration. We live a week of joy and harmony in which we breathe the peace with which the Yucatecans live. Concerts, exhibitions, talks, dialogues, gastronomy and handicrafts are mixed, forming a single moment of reflection on our roots and the importance of keeping our traditions alive. On the balcony of City Hall it is offered a gala benefit dinner, where the City invites great guests, companies and chefs to celebrate food and culture.
Twice a year and during one night this celebration takes place. Citizens make it a tribute to the city with art, culinary and cultural festivities. The city’s downtown becomes the main stage and its various parks serve as spaces for dining, storytelling, to thrill with music of all kinds, or to simply offer performances that attract people to an encounter with their origins, but above all with their culture.
After years of hard work and wonderful responses from our international members, Délice plans to strengthen the network by extending its global presence.
Délice is seeking cities with a new and innovative approach to food & gastronomy and strong food culture. New members of this exclusive network will have the opportunity to share experiences and best practices worldwide, compare their different approaches, get inspired from each other, create partnerships and stay up to date on the moving trends regarding food & gastronomy.
