Xoxocotla spreads its unique flavors in a gastronomic contest

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, April 25, 2025, p. 4

The sour plum, a fruit abundant in Xoxocotla, is the main ingredient for the typical dishes that were part of the first gastronomic competition in this indigenous municipality in the state of Morelos, which aims to spread unique and deep-rooted flavors.

Xoxocotla bears the flavor of these leafy trees, which can easily be seen among its streets, imprinted in its name. In Nahuatl, it means "place of sour plums ." During March, April, and May, the plums are tender and green; they never ripen.

Fish tamale, mojarra in plum sauce, and plum atole were some of the dishes prepared by 18 traditional cooks who responded to the call to share their recipes on April 16.

The purpose is to promote and rescue culinary traditions, preserve traditional dishes, encourage consumption within and outside the community, and honor pre-Hispanic cooks and the culture of indigenous peoples.

In the parking lot of a convenience store in town, casseroles, charcoal stoves, griddles, and braziers were set up. The preparation of the recipes on artisanal slabs, the quality of the ingredients, and the contestant's presentation were some of the criteria for judging, according to the city council's call for entries to participate in the first Plum Gastronomic Competition in Xoxocotla, very close to Tequesquitengo, recognized in 2017 as one of the four indigenous municipalities in the state of Morelos.

One of the participants was Rosenda Tafolla, who briefly described how to prepare the sour plum fish, which she entered and won third place with a prize of 3,000 pesos. The preparation took almost an hour, and she used crushed plums, epazote, and serrano chile to make a broth, which she proudly displayed in a large clay pot.

Although she doesn't own a food business, but is a 60-year-old housewife, she wanted to share this recipe from her hometown that she learned from her mother and has since taught to her daughters.

Second place in the contest went to Julia González, with 5,000 pesos, and first place to Ángela Romero, with 10,000 pesos.

Daniel Altafi Valladares, the state's Secretary of Tourism and one of the contest's judges, emphasized, according to a statement, that gastronomy is root, identity, and culture. In Xoxocotla, land of plums, we experience an authentic expression of the legacy of our indigenous peoples .

It was also announced that traditional cuisine will be the driving force of the tourism strategy, as Morelos will host the Meeting of Traditional Cooks and the World Forum of Mexican Gastronomy. Promoting gastronomy also means preserving our identity .

Another of those invited to be a judge was Adelaida Marcelino Mateos, head of the Institute of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Peoples and Communities of Morelos, who announced that there is a proposal to make a book of traditional recipes, which would include those of the winners of the contest in Xoxocotla, where they are already preparing the next flavor contest, this time with green mole as the protagonist.