Michoacán
Carnitas: orange-milk pork.
Carnitas Michoacanas
Pork shoulder slow-confited in lard inside a copper cazo with orange, bay, salt, and a splash of...
View page →Michoacán is central-western Mexico with Lake Pátzcuaro at its heart — the Purépecha (Tarascan) indigenous people developed a sophisticated cuisine here long before the Spanish arrived. Carnitas Michoacanas are the regional pride — pork shoulder slow-cooked in lard with orange, milk, and bay leaves until the outside crisps and the inside falls apart. Uchepos are fresh-corn tamales (vs the more common dried-corn version) — sweeter, lighter, made when the corn is in season. Corundas are triangular tamales steamed in folded green corn-plant (cane) leaves — not the dried corn husks used for ordinary tamales. Sopa Tarasca is the bean-tomato-pasilla chile soup with tortilla strips and crema. The Purépecha lake produces pescado blanco (whitefish), eaten with pickled onion. The cuisine is the most-indigenous of Mexican regional kitchens, with Purépecha techniques alive in the daily cooking.
The Palate
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Pork shoulder cubes simmered in lard with orange peel, milk, bay leaves, and salt for 2-3 hours until the milk caramelizes and the outside crisps. Served on tortillas with onion, cilantro, salsa verde.
Why start here · Carnitas Michoacanas are the regional masterclass in slow-pork cooking. The orange and milk are the Michoacán secret — they brown the pork from the inside out.
Fresh sweet corn ground while still moist, mixed with cream and a little sugar, wrapped in corn husks, steamed. Served warm with cream and salsa verde.
Why start here · Uchepos are seasonal Michoacán — only made when sweet corn is in. The fresh-corn version is sweeter and lighter than the year-round dried-corn tamales.
The Pantry
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Proteins
Herbs & Spices
How They Cook
Techniques that define this cuisine
Other regions
Siblings within Mexican — each its own tradition.
