Mucbipollo

Yucatán's answer to the question of what to cook. During Hanal Pixán, the Maya observance of the dead, families make pib: a huge tamal of masa and lard colored with achiote, filled with chicken and sometimes pork, wrapped in banana leaves and buried to bake in a pit of hot stones in the yard. It is made only for these days, and it is said to represent the body of the dead. One custom is worth knowing before you serve it: relatives of someone who died this year or last are traditionally not supposed to eat it. It is a project for a backyard and a crowd, but an oven version still shows how far the tamal travels.