Pedro Felipe Hernández Hernández, manager of La Cocina San Juan
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By Alfredo Espinola
In Mexico, the gastronomy is incredible and vast, with a complex variety of origins and flavors, ranging from gourmet haute cuisine to typical dishes.
To talk about gastronomy in Mexico City, we have to go back in time and bring to the present what was eaten in these lands a few hundred years ago. That is to say, to put in context what we know today as pre-Hispanic food.
Mexican pre-Hispanic food is understood to be that which existed in Mesoamerica before the arrival of the Spanish in the year 1521. At that time, the indigenous people ate mainly corn, chili, beans and squash.
Given the territorial conditions and the flora and fauna existing in the region during that time, the settlers had to take advantage of all the resources, both animal and vegetable, that were within their reach. An example of this are insects, since they were one of the main sources of protein. This includes worms, grasshoppers and jumiles, which were prepared in different ways. Also, the consumption of pheasants, ducks, quail, turtles and even snakes was common, as well as some varieties of fish.
A little trip back in time does not happen with a huge machine that accelerates particles: One just has to visit La Cocina de San Juan, located in the historic center of Mexico City. The place is simple and features comfortable tables, where customers can taste a variety of exotic dishes served in a warm and cordial manner.
The First Courses
Prior to starting the restaurant in 2013, Don Pedro Hernández sold deer, buffalo, wild boar and crocodile meat together with his son, Pedro Felipe Hernández Hernández. But they noticed that visitors sometimes bought the meat and then wondered who would cook it. So they decided to launch a restaurant with Benjamín Ibáñez, a chef of Oaxacan origin. Experimenting with the different types of meat, they created a diversity of dishes that include worms, crayfish, jumiles, grasshoppers, scorpions, Madagascar cockroaches, chicatana ant, escamoles, to mention a few.
"In this kitchen we can find an infinity of pre-Hispanic dishes, which are offered seasonally to the delight of diners," says Pedro Felipe Hernández, manager of La Cocina San Juan.
Quality in the Service
All the raw materials and ingredients used by La Cocina San Juan come from certified farms, which are crowded together in the Mercado San Juan, where, as in colonial times, residents can find meat from Guadalajara, Mérida, Querétaro, Durango, Morelos, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, Guerrero, Chiapas and others.
"Sometimes, some ingredients are difficult to find, mainly because of the season, so they are replaced with some other protein, thus giving our dishes a greater variety," says Pedro Felipe Hernández.
La Cocina San Juan, in a decade of existence, has revived the culinary experience of pre-Hispanic food, its textures and strong flavors on the palate, which can be accompanied with wine or a delicious mezcal.
"We are what we consume and this type of food is rich in protein, fiber and amino acids, in such a way that, by combining what we eat with the activity we carry out, we will achieve a better quality of life", in the words of Pedro Felipe Hernández Hernández.
La Cocina de San Juan is a family restaurant whose main objective is to create an environment where pre-Hispanic food is a unique and exclusive culinary experience. A journey through time, which recalls the flavors of this and other lands.
La Cocina de San Juan
2nd street of Ernesto Pugibet 21 Local 342
Col. Downtown Mexico City
Alfredo Espinola is a representative for el Restaurante magazine in Mexico City. Reach him at alfredo@elrestaurante.com