Mexico has some surprising food in its “native” repertoire. We all think of tacos and enchiladas as the food of Mexico but in Pachuca the “paste” reigns supreme. Read on to learn why “pasties” are considered the traditional dish of this city.

Pachuca is the largest city in the State of Hidalgo and has been declared a Pueblo Magico by the government for its historic importance. This is a silver mining town: the Real del Monte mine has been mined for silver since 1739 and has produced unimaginable wealth over centuries. It is believed that the indigenous people mined the area even before the arrival of the Spaniards. In the 19th century men from Cornwall, England came to work in the mines and brought with them two cultural attributes that have become part and parcel of the Mexican-ness of the region: soccer and pasties. The miners were the first to introduce soccer to Mexico and this led to its becoming the national sport. Then there were the pasties from Cornwall which consisted of pastry crusts filled with meat, potatoes, carrots and onions. The miners practically lived on these and taught the local folk how to make them. Today these “pastes”, as they are called in Spanish, have become a staple of the town and a tradition that Mexicans identify with this area. The pasties of today have taken on a Mexican overtone and vary slightly from the original being filled with chiles, meats, beans and a variety moles (sauces). Thus we have another example of
how the blending of cultures forms new traditions.

This year Pachuca even had an International Festival of Paste that was held in September and was a great success. The event was sponsored by the
Autonomous University of Hidalgo and the State Advisory Board for Culture and the Arts. If you plan to visit Pachuca you won’t want to miss the Cultural center housed in a former Fransican monastery and the National Museum of Photography which houses pictures of Mexico dating back to 1873. These photos show archaeological sites before their renovation and also include many photographs of the notorious Pancho Villa.