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Michoacán's P'urhépecha chápata layers masa nixtamalizada with frijol endulzado en piloncillo, wrapped in fresh corn-plant leaf and steamed slow for a sweet tamal meant for hot atole.
Michoacán, especially the Meseta P'urhépecha and the lake country around Pátzcuaro, is where chápata belongs. Not every tamal from Michoacán is a corunda, and not every corn leaf packet is the same animal. This is a sweet P'urhépecha tamal, masa nixtamalizada layered with frijol endulzado en piloncillo, wrapped in hoja de maíz fresca de la planta and steamed until the leaf gives its green smell to the masa.
I learned to separate this family of tamales from the cocineras tradicionales of Uruapan, Pátzcuaro, and the Meseta. Corunda is triangular, plain or with cheese. Charicorunda is smaller, with chile in the masa. Jahuácata is layered masa and bean for Candelaria. Chápata is sweet piloncillo-bean. Tsïkanarhikata is the Meseta variant the outside world forgot. Nacatamal is the Day of the Dead offering of Angahuan. Toquera belongs to maíz nuevo. Each has its own masa, its own wrapper, its own occasion. Así se hace y punto.
The leaf matters. The fat matters. Fresh hoja de maíz from the plant is not the dried corn husk you buy in a plastic bag. Manteca de cerdo is not shortening. The women who kept this food alive did not treat those differences as decoration. They were the method. Cook over leña when you can, use a comal de barro when you cannot, and pay attention to the masa under your hand.
The P'urhépecha state centered around Tzintzuntzan and Lake Pátzcuaro remained independent of the Mexica empire before Spanish contact, so its corn-and-bean tamal vocabulary did not pass first through Nahua naming. In 2010, UNESCO inscribed Traditional Mexican Cuisine using the Michoacán paradigm, specifically recognizing the cocineras tradicionales and the milpa, nixtamal, comal, and communal transmission systems that kept dishes like corunda, uchepo, jahuácata, and chápata alive. Chápata belongs to that older tamal family: a sweet piloncillo-and-bean preparation tied to P'urhépecha home kitchens, not a restaurant dessert.
Quantity
1 cup
rinsed
Quantity
6 cups, plus more as needed
Quantity
1 cone, about 7 ounces
chopped
Quantity
1
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste
Quantity
2 pounds
Quantity
3/4 cup
softened, never shortening
Quantity
3/4 to 1 cup
as needed
Quantity
24 large leaves, plus extra for lining the steamer
rinsed
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| dried frijol Flor de Mayo or frijol bayorinsed | 1 cup |
| water | 6 cups, plus more as needed |
| piloncillo conechopped | 1 cone, about 7 ounces |
| Mexican cinnamon stick | 1 |
| sal de grano | 1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| fresh masa nixtamalizada de maíz blanco for tamales | 2 pounds |
| manteca de cerdosoftened, never shortening | 3/4 cup |
| warm bean cooking liquid or warm wateras needed | 3/4 to 1 cup |
| hojas de maíz frescas de la plantarinsed | 24 large leaves, plus extra for lining the steamer |
| hot atole blanco or atole de pinole (optional) | for serving |
Put the frijol Flor de Mayo or frijol bayo in a clay cazuela or heavy pot with 6 cups water. Bring to a steady simmer, then cook gently until the beans are fully tender, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes depending on age. Do not sweeten hard beans. Piloncillo will tighten them before they finish cooking.
Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid. Return the beans to the pot with the piloncillo, cinnamon stick, and sal de grano. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the piloncillo melts and the beans turn glossy and thick, about 25 minutes. Mash them roughly with a wooden spoon. You want frijol endulzado en piloncillo that holds its shape, not a soup and not refried beans. Remove the cinnamon and let the filling cool.
Rinse the hojas de maíz frescas de la planta and wipe away field dust. These are fresh leaves from the corn plant, not dried corn husks. If they are stiff, pass them quickly over a warm comal de barro or dip them in hot water for 30 seconds, just until flexible. Tear a few narrow strips for tying. The leaf should bend without cracking and smell green.
In a large bowl, beat the manteca de cerdo until pale and light. Add the masa nixtamalizada and salt, then work in 3/4 cup warm bean cooking liquid with your hand. Add more liquid by the tablespoon until the masa spreads easily but does not run. La manteca es el sabor. Use shortening and the chápata will taste like nothing dressed as tradition.
Lay one fresh corn-plant leaf on the table, glossy side down. Spread about 3 tablespoons masa into a thin rectangle in the center. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the piloncillo-bean filling over the masa, leaving a border. Cover with another thin layer of masa. Fold the long sides of the leaf over the filling, then fold the ends under to make a flat packet. Tie once or twice with leaf strips. Do not fold it like a corunda. Corunda is triangular. Chápata is layered. Cada estado, su propia cocina.
Line the bottom of a tamalera with extra fresh corn-plant leaves, keeping the water below the rack. Stack the chápatas flat, not crushed, leaving room for the masa to expand. Cover the top with more leaves and then a clean kitchen towel before closing the lid. If you have leña, use it. If you do not, keep the gas flame steady and low.
Steam for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. Keep the water at a steady simmer and check the pot once, adding boiling water along the side if needed. The chápatas are done when the leaf pulls away cleanly and the packet feels set in your hand. Let them rest, covered and off the heat, for 20 minutes. Resting finishes the masa. No me vengas con atajos.
Open the leaves at the table and cut one chápata across so the masa and dark piloncillo-bean layers show. Serve warm with atole blanco or atole de pinole in clay jarritos. This is food for a kitchen table, a Candelaria basket, or a holiday morning, not a white plate with tweezers. Saber cocinar es saber vivir.
1 serving (about 110g)
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