Xnipek facts for kids
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| Type | Mexican sauce |
|---|---|
| Place of origin |  Mexico |
| Associated national cuisine | Cuisine of Yucatán |
| Main ingredients | habanero pepper · orange juice · onion |
Xnipec (pronounced shnee-pek) is a super spicy sauce from the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico. Its name means 'dog snout' in the Mayan language! This sauce is made with fiery habanero peppers, purple onion, and a special kind of bitter orange juice. People often add salt, and sometimes other tasty things like oregano or coriander.
Contents
What is Xnipec?
Xnipec is a popular sauce from the Yucatán region of Mexico. It's known for its bright flavors and, most importantly, its heat! It's a key part of many traditional dishes in the area. You might also hear it called "Yucatecan sauce" or "pickled onions."
Why is it Called 'Dog Snout'?
The name Xnipec comes from the Mayan words x-ni-pec. Peek means 'dog' and ni means 'nose'. So, it literally means 'dog's nose'. This funny name comes from how spicy the sauce is! When you eat something very hot, your nose might start to sweat, just like a dog's wet nose. It's a warning that you're about to taste something really fiery!
What's Inside Xnipec?
The main ingredients for Xnipec are:
- Habanero peppers: These are very hot chilies!
- Purple onion: This adds a sharp, fresh taste.
- Bitter orange juice: This gives the sauce a tangy, sour flavor.
- Salt: To bring out all the flavors.
Sometimes, cooks add other ingredients to make it even more special. These can include oregano, vinegar, bay leaf, coriander, or black pepper. If sweet oranges are used instead of bitter ones, a little lemon juice can be added to make it tangy.
How Do People Eat Xnipec?
Xnipec is a very common sauce in the Yucatán. It's often served with many traditional dishes. It's a bit like pico de gallo, another popular fresh salsa in Mexico.
You'll find Xnipec alongside meals such as:
- Cochinita pibil: A famous slow-roasted pork dish.
- Panuchos: Tortillas filled with black beans and topped with other ingredients.
- Chocolomo: A beef stew.
- Poc chuc: Grilled pork.
- Tikin xic: Fish marinated and cooked in an oven.
It adds a fresh, spicy kick to almost any meal!
How Spicy Can It Get?
Habanero chilies are known as some of the hottest peppers in the world. Their heat is measured using something called the Scoville scale. This scale tells you how much capsaicin (the chemical that makes peppers hot) is in a chili. Even though habaneros are super hot, you can add as much or as little as you like to your Xnipec. So, you can make it just right for your taste buds!
See also
In Spanish: Xnipec para niños
