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Cochinita Pibil

Name: Cochinita Pibil
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 11 h
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 3 lbs bone-in pork shoulder; 3 tbsp achiote paste; 1/2 cup sour orange juice; 6 cloves garlic; 1 tsp cumin; 1 tsp Mexican oregano; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 2 habanero chiles; 1 cup pickled red onion; 2 banana leaves; salt to taste

Cochinita Pibil reads umami 7.4, fruity 6.3 and citrus 5.6 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Mexican main, about 11 hr. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 8.7 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 7.9 / 10
Sour & Bright — 6.4 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.4 / 10
Rich & Fat — 5.5 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.3 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.4 · Fruity 6.3 · Citrus 5.6 · Richness 5.5 · Sweetness 5.3 · Salinity 5.0 · Marine & Briny 4.4 · Allium 3.8 · Funk & Ferment 3.3 · Sourness 2.7 · Herbaceous 2.1 · Earthy 2.0 · Warm Spice 1.9 · Floral 1.7 · Heat 1.7 · Smoke 1.3 · Bitterness 1.2

What's in it (11)

3 lbs bone-in pork shoulder
3 tbsp achiote paste
1/2 cup sour orange juice
6 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 habanero chiles
1 cup pickled red onion
2 banana leaves
salt to taste

Time & effort: about 11 hr (30 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 205.8 kcal, 12.1 g protein, 15.4 g fat, 4.2 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Blend achiote with citrus juice, garlic, and spices into a vivid red marinade and coat pork thoroughly; marinate overnight.
Line a heavy baking dish with banana leaves, add the marinated pork, wrap tightly, and slow-roast at low temperature for several hours until the meat is fall-apart tender.
Shred the pork in its juices and serve in tortillas with pickled red onion and habanero salsa.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Fricasse de Pollo (Cuban Chicken Fricassee) — Cuban
Tacos al Pastor — Mexican
Mediterranean Baked Salmon with Olives and Capers — Mediterranean
Lawar (Balinese Spiced Vegetable and Meat Mix) — Indonesian
Grilled Salmon with Maple Glaze — American

Keep reading: what umami, fruity, citrus mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.