Flagship stores: El Quelite

The gastronomic offering of El Quelite, Sinaloa, reflects the traditional spirit of its inhabitants.

Street at El Quelite (2019)Conservatory of the Mexican Gastronomic Culture

Welcome to El Quelite 

Some 19 miles from the port of Mazatlán, crossing the Tropic of Cancer, is the town of El Quelite; with cobbled streets and old colorful houses of rural architecture surrounded by the Quelite River and fertile land where the products that enrich the traditional cuisine of the place arise.

Women making tortillas (2019)Conservatory of the Mexican Gastronomic Culture

El Quelite is a successful case of sustainable rural tourism, driven by its own inhabitants and by Don Marcos Osuna Tirado, whose most notable merit is to have rescued the cuisine of the region by presenting it in its most genuine cultural context.

Meson de los Laureanos (2019)Conservatory of the Mexican Gastronomic Culture

El Mesón de los Laureanos

Among the diversity of establishments dedicated to the traditional cuisine of the town stands out El Mesón de los Laureanos, founded by Marcos Osuna himself.

Menu at Meson de los Laureanos (2019)Conservatory of the Mexican Gastronomic Culture

The menu puts appetizing samples of the gastronomic region of the Sinaloan mountains on the table prepared by the skillful chefs of the region: chilorio (pork fried in chili), machaca de res (shredded beef), barbacoa de borrego (barbecued lamb), birria (stew), tongue in salsa verde or salsa roja, bistec ranchero (ranch steak), patitas de puerco (pig trotters), among others.

Spreads (2019)Conservatory of the Mexican Gastronomic Culture

Also, there is no shortage of spreads to enjoy: sour cream, cream, cottage cheese, cream, fresh and semi-ripe cheese. All of this rich variety of foods is accompanied by corn tortillas, handmade tortillas, tossed in the comal (griddle).

Steak taco (2019)Conservatory of the Mexican Gastronomic Culture

El Quelite gastronomy (2019)Conservatory of the Mexican Gastronomic Culture

And to all these delicious dishes the desserts cannot be missed: burned milk, tamales colados de elote (strained street corn tamales), papaya chutney, sweet potato with pineapple, white custard.

Sinaloa's tequila (2019)Conservatory of the Mexican Gastronomic Culture

All of these foods are accompanied by typical drinks from the region: fresh waters of nance fruit and dragon fruit (both seasonal), barley, pot coffee or distillates made from agave of the region.

Lunch at El Quelite (2019)Conservatory of the Mexican Gastronomic Culture

The menu of the Mesón de los Laureanos is just one example of the rich variety of foods we can find in El Quelite.

Woman making tortillas (2019)Conservatory of the Mexican Gastronomic Culture

More importantly, we can see that the success of El Quelite lies in the way that its inhabitants put their heart and soul into their iconic dishes.

Credits: Story

Conservatorio de la Cultura Gastronómica Mexicana.
2020

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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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