Pan de Cazón (Dogfish Bread): Origin of the Iconic Campeche Dish
Dogfish Bread is a delicious traditional dish from Campeche’s gastronomy whose ingredients are tortillas, accompanied by bean sauce, tomato sauce, habanero chili, and its main ingredient, dogfish. Here we present its origin.
Dogfish is a small species of shark that lives in the Gulf of Mexico, which reaches just 1.20 meters in length and stands out for its meat, which is very nutritious, firm, and of delicate flavor.
This species is available for fishing throughout the year and is used in the gastronomy not only of Campeche but also in the regions of Yucatan and Chiapas.
This dish, although not as well known internationally as other popular Mexican dishes such as tacos or tamales, is a delicious and unique expression of the state’s gastronomy.
However, have you ever wondered what is the history of Dogfish Bread?
According to a report by Eunice Cruz Molina for the Diario de Yucatán, it is unknown when the stew began to be an essential dish in the food of Campeche.
The report mentions the stories of travelers from the 19th century as the main sources. The French explorer Désiré Charnay narrates in his book “Ma Dernière Expedition au Yucatan (My last expedition to Yucatan)” how dogfish is a typical dish of low-income families of that time.
Also, the French explorer mentions how fishermen of that time cut and prepared the product to sell in fish markets: “Each fisherman crouches on his heels and with a knife in hand opens, divides, cuts and sells his merchandise with a dizzying activity; you can see around him pieces of this fish that are still bleeding and piles of entrails that spread a pungent smell that anxiously await a flock of small and hungry vultures.”
On the other hand, another reference is the French explorer Ludovic Chambon, who described the taste of dogfish as “tasteless and so stringy that one imagines having a bundle of thread in one’s mouth.”
In this way, it is made known that this dish has been consumed by the locals since the 19th century.
Finally, the Campechano chronicler Alcocer Bernés mentions that there is no record of the moment when dogfish bread began to be prepared: “Dogfish bread is a typical dish from Campeche, which has a not uncertain origin because the elements are here (in Campeche), they are typical of the region, but we do not have a story or a moment that says that on such a date dogfish bread began to be made.”
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