A Mayan League of their Own
In Yaxunah, Pati discovers Yucatán’s “league of their own.” She joins the Amazonas, a softball team of indigenous women, for their morning practice. As they built a name for themselves, they overcame the mindset that women belong in the kitchen. After teaching Pati the ins and outs of the game, Doña Enedina invites her over for Brazo de Reina, a tamal with hardboiled eggs and ground pepitas.
Episodes
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A Mayan League of their Own
S12 E1210 - 26m 46s
In Yaxunah, Pati discovers Yucatán’s “league of their own.” She joins the Amazonas, a softball team of indigenous women, for their morning practice. As they built a name for themselves, they overcame the mindset that women belong in the kitchen. After teaching Pati the ins and outs of the game, Doña Enedina invites her over for Brazo de Reina, a tamal with hardboiled eggs and ground pepitas.
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Pink
S12 E1209 - 26m 46s
An ingredient Pati constantly uses is salt and Yucatán has one of the most unique salts. The Las Coloradas salt, which means blush red, gets its distinctive color from red algae. Engineer Felipe Perez takes Pati to the pink lakes where the salt is produced. Down the road in Rio Lagartos, conservationist Diego Nuñez takes her to see another pink wonder, Mexico’s highest concentration of flamingos.
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Maya Today
S12 E1208 - 26m 46s
Today no trip to Yucatán is complete without seeing a beautiful cenote, natural freshwater pools in caves. But Mayans saw them as the gateway to the underworld. To learn more about Mayan communities, Pati visits Cenote Xocempich with activist and lawyer Zoila Cen, who has dedicated her career to helping Mayan people. The next day, Zoila invites Pati to her niece’s birthday celebration.
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Recados
S12 E1207 - 26m 46s
Pati returns to Mérida to meet sisters, Delia and Maria Elide, who love to cook and laugh and are famous for recados - pastes of spices and aromatic herbs that season Yucatecan foods. In Uxmal, she learns about ingredients only found in Yucatán that make recados unique, touring citrus, habanero, and chaya fields at an hacienda. Then traditional cook Rosa makes a Relleno Negro using a recado negro.
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Yucatán Meats
S12 E1206 - 26m 46s
Temozoón is the birthplace of Yucatán’s signature smoked meat Carne Ahumada and everyone in town claims to have a relative who invented it. Pati strolls around town to try different versions of Carne Ahumada. She also returns to Hacienda Tamchén for another traditional dish prepared by chef Julio Dominguez called Huidzi Bii Wai, which means “united tortilla.”
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Ode to the Egg
S12 E1205 - 26m 46s
Pati arrives in Motul, a town in the history books for Yucatán’s once thriving henequén industry and for the egg dish Huevos Motuleños. Pati meets Doña Evelia, who put Motul back on the map with her world-famous recipe. She also experiences the legacy of henequén at Hacienda Tamchén and encounters another egg dish in the kitchen, where chef Julio Dominguez makes Abuela’s Buttoned Eggs.
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Moving soon to WETA Passport
A Family Affair
S12 E1204 - 26m 46s
Pati visits Chef Wilson Alonzo in his hometown of Halachó to prepare a traditional Cochinita Pibil in an underground pit. They begin at the local market to source ingredients. Then Pati helps Wilson prepare the achiote marinade, along with his grandmother who taught him traditional cooking and isn’t shy to correct him. The final product is a meal that captures Yucatán’s history in every bite.
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Flavors of Merida
S12 E1203 - 26m 46s
Pati explores the vibrant streets of Yucatán’s capital, Mérida, in search of its flavors. She tries “the best tacos in Mérida” at Wayan’e. The aroma of freshly made cookies lures her to Dondé Fabric, where their globitos and bizcochitos are an important part of Mérida’s mornings. She has sorbet at a shop run by the same family for generations and tastes a unique Yucatecan liqueur at Casa D'Aristi.
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Guayabera World
S12 E1202 - 26m 46s
In Tekit, or “The Capital of the Guayabera,” Pati encounters a tale of sons going against their father’s wishes to follow their own path. Pati meets Eliodoro Xicum, a farmer’s son who went against his father to build a family business making the iconic Guayabera shirts. Then she meets his son, Elio, who chose to become a chef and created a dish that resembles a Guayabera in honor of his father.
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The Nectar of the Mayan Gods
S12 E1201 - 26m 46s
Pati is in the magic town of Maní to learn about something sacred to the Mayans - bees and honey. A cooperative of women who protect the endangered Melipona, a stingless bee native to Yucatán, invites her to join in a Mayan energy cleansing ritual involving buñuelos made with Melipona honey. Then she visits a family living by the traditional “Solar Maya,” meaning they grow everything they eat.
Extras + Features
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Season 11 Preview
30s
In the 10 new episodes of Season 11, Pati Jinich visits the northeastern border state of Nuevo León — draped in dazzling
mountains and miles of desert — and spotlights its distinctive flavors, defined by local ingredients, proximity to the
U.S. border, and influences from Sephardic Jewish culinary roots.
Schedule
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Pati's Mexican Table
Merida -- Exploring With the Locals
Monday
Dec 4
30 Minutes
Bar snacks in Merida, the capital of Yucatan; family classics include mondongo stew and foreign influences like kibbeh. -
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Pati's Mexican Table
Celestun -- Coastal Cooking
Tuesday
Dec 5
30 Minutes
A visit to the coastal town of Celestun in Merida, Mexico, includes a breakfast featuring fresh seafood, a boat ride to see flamingos, and a cookout on the beach with ceviche and grilled fish. -
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Pati's Mexican Table
Sunday Family Food
Wednesday
Dec 6
30 Minutes
Sunday is a day to celebrate food, dancing and culture; slow cooked pork sandwich; Vaqueria dance; a traditional Sunday family meal. -
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Pati's Mexican Table
Campeche -- Tale of a Pirate City
Thursday
Dec 7
30 Minutes
Exploring Campeche, Mexico, a colonial city defined by its history of piracy; turkey panuchos; La Pigua features regional dishes pescado verde and grilled octopus. -
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Pati's Mexican Table
Ancient Yucatán With My Boys
Friday
Dec 8
30 Minutes
Climbing the ancient ruins of Uxmal, an ancient Mayan city; swimming; tamales; making cochinita pibil using the ancient technique of cooking meat with heated rocks buried underground. -
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Pati's Mexican Table
Izamal -- Gold & God
Monday
Dec 11
30 Minutes
The city of Izamal features buildings painted in the same golden hue; venison tacos and poc chuk; a jeweler makes jewelry from his backyard plants. -
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Pati's Mexican Table
Valladolid -- A Day to Explore
Tuesday
Dec 12
30 Minutes
Known for its smoked meats, Valladolid offers local specialties, including lomitos de Valladolid and longaniza de Valladolid. -
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Pati's Mexican Table
Isla Mujeres Inspired
Wednesday
Dec 13
30 Minutes
Sampling the local delicacy of Isla Mujeres -- tikin xic, fish marinated in a red sauce diluted with sour orange juice and spices wrapped in banana leaves. -
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Pati's Mexican Table
Cancun: We Meet Again
Thursday
Dec 14
30 Minutes
Crab House dishes include Alaskan wontons; tuna tartare kibi and cold pork belly salad at Casa de Cristian Morales. -
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Pati's Mexican Table
Turkey Day
Friday
Dec 15
30 Minutes
A traditional Thanksgiving dinner features turkey, stuffing and vegetables, all with a Mexican twist. -
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Pati's Mexican Table
Good Morning, Mexico
Saturday
Dec 16
30 Minutes
JuJu's fruit smoothie; big brunch enchiladas; black beans from the pot; nopalitos with sauteed corn and guajillo.
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