Las Vísceras (Pork Offal)

Chiltepec, Papaloapan region, Oaxaca, Mexico

A regional pork offal preparation from Chiltepec, in the Papaloapan basin of Oaxaca, documented by Diana Kennedy in Oaxaca al Gusto. The dish brings together liver, heart, and lungs — organs from a whole pig — with the sweet-briny counterpoint of olives, capers, raisins, and pickled jalapeños. It reflects the cooking logic of the Papaloapan region, where offal is treated with the same seriousness as any prime cut, braised in its own cooking broth and built into a deeply savory tomato-based sauce. The combination of cured and pickled ingredients alongside fresh tomato speaks to a long culinary tradition of balancing richness with acidity and salt.

The finished dish carries a deep, iron-rich savouriness from the offal — particularly the liver — tempered by the fat rendered during browning and the long, tomato-forward braise. Olives and capers push in salt and mild brine, raisins provide intermittent sweetness, and pickled jalapeños cut through the richness with a vinegary heat that lingers at the back of the palate. The lungs hold broth like a sponge, releasing it as you bite, while the heart offers a dense, almost muscular chew that anchors the softer, more yielding liver.