Camotes en Tacha

the sacred Día de Muertos sweet of Puebla: whole sweet potatoes simmered very slowly in piloncillo, orange, cinnamon, and star anise until they absorb the amber syrup and become translucent, then placed on the altar to welcome the returning dead

Origin: Puebla and Oaxaca, Mexico

From the journey of Sweet Potato.

The Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) is observed on the 1st and 2nd of November throughout Mexico, when the souls of the dead are believed to return briefly to the world of the living. The ofrenda (the home altar erected in their honour) is laden with marigolds (cempasúchil), photographs, candles, the deceased's favourite food and drink, and the traditional foods of the festival itself. Among these, camotes en tacha occupy a place of particular honour in the tradition of Puebla and the central Mexican plateau. The word tacha refers to the large copper cauldron (tacho) in which chancaca (raw sugar) was boiled at colonial-era sugar mills; to cook something 'en tacha' is to cook it in a dark sugar syrup in that tradition. Piloncillo (the Mexican name for the unrefined cone of raw cane sugar) dissolves with orange juice and peel, cinnamon, star anise, and sometimes guava or tejocote fruit into a deep amber syrup that the sweet potatoes are simmered in, whole and unpeeled, for one to two hours until they absorb the syrup almost entirely and their skins become translucent and glistening. The result is intensely sweet, deeply fragrant, and soft to the point of yielding at the gentlest pressure — a sweetness intended to please the palate of the dead and, once the altar period has passed on the 2nd of November, to be shared among the living as the festival's most characteristic flavour.

Ingredients

Camotes

6 small-medium sweet potatoes (about 200 g each), scrubbed but unpeeled

Syrup

300 g piloncillo (Mexican raw cane sugar cone), roughly chopped or broken, or dark muscovado sugar
500 ml water
250 ml fresh orange juice (from about 3 oranges)
2 strips orange peel, pith removed
2 cinnamon sticks
3 whole star anise
4 whole cloves
1 pinch fine salt

Method

In a large, wide, heavy-based pot (ideally a casserole or Dutch oven that can hold the sweet potatoes in a single layer), combine the piloncillo, water, orange juice, orange peel, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the piloncillo has dissolved completely.
Add the sweet potatoes to the pot in a single layer. The syrup should come at least halfway up the sweet potatoes; add a little more water if needed. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid set slightly ajar, and cook over low to medium-low heat for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, turn the sweet potatoes carefully (they will be fragile) using a wide spatula or two spoons. Continue to cook, uncovered now, for a further 30–45 minutes, turning once more, until the sweet potatoes are very tender when pierced with the tip of a knife and the syrup has reduced to a thick, shiny glaze that clings to the skins.
Remove from the heat. Allow to cool to room temperature in the pot, spooning the remaining syrup over the sweet potatoes as they cool. They will continue to absorb syrup as they cool.
Serve at room temperature on a large platter, with the syrup spooned generously over. They are traditionally arranged on the Día de Muertos ofrenda and then eaten by the household after the altar is taken down on the evening of 2 November.

Notes

Piloncillo is available from Mexican and Latin American grocery shops and from many large supermarkets. The cones come in dark and light varieties; use the dark (oscuro) for this recipe. The sweet potatoes must be cooked unpeeled: the skin is what holds the whole potato together during the long, slow cooking and is part of the finished dish's appearance and texture. Choose potatoes of even, moderate size so they cook at the same rate. The flavour improves overnight, and the dish keeps well, covered, at room temperature for 2 days.

The Gastrographer

Name: Camotes en Tacha
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Mexico
Ingredients: 6 small-medium sweet potatoes (about 200 g each), scrubbed but unpeeled; 300 g piloncillo (Mexican raw cane sugar cone), roughly chopped or broken, or dark muscovado sugar; 500 ml water; 250 ml fresh orange juice (from about 3 oranges); 2 strips orange peel, pith removed; 2 cinnamon sticks; 3 whole star anise; 4 whole cloves; 1 pinch fine salt

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control