Xnipec (; meaning 'dog snout') is a spicy sauce native to the

Yucatán peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north ...

, made with

habanero pepper The habanero (; ) is a hot variety of chili. Unripe habaneros are green, and they color as they mature. The most common color variants are orange and red, but the fruit may also be white, brown, yellow, green, or purple. Typically, a ripe hab ...

, purple onion,

bitter orange Bitter orange, Seville orange, bigarade orange, or marmalade orange is the citrus tree ''Citrus'' × ''aurantium'' and its fruit. It is native to Southeast Asia and has been spread by humans to many parts of the world. It is probably a cross be ...

juice and salt. Sometimes oregano, vinegar, bay leaf, coriander or pepper are also used. If

sweet orange An orange is a fruit of various citrus species in the family Rutaceae (see list of plants known as orange); it primarily refers to ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'', which is also called sweet orange, to distinguish it from the related ''Citrus × ...

is used,

lemon juice The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culina ...

can be added to acidify it; if sour orange is used, it is not necessary. It is also called in a generic way Yucatecan sauce (''salsa yucateca'') or pickled onions (''cebollas encurtidas''). Since the Mayan-Spanish transliteration is not standardized, the ways of writing are various; other common spellings are: ''ixnipec'', ''xnepec'', ''xni'pek'', ''ni'peek'', ''x-ni-pec'', ''xnepek'', etc., where ''peek'' means 'dog' and ''ni'' means 'nose'. It is similar to another very popular sauce in Mexico,

pico de gallo ''Pico de gallo'' (, ), also called ''salsa fresca'' ('fresh sauce'), ''salsa bandera'' ('flag sauce'), and ''salsa cruda'' ('raw sauce'), is a type of salsa commonly used in Mexican cuisine. It is traditionally made from chopped tomato, onio ...

, and it is very present in the peninsular cuisine, where it is used regularly to accompany various typical dishes: chocolomo,

salpicón Salpicon (or salpicón, meaning "hodgepodge" or "medley" in Spanish) is a dish of one or more ingredients diced or minced and bound with a sauce or liquid. There are different versions found in Spanish and the broader Latin American cuisine. A sal ...

poc chuc Poc chuc is a Mexican cuisine, Mexican dish of meat, commonly pork, that is prepared in citrus marinade and cooked over a grill. Poc chuc is often served with a side of rice, pickled onion, refried beans, and avocado. Poc chuc is one of the signatu ...

, tikin xic, etc. It is the traditional accompaniment to the popular

cochinita pibil Cochinita pibil (also puerco pibil or cochinita con achiote) is a traditional Yucatec Mayan slow-roasted pork dish from the Yucatán Peninsula. Preparation of traditional cochinita involves marinating the meat in strongly acidic citrus juice, ...

, as well as

panucho A Panucho is a Mexican food specialty from the Yucatán made with a refried tortilla that is stuffed with refried black beans and topped with chopped cabbage, pulled chicken or turkey, tomato, pickled red onion, avocado, and pickled jalapeño pepp ...

s. The habanero chili is considered one of the hottest according to the

Scoville scale The Scoville scale is a measurement of the pungency (spiciness or "heat") of chili peppers, as recorded in Scoville heat units (SHU), based on the concentration of capsaicinoids, among which capsaicin is the predominant component. The scale i ...

, although the amount of chili added is to taste. Because it is so spicy, anyone who dares to try it is warned that their nose will sweat like a dog's, hence its name.

References

{{Reflist Cuisine of Yucatán Hot sauces Yucatec Maya language Mexican sauces Citrus dishes