This Papadzules recipe, also known as Papak’sul or Papaksul, is a Mayan staple of Belize. It is built on ground pumpkin seed and chaya leaves. The name is debated: papa ts’uul is usually read as “rich people’s food” (ts’uul means a rich person, though it later came to mean foreigner), while Cherry Hamman derives it from papak’, to smear or anoint, and sul, to soak or drench. Either reading fits: these breakfast tacos are smeared and soaked in pumpkin seed sauce.
One thing to know before you start. There are two dishes under this name, and they are separated by a border. The Belizean papak’sul below is the pumpkin-seed lob with chaya, no egg. Across in the Yucatán, papadzules means tortillas rolled around hard-boiled egg, sauced with the same pumpkin seed and finished with tomato and epazote. Both are real, both are Maya, and we give you both. The Yucatecan version is further down the page.
Follow this simple guide to create an authentic taste of Belize in your kitchen. Our Belizean papadzules recipe like many traditional recipes is subject to endless variations, configurations, and tastes. This version is very basic and captures the heart of the Belizean papaksul recipe.
Quick Facts
- Prep Time: 5 minutes (not including drying your pumpkin seeds)
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Servings: 4
Papadzules Recipe Ingredients
- Small Pumpkins: 3 medium-sized, preferably with small pumpkin seeds.
- Onion: 1 large, finely chopped.
- Meat (optional): 500 grams of chicken, pork, or beef, cubed.
- Water: 600 ml.
- Fat or Lard: 3 tablespoons.
- Garlic: 2 cloves, minced.
- Chaya Leaves: 300 grams, fresh, washed, and ready to cook.
- Spicy Marie Sharp’s Hot Sauce: For garnishing.
Instructions
Preparing the Pumpkin Seeds
- Seed Removal: Carefully extract the seeds from the pumpkins, setting aside the flesh for other recipes like Calabasa sweet.
- Cleaning and Drying: Rinse the pumpkin seeds under cold water and spread them out to dry under the Belizean sun.
- Roasting: Once dry, roast the seeds in a saucier pan until they turn golden brown, stirring frequently.
- Grinding: Using a hand-cranked spice grinder, grind the roasted seeds into a fine powder using a spice grinder.
Making the Papadzules Lob
- Creating the Mixture: In a saucepot, combine the pumpkin seed powder with water and fat. Stir well.
- Cooking the Mixture: simmer the mixture on low heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking.
- Frying the Aromatics: In a separate pan, sauté the chopped onions and minced garlic until they are soft and translucent.
- Combining Ingredients: Add the sautéed onions and garlic to the pot with the pumpkin seed mixture. Continue to cook on low heat for about 15 minutes, or until it thickens appropriately.
Note: historically, the pumpkin seeds would be hand-ground and kneading would release the oils naturally occurring in the pumpkin seeds.
Preparing the Chaya Leaves
Chaya must be boiled before you eat it. This is not optional. Raw chaya leaves contain cyanogenic glycosides, which release hydrogen cyanide. Boiling breaks them down. Boil the leaves in plenty of water for at least 15 minutes, then drain and discard the cooking water. Never eat chaya raw, never use the boiling water for a broth, and take the leaves off their stems first: the stems carry more of the compound than the leaves do.
- Boiling the Chaya: in a stock pot, bring plenty of water to a rolling boil and boil the chaya leaves for at least 15 minutes. Then drain them and throw the cooking water away. Do not shortcut this step. See the safety note below.
- Final Mixing: Stir the chaya leaves into the pumpkin seed mixture, or lay them out on a serving dish to be topped with the mixture.
Serving Suggestions
- Traditional Serving: Serve the Papak’sul hot, garnished with habanero slices or a splash of Marie Sharp’s hot sauce for an added kick.
- Alternative Serving: Roll the mixture in fresh corn to make taquitos.
Papadzules in the Yucatán: the Egg Version
Cross the Rio Hondo and the same name means something different. Yucatecan papadzules keep the pumpkin seed sauce, called sikil, but drop the chaya and build the dish around hard-boiled egg instead, finishing it with a tomato and epazote sauce poured over the top. It is a breakfast dish, and it is what most people outside Belize mean when they say papadzules.
Neither version is the impostor. The Yucatec Maya are one people across the border, and the kitchen does not stop at the line. Cook whichever you have the ingredients for.
Yucatecan Papadzules Ingredients
- Sikil (ground pumpkin seed): 2 oz, prepared as in the method above.
- Eggs: 1 per two tortillas, hard-boiled.
- Tortillas: 4, corn.
- Tomato: 1, for the sauce.
- Habanero: a small piece, to taste.
- Epazote: 1 sprig.
- Oil and salt.
Yucatecan Papadzules Method
- Hard-boil the eggs. Chop or mash them.
- Boil the tomato, habanero, and epazote together. Drain, and keep the cooking water. Blend the solids, then fry the blend in oil to make the tomato sauce.
- Dissolve the sikil in the reserved cooking water. This is your seed sauce.
- Spread half the seed sauce over the tortillas. Lay the egg along each one and roll it up.
- Pour the remaining seed sauce over the roll-ups, then the tomato sauce over that. Serve warm.
The old way, per Hamman, is to roast and grind the squash seeds yourself, mix them with water, and knead until the seeds release their own oil. That oil rising out of the seed is the point of the dish, not a fault in it.
Variations
- The elaborate version: mix the sikil with stock, epazote, onion, garlic, and chile, and serve with marinated red onions (blanched, then steeped in vinegar or sour orange juice with spices and chopped habanero).
- The chaya version: add boiled chaya (or a bunch of spinach) and a few tablespoons of chopped chives. This is the bridge back to the Belizean papak’sul above.
Papadzules Nutritional Information (per serving)
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Protein: 18g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fat: 15g (Varies with choice of fat or meat inclusion)
- Fiber: 6g
- Sodium: Moderate (adjust based on meat and hot sauce used)
Papak’sul is more than just a meal; it celebrates Belizean culture and history. Whether you choose to enjoy it on its own or wrapped in a tortilla, this dish is sure to bring a taste of Belize’s rich culinary heritage to your table. Enjoy cooking and savor every bite of this authentic Mayan recipe!
Shop This Recipe
Pepitas
Joroches topping, sikil pak — most authentic Maya garnish
Marie Sharp’S
Belize’s signature hot sauce; fits any recipe with heat
Heavy Stock Pot
Six quarts is the working size for stewed chicken, rice and beans, and small-batch boil-up. Made In’s 5-ply stainless holds heat evenly through long simmers. Joe-picked.
About Fili Post
Fili Post is from Xaibe in the Corozal District of Belize. She is Mayan. She grew up eating game from the bush — gibnut, deer, chachalaca, iguana — and she has been making her own recado from hand-ground spices for as long as her family can remember. She sold spices at a stall in the Corozal market. She still sources locally and grinds her own blends. Her recado is known to locals as the best they can get. She raised yard birds, guinea fowl, and the occasional pig. She writes for the Belize News Post.
