5x13 - Hacienda Renaissance

April 6, 2007

The story of the Mexican hacienda sounds like it came from mythology—like one of those morality tales about the fleeting nature of wealth and glory. It begins with the feudal system where generations of Maya worked the fields for wealthy Spanish landowners. The era peaked in the Yucatan in the late 19th century with the world’s demand for henequen—or sisal—made from a local agave plant. Today, the hacienda is being reborn—as museums for a glimpse into the past, as production facilities for fine rums and liqueurs, and as luxury hotels. We join Rick on a field trip through the golden era of the haciendas and then go to his home kitchen to make the classic Mayan-Spanish-European fusion dishes Yucatecan Black Bean Dinner and Capered Chicken. Hacienda San Jose, a luxury resort, inspires Rick’s rendition of Achiote-Seared Shrimp.