Amazonian Plantain and Pork Mash (Tacacho)
Tacacho Say it: tah-KAH-choh
Tacacho is a hearty Amazonian dish of boiled green plantains mashed and fried in pork fat, then studded with crisp chicharrón and shaped into fat balls. It comes from the Peruvian selva, especially around Amazonas and Loreto, and is eaten at breakfast or as an early lunch, often alongside smoked cecina, chorizo and strong coffee. The taste is savoury and rich: dense, faintly sweet plantain wrapped around salty, crunchy pork, with a soft, almost doughy bite inside.
Amazonian Plantain and Pork Mash (Tacacho)
Tacacho
Pronounced tah-KAH-choh
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Level
- Easy
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: none of the major allergens in the listed ingredients. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Plantains
Chicharrón
Method
Trim the ends of the plantains, cut them into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces and peel them with a knife, since green skins grip tightly. Put them in a pot with the water, salt and garlic if using.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes, until a knife slides through the plantain with no resistance. Drain, keeping a few spoonfuls of the cooking water.
While the plantains cook, put the pork belly, salt and water in a wide, heavy skillet. Cook over medium heat until the water evaporates, about 6–8 minutes.
Lower the heat and let the pork render in its own fat, stirring now and then, for 15–20 minutes, until the cubes are deep golden and crisp on all sides. Lift the chicharrón out with a slotted spoon and pour off all but 3 tbsp (45 ml) of the fat.
Mash the drained plantains while still hot, using a fork or potato masher, until mostly smooth with a few small lumps left. Add a splash of the cooking water if the mash looks dry.
Reheat the reserved fat in the skillet over medium heat, add the mashed plantain and fry for 5–7 minutes, stirring and pressing it into the pan, until it darkens slightly and pulls away from the sides in one mass.
Fold in three-quarters of the chicharrón, taste and adjust the salt and pepper. The mash should be thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon.
With lightly oiled hands, roll the mixture into 8 balls about the size of a small fist, pressing gently so they hold. Press the remaining chicharrón into the tops and serve hot.
Regional variant: Tacacho con cecina (with smoked pork)
The most common serving in the Peruvian selva: grill or pan-fry 1 lb (450 g) of cecina (smoked, salted pork, or the closest smoked pork loin) until browned and slice it thinly, and fry a chorizo alongside. Serve the tacacho balls next to the meat with the pan juices, and add a spoonful of the cecina fat to the plantain mash instead of pork fat for extra smoke.
Cook's notes
- Green, firm plantains give the classic dense texture; softer yellow-ripe ones make a sweeter, looser mash that needs less cooking water.
- Fry the mash until it just begins to catch on the pan — that light browning is where the flavour deepens.
- Shape and serve immediately; tacacho firms up as it cools and is best eaten warm.
Serve with
Smoked cecina, fried chorizo, fried eggs and a cup of hot black coffee or a cold glass of masato.
Make ahead and storage
The mash can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated; reheat in a skillet with a little lard, then shape into balls just before serving.
