Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Yucatán

At Doña Conchi's home Samin and local home cook Doña Conchi make pavo en escabeche, a turkey stew with meatballs formed from ground pork.

After cooking the pavo en escabeche with Doña Conchi, she meets photographer Rodrigo Ochoa to sample various piquant salsas at a Taqueria La Lupita.

In the town of Tixcacaltuyub, Samin learns about Melipona honey, some of the world's most prized honey, from her guide, Andrea Figueroa, and hosts Doña Pascuala and Don Carlos (who, according to the Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat website are affiliated with the Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya)As our host explains, although honey is usually considered a sweet ingredient, it’s actually a sour food that hovers near the middle of the pH scale.

Then it’s back to Mérida, where Samin and her chef friend Regina scour a local market for chocolate and tomatoes — two sour foods — that will be incorporated into dinner that evening.

At the end of the episode, she cooks with Regina Escalante, the chef of Restaurante Merci in Mérida. They cook a meal in Regina's home that features tikin xic — fish cooked in banana leaves — and a citrus pavlova.