Chefs Pedro Evia and Joan Bagur made history at Meat & Fire 2025 by recreating the ancient Mayan pib technique in Barcelona, cooking cochinita pibil underground.
In a powerful homage to ancient Mayan traditions, chefs Pedro Evia and Joan Bagur brought the soul of Yucatán to the shores of the Mediterranean at Barcelona’s Meat & Fire 2025 festival, stunning crowds with a live underground cooking of cochinita pibil — a spectacle never before seen in Europe.
Held at the iconic Moll de la Fusta from June 13 to 15, the international fire-cooking gathering drew more than 25,000 visitors. But it was the aromatic excavation of cochinita from a specially constructed underground oven that stole the show. For three consecutive days, more than 140 kilograms of seasoned pork were buried daily in a custom-built pit made of refractory bricks, heated with wood and charcoal, and sealed with hot sand — a faithful recreation of the traditional Mayan pib.
This ceremonial disinterment, complete with clouds of steam, wafting achiote and citrus aromas, and reverent silence from the crowd, became the festival’s most-photographed moment.
“It’s not a show, it’s a tribute,” said Pedro Evia, one of Mexico’s most decorated chefs and recipient of two knives at The Best Chef Awards. “We brought the heart of Yucatán to the Mediterranean with respect and emotion.”
Evia, a native of Yucatán, has long championed the culinary roots of his homeland. His presence at the event, alongside Joan Bagur — chef and founder of Grupo Sagardi and a tireless promoter of Mexican cuisine in Europe — turned a high-profile barbecue event into a cultural moment.
“We adapted the technique, but we kept the soul,” Bagur emphasized. “Cochinita isn’t just cooked; it’s honored.”
The three-day feast resulted in over 1,750 tacos served daily. More than just a dish, the cochinita became an immersive experience. Attendees were enveloped by the smoke of burning wood, the tang of sour orange, and the unmistakable scent of annatto — all transporting them directly to the Yucatán peninsula without leaving Barcelona.
“This was a sacred act of patience and ritual,” said one attendee, watching as the chefs carefully unearthed the steaming cochinita from beneath layers of sand. “It felt like we were witnessing history.”
Meat & Fire is widely considered the world’s premier fire-cooking event, and the 2025 edition reached new heights by showcasing ancestral cooking methods like the pib. Hosted and curated by the Sagardi Group, the festival brought together top pitmasters and chefs from across the globe, but few installations carried the emotional and cultural weight of the cochinita pibil.
Evia and Bagur’s collaboration serves as a testament to the power of culinary diplomacy — using food as a vehicle not just for flavor, but for storytelling, identity, and memory.
“Every time we open the pit, we open a portal to our past,” Evia added. “And to share that with the world is a privilege.”
This moment at Meat & Fire 2025 not only showcased the ancient methods of the Mayan people but also reaffirmed Yucatán’s place on the global gastronomic stage. The success of the installation opens the door for more chefs to take pride in their heritage and share their culture through food, reminding the world that the most powerful flavors often come from the oldest recipes.
