Fans of barbacoa can have their fill starting next week at the Barbacoa Festival in Actopan, Hidalgo.

From July 5-14, foodies and festival-goers will be able to enjoy 10 whole days of hearty eating at Mexico’s oldest and most famous celebration of Hidalgo’s most celebrated dish.

The festival began as a unique feature of the over four-centuries-old patron saint celebrations. Barbacoa is a special preparation of meat wrapped in agave leaves and slow-cooked overnight in a pit. Famous in Hidalgo, it shares table-space at the festival with its porcine cousin ximbó.

Hidalgo is also famous for its pulque — an alcoholic beverage made from fermented agave sap — and flavor-infused curados, both of which will also be available in great abundance and variety at Actopan’s festival.

On July 8, the region’s most celebrated barbacoa masters will display their skills, each vying to impress diners with their special recipes and cuts of meat in a competition that marks the height of the festival.

In between bites of tacos and sips of pulque, festival-goers will be free to wander between musical acts, an artisanal market, theater and circus performances, dances and a variety of rides and attractions for children and families.

Entrance to the festival is free.

Source: El Universal (sp), Chilango (sp)