📍 San Cristóbal de las Casas

Sopa de Pan Coleta (Coleto Bread Soup)

· Lunch

A festive dish of toasted coleto bread slices, vegetables, egg, and fried plantain, bathed in a saffron-spiced broth.

Editorial content by WorldBites · 2026-10-04 · Contact

Sopa de Pan Coleta (Coleto Bread Soup): A festive dish of toasted coleto bread slices, vegetables, egg, and fried plantain, bathed in a saffron-spiced broth.

⏱ 70 min🍽 6 servings📊 Intermediate🏷 Commonly associated

Preparation: 30 min
Cooking: 40 min
Waiting and resting: 0 min

History

A colonial-era recipe from San Cristóbal de las Casas, born as a Lenten dish in the 17th century. It combines the local coleto bread with ingredients brought by the Spanish, such as wine and saffron, and today it is served at civil and religious celebrations in the Chiapas highlands.

Ingredients

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1 large loaf of coleto bread or a sliced and toasted baguette
2 tomatoes and 1 onion
2 carrots and 2 zucchini, sliced
1 plantain, fried in slices
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1 pinch of saffron or achiote
Raisins, thyme, bay leaf, and chicken broth

Preparation

1
Toast the bread slices in the oven or on the griddle.
2
Prepare a broth with tomato, onion, saffron, and aromatic herbs.
3
Cook the carrot and zucchini separately.
4
In a casserole, layer the bread, vegetables, egg, and plantain.
5
Bathe with the hot broth and add raisins.
6
Let it rest a few minutes so the bread absorbs the broth, then serve.

Cooking tips

Toast bread thoroughly so it absorbs broth without immediately falling apart.

References to consult

References provide information about the dish, its context or a technique. Quantities in this version may differ from those in the source.

Larousse Cocina — Sopa de pan(Dish)

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