The tejocote, known in English as Mexican hawthorn, is a fruit deeply rooted in Mexican holiday traditions. Once a restricted import, this small but significant fruit has become increasingly available in the United States over the past decade, demonstrating its growing popularity beyond Mexico's borders for Mexicans and Mexican-Americans living in the U.S.
If you've ever wanted to know more about the essential ingredient to Mexican Christmas punch known as ponche navideño, here's everything you need to know.
As tejocotes become more accessible outside of Mexico, home cooks and food enthusiasts are discovering the versatility of this traditional fruit. Whether you're preparing the beloved ponche navideño during the holiday season, experimenting with preserves, or exploring new culinary applications, tejocotes offer a unique flavor and connection to Mexico's agricultural heritage.
Their journey from a restricted fruit to a increasingly available ingredient mirrors the growing appreciation for authentic Mexican ingredients. For those discovering tejocotes for the first time, start with the classic Mexican Christmas punch recipe to experience why this small fruit has captured the hearts of generations of Mexican families as an indispensable part of the holidays.
A Guide to Mexican Hawthorn
Tejocotes (Crataegus mexicana) are small, round fruits native to Mexico. The name comes from the Nahuatl word "texocotl," meaning stone fruit. These pome fruits—fruits which have edible flesh and a core of seeds surrounded by a tough membrane—belong to the Rosaceae family, making them relatives of apples and pears. They measure about 3-4 centimeters in diameter and closely resemble crab apples in appearance.
Appearance and Characteristics
The tejocote has several distinctive features:
- A thin, smooth skin ranging from yellow-green when unripe, to yellow-orange or bright orange when ripe
- Small brown spots scattered across the surface
- Firm, dry pulp with a light, creamy yellow color
- Brown seeds inside
- A slightly acidic flavor when raw
- A texture similar to crab apples or quince; mealy when raw
Traditional Uses in Mexican Cuisine
Ponche Navideño
The most famous use of tejocotes is in ponche navideño, the traditional Mexican Christmas punch. Their high pectin content helps give the punch its characteristic body and texture.
Other Applications
Tejocotes can be prepared in various ways:
- Stewed with piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar) and cinnamon
- Made into ate (fruit paste) similar to membrillo (quince paste)
- Added to traditional jams and preserves
- Caramelized and served on sticks like candied apples
- Used in regional liqueurs
Tejocotes are also used as traditional piñata filling during December festivities.
Availability and Storage
While fresh tejocotes were once hard to find in the United States due to import restrictions over agricultural pest concerns, they're now more readily available and easy to find in most Mexican grocery stores or markets that cater to Mexican and Central American immigrants. They're imported as well as grown in the U.S., and available from October through December.
Fresh tejocotes (Seasonal; October-December)
Storage: Should go in the refrigerator until ready for use
Preserved in syrup (tejocotes en almíbar)
Storage: If homemade, store in the refrigerator. If store-bought, are typically shelf-stable until the jar is opened, and then should be refrigerated.
Frozen
Storage: Keep in the freezer until ready to thaw and use.
Nutritional Benefits
Tejocotes offer several nutritional advantages:
- Rich in pectin, making them excellent for preserves
- Good source of natural fiber
- Contains vitamin C and other nutrients
How to Use Tejocotes
Whether you're trying tejocotes for the first time or looking for new ways to use them, here are some preparation tips:
- Raw Consumption
- While edible raw when fully ripe, most people prefer them cooked
- The raw texture can be somewhat mealy and acidic
- Cooking Methods
- Boiling for punch or preserves
- Slow-cooking with sugar for candied versions
- Pureeing for fruit paste
- Preserving in syrup
Where to Find Tejocotes
Before they became commercially available in the U.S., the only ways to get tejocotes were if they were amateur-grown or smuggled. In fact, they were at one time deemed the most-smuggled fruit, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service said that between 2002-2006, it was the most-seized fruit coming across the U.S.-Mexico border, carrying fines of up to $10,000.
Commercially-grown tejocotes have been available in the U.S. regionally since around 2009, and it became legal to import them from Mexico in 2015.
If you're looking to purchase tejocotes in the United States, you'll find them in these places:
- Mexican grocery stores and Latin American specialty markets
- Some mainstream supermarkets during holiday season where there are large Mexican populations, such as Chicago and Los Angeles
- Specialty distributors (such as Melissa's Produce)
- Online retailers selling preserved versions
Where Do Tejocotes Grow?
In Mexico, tejocote trees flourish across multiple regions, and are grown both commercially and in the wild.
- Trees can grow up to 20 feet tall and they thrive in Mexico's varied climate conditions.
- Mature orchards can yield 20 tons per acre in Mexico.
In the United States, the first commercial tejocote orchard was near San Diego, California, and today, they're cultivated on a small scale for American consumers. The trees can grow up to 20 feet high and 12 feet wide, and have evergreen leaves in most climates.
- They are cold hardy to USDA Zone 7, with average minimum winter temperatures between 0°F and 10°F, and above.
- Zone 7 spans 28 states across the entire country, from the Pacific Northwest, to the South, and East.
- The trees are drought and heat tolerant, and overall low maintenance.
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