Travel

Eating antojitos in Aguascalientes

5 · Apr 19, 2011 · 7 Comments

Last summer, I traveled to Aguascalientes to visit José’s abuelita for her 90th birthday. And of the many things I discovered while visiting this centrally-located city (and state), I learned that antojitos are king! Antojitos are like the Mexican cousin to Spanish tapas.

This past week, the Mexico Tourism Board in Chicago began a campaign called “Share Mexico/Comparte México” to educate the public about each of Mexico’s 31 states and the Distrito Federal. Each week will promote a new state and I’ll be blogging about all the states that I’ve visited to share my experiences. The first week is all about Aguascalientes, and I’m so happy to have the chance to share some photos from my trip.

There are several typical antojitos that you’ll see on just about every menu in Aguascalientes. In any lonchería or cenaduría, you’ll find some version of each of these dishes:

Enchiladas estilo Aguascalientes’n – These enchiladas are filled with chicken and cheese, and the tortilla is bathed in a chile mixture and lightly fried (just enough to make it pliable) before they’re stuffed. Usually, they’re topped with lettuce, diced tomato, cheese and crema Mexicana, and served with a generous side of potatoes and carrots, sort of cooked hash brown-style….

Semana Santa en Acapulco

0 · Apr 18, 2011 · 1 Comment

OK, so we’re not spending our Semana Santa in Acapulco–though I wish we were! I could certainly use a trip to the beach after the brutal winter we’ve had this year. Instead, José is in Mexico City for the week visiting his parents and I’m still at home in Chicago. But when I came across this gem a few weeks ago, I knew I wanted to share it at the beginning of Semana Santa.

There’s a movie from the early 1980s called “Semana Santa en Acapulco” (also sometimes known as Viacrucis Nacional) starring Lucha Villa, David Reynoso, Luis Manuel Pelayo and Tere Velázquez. It’s about a Chilango family that heads to Acapulco for a Holy Week vacation that turns out to be more than they bargained for. It’s a rude, crude comedy, but I’m sure it will have you muriendo de risa. I just recently saw it for the first time a few months ago thanks to one of the cine Mexicano cable channels we get at home. DVD copies of the film are not very easy to come by, but if you have the patience to watch it on a small screen, I came across the entire film uploaded on YouTube!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS9LgUDr92s[/youtube]

Have you ever seen this movie? What’s your favorite part?

Travel Tuesday: Puerquitos remind me of Aguascalientes

1 · Apr 12, 2011 · 4 Comments

This past weekend, I ventured into a different bakery in Pilsen than usual when I decided to stop for some bolillo rolls to make capirotada for the last week of Lent. To my delight, this bakery that I hadn’t visited in several years had a tray of puerquitos – a molasses and cinnamon-flavored cookie cut into the shape of a piggy.

Some of you know I gave up eating processed sugar for Lent, something that has not been easy in a house where we love desserts and pan dulce. I was too weak to resist the temptation, though, and bought one to satisfy the craving. I just needed one little bite and I was immediately reminded of a bakery I visited in Aguascalientes last summer with José’s abuelita Ana. It was adjacent to a charming little restaurant downtown called La Saturnina, a place with cotton candy-pink, purple and cobalt blue painted walls, where she loves to eat breakfast (a place she swears makes the best torrejas in Aguascalientes, in part because of the dark, tangy, molasses-like miel de maguey it’s served with). The bakery, called Panadería Los Angeles, was certainly like a slice of heaven with the scent of sugar, cinnamon and freshly-baked breads wafting through the warm summer air….

Travel Tuesday: Escape to Guanajuato

0 · Mar 29, 2011 · 2 Comments

It’s no secret that I love Mexican playwright Tanya Saracho’s work. This past weekend I was in the third row of the opening night of her newest show, El Nogalar, playing at the Goodman Theatre through April 24. It was so amazing, I’m going to have to go back to see it again. I cried, I laughed, and at the end I was sad it was over. My only regret about the show is that there is no Act II; despite the 1 hour 40 minute run time with no intermission, I could have watched that story continue to unfold for a few hours longer. You can listen to Tanya talk about the play in a clip from Chicago Public Radio’s Eight Forty-Eight show from last week.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Tanya last year for a feature in Café magazine, in which she was named one of the publication’s 2010 Latino Luminaries – an award for Latino leaders who served as inspiration and for the contributions made in their respective fields and communities. And she’s so brilliant, even the New York Times has taken note.

So suffice it to say that I was absolutely thrilled to see a travel piece in the April issue of Chicago magazine about Guanajuato, featuring Tanya as the trusty tour guide. Originally from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Tanya is a longtime Chicago resident. The article touts Guanajuato as “the anti-spring break,” a different alternative to visiting Mexico than just heading to typical places such as Cancún….

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Benito Juárez!

0 · Mar 21, 2011 · 3 Comments

Feliz cumpleaños to one of Mexico’s most famous presidents, Benito Juárez, who was born on this day in 1806. This monument pictured above, gifted to the city of Chicago in 1977 by Mexican president José López Portillo, stands along Michigan Avenue in the Plaza of the Americas next door to the Wrigley Building and across the street from the Chicago Tribune.

Often regarded as Mexico’s greatest and most-loved leader, Juárez died of a heart attack in 1872. If you need to brush up on your Mexican history, read about Benito Juárez and what he did for the Mexican people both before and during his presidency. You might also be surprised to know that he spent a short time living in New Orleans from 1853-1854. Juárez came from a Zapotec family in Oaxaca and served in a variety of political positions during his career. Today, there are numerous monuments and locations dedicated or named in his honor. In Mexico City, the international airport is just one of many, many locations named after Juárez.

Check out some additional photos and details about the Chicago monument on the Public Art in Chicago blog.

Do you know of a monument or location dedicated to Benito Juárez? Leave a comment with where it’s located!

Cuaresma means Lent

17 · Mar 21, 2011 · Leave a Comment

I’ve been meaning to write here since Ash Wednesday, which begins the Catholic season of Cuaresma, or Lent. For the non-Catholics visiting who need a primer, Lent lasts for 40 days beginning Ash Wednesday and ending Easter Sunday. And if you’re doing a little math in your head right now and have figured out that there are actually 46 days, here’s why we say Lent is only 40 days: Sundays don’t count according to the church’s calendar.

In Mexico, as well as in many other countries, it’s common for Catholics to abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays throughout Lent, though some observe meatless Fridays year-round. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are also supposed to be fasting days, during which Catholic adults eat only one full meal. Though, depending on who you ask, you might find some who fast on all Fridays during Lent. You may also be familiar with the practice of Catholics giving things up for Lent – and perhaps you’ve wondered what that’s all about. Fasting and giving up vices during Lent are a way for Catholics to connect to Jesus, making a sacrifice that is supposed to help us understand his suffering. Ideally, we aren’t just giving up sin during Lent, but abstaining from sin after Lent as well. For example, giving up your favorite dulces (a particularly popular item for children to give up) but then going back to eating them after Lent is over is not really how it’s supposed to work….

Wordless Wednesday: Garabatos

1 · Mar 2, 2011 · 6 Comments

We’ve been talking a lot about guilty pleasures since last week and there have been many great answers about your favorite Mexican guilty pleasures in the comments, on our Facebook fan page and sent to me on Twitter.

But one that nobody has mentioned and I feel is extremely worthy of the title is a little cookie called the garabato. So please forgive me, but we’re about to get a little wordy this Wordless Wednesday because these galletas are worth knowing more about!

They’re made with two shortbread cookies, a smooth dark chocolate fudge center and drizzled with dark chocolate. Paired with a café con leche, it’s like pure cookie bliss. And they come in two sizes, mini and regular. Or, as I like to say: naughty and extra naughty. Why? Because I’m certain these cookies are loaded with butter and sugar, which is why they are such a delicious temptation to begin with. I may actually attempt making them in the Tortilla Test Kitchen later this year – there’s only so long I can go with a craving before I must satisfy it, even if it means experimenting in the kitchen!

The establishment that sells these amazing little treats is, appropriately, called Garabatos, and besides having an array of artisan pastries (I’m also a big fan of the dedo de novia, a tube-shaped sort of baklava) they also have a cafe menu with typical botanas, sandwiches, salads and the like.

On our last trip to Mexico, José was craving garabatos before he even arrived. Since I got there a few days in advance, I picked up a small box with a dozen mini garabatos just for him. I’m not going to incriminate myself here and tell you how many trips we made to Garabatos over the few weeks we were visiting, but let’s just say we had our fair share. On the day we headed back home to Chicago, I found a Garabatos in the airport and I had to have one last fix. As you can see from the photo, I couldn’t even wait to photograph my treat before taking the first (er, and second) bite.

Have you had garabatos?

Wordless Wednesday: La Iguana

0 · Feb 16, 2011 · 2 Comments

When we were vacationing in Huatulco this past December, we found our hotel had another kind of guest… It’s hard to tell from the photo, but this iguana was rather large and lived in a little sinkhole between the grass and the concrete along the path to our room.

Each morning, the hotel staff set fruits and vegetables by the opening to the iguana’s little cave. José tried to bribe his sister with $200 USD to stick her fingers into the cave but her answer was “¡ni de chiste!” and rightly so.

Still, we were all fascinated with this iguana – who seemed to be molting quite a bit and the end of his tail was bare, which really gave me the willies when I saw him crawling around – and he was a topic of daily discussion during our visit.

What kind of animals have you seen in Mexico that you don’t normally get to see where you live?

Wordless Wednesday: The Best Carnitas in Mexico

1 · Feb 9, 2011 · 10 Comments

When I dream about carnitas – and yes, I do dream about carnitas – this is the place where I’m always eating. This little hole in the wall has the best carnitas in Mexico City, if not in the entire country, according to José.

I’m not about to challenge his ruling (after all, he is the king of carnitas), and though I’ve not eaten them in every state yet, I will say that Rincón Tarasco has the best carnitas I’ve ever eaten in my life.

Be sure to get there plenty early, though, or else risk them having nothing left but riñones. They’re only open until they sell out of everything and then they close to prepare for the next day all over again.

Those truly dedicated to their carnitas know to show up around 10 a.m. to have the best pick of available meat. They’re closed on Tuesdays.

VISIT RINCÓN TARASCO:

Av. Martí No. 142 K
Col. Escandón
Distrito Federal, México

Where is your favorite place in Mexico to eat carnitas?

Eating strawberries on the highway in Irapuato

3 · Feb 8, 2011 · 8 Comments

I can’t help but feel a little jealous. This past weekend my suegros and my cuñada took a road trip from Mexico City to visit Abuelita Ana in Aguascalientes. I’m jealous for two reasons: one obviously being that they spent time with abue, whom I absolutely adore, but two, that they stopped for strawberries in Irapuato on the way back to El D.F. yesterday.

One of my favorite things from our road trip to Aguascalientes this past summer for abue‘s 90th birthday was the quaint little strawberry stands alongside the carretera in Irapuato. It was my first time road-tripping anywhere more than a a few hours outside of Mexico City, and I absolutely loved being able to see so much of the countryside, passing through towns I had previously only ever read about or heard about in stories from family members….

Wordless Wednesday: La Pirámide del Sol

0 · Feb 2, 2011 · 2 Comments

Almost two years ago, I climbed my way to the top of the Pirámide del Sol at Teotihuacán for the very first time. I had dreamed of visiting these ancient pyramids, once the site of a powerful pre-Hispanic empire, ever since I first read about them as a child.

My suegro and my cuñada were brave enough to indulge me that summer when I came to Mexico to visit family all by myself and practically begged them to take me.

Reaching the top was a feat I thought impossible when I stood at the bottom looking up, and I had to rest at each level on the way up and assure myself I could make it up there. The steps are deceivingly steep and with little to hold on to to brace yourself, it can be sort of daunting to someone who isn’t used to climbing. But as I slowly made my way up the pyramid, there were little old ladies and women toting newborn babies in their arms passing me on their quest to reach the top. I knew I had to keep going.

And when I finally made it to the top, it took my breath away. I felt truly alive. And immensely proud that I’d managed to climb to the top – despite my shaky knees.

Have you ever climbed the pyramids at Teotihuacán?

In search of percebes in Oaxaca

1 · Feb 1, 2011 · 7 Comments

When we were in Huatulco, José had his mind set on finding one kind of marine life: percebes. Known as goose or gooseneck barnacles in English, these crustaceans are filter-feeders. They’re a well-known and widely-consumed shellfish, particularly in Portugal and Spain since they’re commercially harvested off the northern coast of Spain near Galicia.

They’re also imported from Canada, and there’s actually a percebes fishery on West Vancouver Island that operates under sustainability guidelines.

If you go looking for this gourmet delight, though, it’ll cost you. I’ve seen them being sold by a few different gourmet food purveyors on the internet for about $15 USD per ounce, sold in a 5.3 ounce can that holds between 15-20 percebes each. So imagine finding these little barnacles in nature – José said it was like finding gold!

Being that I’m allergic to shellfish, I can’t eat these little guys but I sure did enjoy watching José and his dad scouring the rocks in the ocean in Huatulco looking for them. This photo was taken on the second to last day of our trip and when they spotted the percebes, they were unable to contain their excitement!

Check out this post from Eating With Jack on the proper way to eat percebes.

Have you ever eaten percebes?

Wordless Wednesday: Xochimilco

0 · Jan 26, 2011 · 7 Comments

I love this photo that my dear friend, Ana Flores, took of me capturing memories of Xochimilco with my little point and shoot camera on my most recent trip to Mexico City in December 2010. I had so much fun spending the day with Ana and her family while we floated down the canals listening to live mariachi music, eating botanitas, drinking refrescos and enjoying the scenery.

I’m working on editing some video footage into a short film to share with you soon about what it’s like to visit these ancient waterways that were once very important to Mexico City’s agricultural transport system. I can’t wait to share it because it brings back such wonderful, warm memories of Mexico City for me. There’s nothing like sharing these cultural traditions with the people you love.

Have you been to Xochimilco or are you hoping to go someday? Tell us what you know about it, or what you’d like to know about it!

CROCK-POT COCHINITA PIBIL

65 · Jan 24, 2011 · 27 Comments

Cochinita pibil is a traditional dish from the state of Yucatán that’s cooked in an oven made inside a hole in the ground (called a pib). But did you know you can make a really good version of this dish in a slow-cooker?

When I found out that January was National Slow-Cooking Month, I knew exactly what recipe I was going to adapt for Crock-Pot cooking. I’ve always wanted to test my theory that cochinita pibil can be done in a slow-cooker, so the fact that it was a nationally recognized month-long culinary holiday-of-sorts was the perfect chance to take on the challenge.

Yes, we’ve posted a recipe here before for cochinita, but let me tell you why this one is different. We’re using a different cut of meat (boneless country-style pork ribs), an easy spice mix made from scratch (no achiote paste in brick-form here), and as with most slow-cooker recipes, you can set it and forget it, making it relatively hassle-free compared to the traditional method of making cochinita pibil.

If you’re making it for guests, you can still serve it wrapped in warm banana leaves to impress them. Just check out our original recipe for cochinita pibil for directions on how to heat the banana leaves so they’re pliable.

And finally, we’re not going to serve our cochinita pibil as a taco like you might expect–we’re going to serve them on tostadas.

This dish can also be served as panuchos by putting the refried black beans inside little tortillas, frying before adding the meat, salsa and any garnishes on top, but trust me when I say store-bought tostadas are going to save you a lot of time. Plus, this recipe is a bit healthier because we’re leaving the frying out. If you can’t find small tostadas or picaditas at your grocery store, you can make your own by either heating corn tortillas in the oven until they’re dry and crispy, or you can get the same result by cooking them longer on your comal.

But before we move on to the recipe, let’s talk a little about what a slow-cooker (or Crock-Pot) actually is so there’s no confusion because I often get asked if a slow cooker is the same as a pressure cooker. (The answer is no. In fact, they’re opposites.) A slow-cooker is a counter-top electric device that you plug in and usually has a removable glazed ceramic or porcelain pot, surrounded by a heat-conducting housing. They typically have two cooking settings: low or high, and a keep warm setting. Some of the more expensive slow-cookers have more options for controlling the heat as well as a timer with an automatic-shut off.

The point of a slow cooker is to cook things with steady low, moist heat which makes it ideal for soups, stews and cooking meats that you want to be fork-tender, but without all the fuss of watching it constantly. The lid of the slow cooker typically has a small vent in order to let some of the steam escape and can be removed during the cooking process to stir the ingredients if needed.

So now that you know the difference, let’s get slow-cooking.

What marinating the meat looks like:

Crock-Pot Cochinita Pibil

Yield: 3 1/2 cups of meat

Use your Crock-Pot or slow-cooker for a no-fuss, easy-cleanup variation of a classic Yucatan favorite, cochinita pibil. Tip: Serve on mini tostadas for a perfect party-treat!

Ingredients

Meat and marinade:
1 1/2 pounds country-style boneless pork ribs
1 cup fresh lime juice (about 10 medium-large limes)
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 of a large red onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices
Spices:
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 teaspoon ground achiote
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon whole Mexican oregano
Salsa:
1/2 of a large red onion, sliced into small strips
juice of 1 large orange
juice of 2 large limes
1 roasted habanero chile, finely chopped
For tostadas:
1 package of small tostadas or picaditas
1 cup refried black beans

Instructions

THE NIGHT BEFORE: MARINATING THE MEAT - Start by squeezing the fresh lime juice and orange juice. Once you have the juice, put it in a medium to large glass bowl and add the crushed garlic. It's important to use glass rather than metal/stainless steel or plastic because glass is non-reactive and non-corrosive.
Combine all the dry spices and mix well; then add vinegar and olive oil. Stir to incorporate the liquids and add to the glass bowl with the citrus juices and garlic. Stir well and add the pork to the bowl, making sure it’s completely covered by the juice. Cover and allow it to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
Making the salsa: Slice 1/2 of a large red onion into small strips and mix it with the juice of 1 orange and 2 limes. Roast one habanero on your comal or in a skillet, remove the stem (and seeds if you want to reduce some of the heat), and finely chop. Add the habanero to the salsa. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator overnight.
THE DAY OF: Slice the remaining half onion into quarter-inch thick slices and place them on the bottom of the crock-pot. Remove the meat and marinade from the refrigerator and place the meat over the onions. Pour all the juice over the meat.
Place the lid on the crock-pot and cook on high for 5 hours (or on low for 8-9 hours). You should NOT rush and cook this recipe on high heat for half the time - it doesn't work that way! You'll end up with tough meat.
You’ll know it’s finished cooking when you remove a piece of meat from the crock-pot and can shred it with a fork without much effort. Shred all the pork. Place the meat in a bowl and add a little juice from the Crock-Pot to keep the meat moist.
Heat the tostadas in the oven at 200º F for a few minutes. Spread warm refried black beans on the tostadas. Add the shredded pork on top of the beans and spoon some of the habanero salsa and onions on top of the pork.

https://theothersideofthetortilla.com/2011/01/crock-pot-cochinita-pibil-panuchos-yucatecos/

GARIBALDI

37 · Jan 21, 2011 · 39 Comments

By now, you all know about my deeply rooted love for pan dulce, especially for a particular chochito-covered panque from El Globo called el garibaldi. In fact, El Globo is credited as the original maker of garibaldi, a little pound cake bathed in apricot jam and covered in white nonpareils. Many bakeries in Mexico try to emulate these little magical cakes, but nobody makes them quite like El Globo.

During our trips to Mexico City, we’ve always purchased them fresh to eat for breakfast. With a little café con leche, I can’t imagine a better way to start a day. On one occasion, we carefully wrapped a few to bring home with us to Chicago, but sadly they got slightly smashed in our carry-on luggage and from then on, we decided they didn’t travel well. And after eating garibaldi on countless visits to Mexico City, I returned from our most recent trip with a serious mission: to spend time in the test kitchen trying to recreate them so I wouldn’t have to wait until my next trip to Mexico to eat them. Looking at my calendar, five months is a long time – too long, if you ask me – to deny myself one of my favorite sweet treats….

Wordless Wednesday: Yo <3 Los Tacos

0 · Jan 5, 2011 · 1 Comment

I spotted this bumper sticker on the back of a motorcycle parked at a taquería in Mexico City in December 2010. If you know where I can get one, let me know!

Best of The Tortilla from 2010

0 · Jan 3, 2011 · 4 Comments

Today we’re headed back to Chicago and la vida diaria, but so we don’t skip a beat while traveling, we’ve prepared a few lists, based on you, the readers, and what you loved most on The Other Side of The Tortilla in 2010. Click on the photos below to visit each recipe or story.

And don’t forget, for more homemade Tortilla goodness, a glimpse at what’s cooking in the Tortilla Test Kitchen and exclusive giveaways for fans, LIKE us on Facebook!

TOP 3 BEVERAGES/BEBIDAS

TOP 3 RECIPES/RECETAS

TOP 3 TRAVEL STORIES/CUENTOS DE VIAJE

TOP 3 VIDEOS

We hope you’ll find something new that you may have missed or that you rediscover a recipe or story you may have already read. If your favorite post isn’t listed here, let us know in the comments what you liked best. Also, please feel free to leave a comment with what you’d like to see in 2011!

Wordless Wednesday: Snorkeleando

1 · Dec 29, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Snorkeleando in Huatulco with my new friend, travel and food writer Cynthia Fuertes, who is a friend of my cuñada‘s. Obviously, we had plenty to talk about! (And in case you’re wondering, yes, the verb ‘to snorkel’ is ‘snorkelear’ in Spanish.) We saw an amazing variety of colorful fish and other sea life; it was so stunning! It was Cynthia’s first time snorkeleando and she loved it, and my cuñada and I had fun showing her the ropes. Stay tuned for some underwater photos and video from our excursion soon.

Where’s your favorite place to go snorkeling in Mexico?

¡Feliz Navidad!

0 · Dec 25, 2010 · 6 Comments

Sending you warm wishes for a Feliz Navidad

from Las Bahías de Huatulco, Oaxaca, México

As my regalito to you, I bring you the sounds of the ocean …

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TRv4Psl04o[/youtube]…

Wordless Wednesday: Ingredients for La Navidad

1 · Dec 22, 2010 · 1 Comment

I went to the supermercado with my suegra a few days ago and saw these three things next to each other in the produce section. Nothing says La Navidad like guayabas, tejocotes and caña in a little ponche navideño, ¿Verdad? And it’s perfect to keep you warm at any posada.

What do you see in the grocery store that makes your mouth water at Christmastime?

Cuando te toca el tráfico…

0 · Dec 21, 2010 · 1 Comment

Mexico City is notorious for its horrible traffic, but especially so right before the holidays. This past Sunday evening, we went out to run a few errands and on the way home we hit a horrible spot of traffic because Avenida Revolución was closed for a big stretch due to a caravana de Coca-Cola, a Christmas parade sponsored by Coca-Cola. The streets were suddenly flooded with parents and children and an incredible quantity of peddlers making cotton candy right on the street. We eventually had to turn around and go miles out of the way to cross Revolución in an area where the parade wasn’t going to reach, so we spent more than an hour in traffic just trying to cross one thoroughfare.

And with the traffic here comes the constant variety of horn noises. If you think you’ve heard horn-honking in the U.S., I can assure you what you know is nothing compared to the claxons in Mexico. In fact, there’s even an iPhone app called Claxons Mexico that has 12 different sounds with horn noises very common to Mexico City. To be honest, José and I have only ever heard about half of them, but they’re all pretty funny. When I showed the app to my suegro he was definitely amused with it!

Anyhow, while stuck in traffic last week, I found myself next to a delivery truck full of Boing in glass bottles. It took everything in me to not get out of the car and grab one! You can sort of see at the bottom of the picture that on the lower shelves of the truck were empties with popotes (straws) still in them. This is one of those photos that I tuck away in my mind as a recuerdito of my times in Mexico.

Have you experienced Mexico City traffic? What do you do when stuck in traffic?

How to Celebrate Las Posadas Navideñas

52 · Dec 17, 2010 · 10 Comments

Las posadas navideñas are the nine days of annual Christmas celebrations that culminate with a big celebration on Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve, in Mexico.

The nine days symbolize each of the months that Mary was pregnant, and that’s also why Christmas Eve is more celebrated in Mexico than Christmas Day like in many other countries.

Posadas often include traditional foods and drinks, especially things like tamales and ponche navideño. There are many different ways to make ponche, and each family does something different. Another holiday favorite of mine is rompope, an eggnog-like drink that comes from the famous nuns of Puebla, located about two hours outside of Mexico City.

From hosting las posadas to putting out nativity scenes, and making preparations for Noche Buena and La Navidad, here are some of the ways families in Mexico celebrate the holidays.

Food and drink for celebrating Las Posadas

There are lots of typical dishes and drinks served during the holiday season in Mexico. From ponche navideño and rompope to champurrado and chocolate caliente, there’s a warm drink to make everyone’s belly happy. Tamales, pozole, ensalada de Noche Buena, turkey, bacalao, buñuelos, cookies, and more make the holidays the best time to become acquainted with the rich traditions of Christmastime in Mexico.

Ponche navideño

Mexican Christmas punch, called ponche navideño, is a stewed, warm drink that is served during las posadas, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and even through Día de Los Reyes Magos.

Every family makes their ponche a little differently. Some are made with jamaica (hibiscus flowers) or tamarindo.

Rompope: Mexican eggnog

Rompope (pronounced “roam-poh-pay”) is a Mexican version of eggnog made with milk, Mexican cinnamon, Mexican vanilla, egg yolks, sugar, aguardiente (cane sugar liquor) and sometimes nutmeg.

Rompope, also known as Mexican eggnog, served with holiday treats next to poinsettia flowers

Meaning of the piñata

The piñata is also a staple of posadas, and everyone from the youngest to the oldest gets a turn to try to break it. Piñatas are traditionally shaped like a star with seven cones, and the cones represent the seven deadly sins.

Piñatas are an important part of any posada. Find this and more about Christmas in Mexico at theothersideofthetortilla.com.

The custom of being blindfolded while hitting the piñata is supposed to symbolize one’s faith, and the stick used to hit the piñata is supposed to symbolize virtue. And traditionally, the piñata is made of an olla de barro, a clay pot, covered in paper maché and decorated with colorful tissue paper and streamers.

A piñata is used to celebrate Las Posadas in Mexico. Visit theothersideofthetortilla.com for more information on how to celebrate this holiday.

Many people still fill their piñata with fruit such as tejocotes, oranges, and guavas, or cane sugar sticks and nuts but it is also common to fill it with candies such as tamarindo or even modern candies like one of my favorites, a strawberry jelly and marshmallow candy bar covered in chocolate called Bubu Lubu.

Song for hitting the piñata

Below are the lyrics to the piñata song, “Dale, dale dale” which is sung during each person’s turn to hit the piñata.

Dale, dale, dale , no pierdas el tino
porque si lo pierdes, pierdes el camino.
Ya le diste una, ya le diste dos, ya le diste tres, ¡y tu tiempo se acabo!

Song for Las Posadas

The “peregrinos” sing verse A and the “innkeepers” sing verse B.

Celebrating las posadas navideñas in Mexico: Traditional song lyrics for posadas. Find this and more about Christmas in Mexico at theothersideofthetortilla.com.

Canción para pedir posada

1a. En el nombre del cielo os pido posada, pues no puede andar mi esposa amada.
1b. Aqui no es mesón, sigan adelante. Yo no debo abrir, no sea algún tunante.

1a. No seas inhumano, tennos caridad, que el Dios de los cielos te lo premiará.
1b. Ya se pueden ir y no molestar, porque si me enfado os voy a apalear.

2a. Venimos rendidos desde Nazarét, yo soy carpintero de nombre José.
2b. No me importa el nombre, déjenme dormir, pues que yo les digo que no hemos de abrir.

2a. Posada te pido, amado casero, por sólo una noche la Reina del Cielo.
2b. Pues si es una reina quien lo solicita, ¿Cómo es que de noche anda tan solita?

3a. Mi esposa es María, es Reina del Cielo y madre va a ser del Divino Verbo.
3b. ¿Eres tú José? ¿Tú esposa es María? Entren, peregrinos, no los conocía.

3a. Dios pague, señores, nuestra caridad, y que os colme el cielo de felicidad.
3b. ¡Dichosa la casa la casa que alberga este día a la Virgen pura! ¡La hermosa María!

Then the peregrinos enter and the tune changes while all sing.

Entren, Santos Peregrinos, reciban este rincón, que aunque es pobre la morada, os la doy de corazón.

Cantemos con alegría, alegría, todos al considerar
Que Jesús, José y María, y María, nos vinieron hoy a honerar.

Nacimientos and decorations

It is very common to see nacimientos, or nativity scenes, displayed as decorations in homes, businesses, stores and outdoors in Mexico. There are all types of materials they can be made from, such as corn husks, wood, or even aluminum.

My mother-in-law has a beautiful nacimiento made of corn husks that she displays every year at Christmastime.

Mexican nativity scene made of corn husks

This one below was an outdoor nativity scene at a Mexican resort we spent the holidays visiting.

What to order at El Borrego Viudo in Mexico City

5 · Dec 16, 2010 · 2 Comments

Yesterday for a late breakfast we drove all the way to José’s favorite place for carnitas, only to find that all they had left were maciza (the “white meat” with no fat or bone), hígado (liver) and riñones (kidneys) – which was not exactly what we were hoping to eat. Unfortunately, when you arrive later in the morning, you risk them running out of the best parts. So we turned around and headed back to the car and resolved to show up earlier another day.

We hadn’t eaten breakfast in anticipation of eating carnitas, so we were starving. The friend we brought with us recommended another taquería not too far away called El Borrego Viudo, or The Widowed Sheep, which is supposedly one of the best taquerías in Mexico City, especially after a night of drinking.

There are only seven items on the menu: al pastor, suadero, longaniza, sesos, lengua, cabeza and tepache (a drink made of fermented pineapple and sugar).

We stuffed our panzas with tacos de suadero, longaniza and al pastor, and drank an apple-flavored soda called Sidral Aga. According to Chilango magazine, it’s the taquería’s red salsa that people love the most but the truth is that José and I didn’t think it was anything phenomenal. What was phenomenal though was the longaniza, which was perfectly spicy and not greasy at all….

Wordless Wednesday: Atole y Coyotas

0 · Dec 15, 2010 · 4 Comments

Last night I ate dinner at Merendera Las Lupitas, one of our favorite spots to eat in Mexico City. My favorite part was what came at the end of the meal: an atole and coyotas, which are a traditional dessert that originated in Sonora. They’re usually made with masa harina de trigo and stuffed with piloncillo. The coyotas at Las Lupitas are the best I’ve ever had. I’ll see if I can’t get my hands on a recipe to share with you soon. For more on atoles, check out my recipe for champurrado, an atole made with chocolate. And if you’re visiting Mexico City, you can find Las Lupitas right off of the Plaza Santa Catarina in the Coyoacán neighborhood.

What’s your favorite kind of atole? Have you ever had coyotas?