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You are here: Home / RESOURCES / Mexican Christmas Traditions

Mexican Christmas Traditions

Pan de muerto

4 · Oct 5, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Pan de muerto is a yeasted sweet bread perfumed with orange blossom water or orange zest and dusted with a sugar topping. This pan dulce is typically eaten to celebrate Day of the Dead and is also given as an offering on altars for Día de los Muertos.

close up of Mexican pan de muerto on a baking sheet

In fact, the most common offering on an altar for Día de los Muertos, aka Day of the Dead, is pan de muerto (literally: “bread of the dead”). Alongside other items included in the ofrenda, the bread is intended to honor the souls of our loved ones who return to visit us and give them nourishment. Other items on the altar may include food and drinks loved by the deceased, trinkets and other symbolic offerings such as marigold flowers (known in Spanish as cempazuchitl), sugar skulls, papel picado, candles and more. You can read more about the symbolic elements of the altar in my post about How to Celebrate Day of The Dead. This holiday is celebrated on November 2, known to Catholics as All Souls’ Day.

Mexican Day of the Dead altar with pan de muerto and other symbolic elements

Pan de muerto represents an earthly gift and the generosity of the host. The bread dough contains orange blossom water and is often topped with sugar or sesame seeds, depending on the region of Mexico. The dough decorating the top represents bones.

Depending on the region of Mexico you visit this time of year, you may notice that there are other forms this bread can take such as little people, dolls or half-moons. The traditional shape is round with the dough arranged on the top to represent bones. The dough ingredients may also vary slightly according to region, sometimes containing anise seeds or orange zest. In Mexico City, the sugar topping is the most popular. Some areas of Mexico use pink or red sugar, but the most common is plain, uncolored sugar.

In the past, it was common for pan de muerto to be sold in panaderías only a few days prior to Día de los Muertos, but with the growing interest in the holiday outside of Mexico and modern supply and demand marketing, you’re likely to see pan de muerto in grocery stores and some bakeries in Mexico City as early as late August and early September. Even for those who don’t actually celebrate the holiday, it’s common to buy pan de muerto to consume this time of year.

Mexican pan de muerto fresh from the oven on a baking sheet sitting atop a cooling rack

The pan de muerto form you see pictured here is the most common you’ll find in Mexico City; the round base represents a grave mound covering the coffin, the dough shaped like bones represents the arms and legs, and the ball of dough on top represents the skull. The bread itself is made from the same masa bizcocho dough that is used to make conchas, roles de canela, pan de anís, novias, chilindrinas, rebanadas and other similar types of Mexican pan dulce.

You might also like: A-Z Guide to Mexican Pan Dulce

In Oaxaca, the base of pan de muerto is made with their traditional pan de yema, and is sometimes adorned with sesame seeds. In other areas of Mexico, this bread carries other names and has more elaborate decoration as well.

This recipe can make 6 small individual rolls, 4 medium individual rolls, or 2 large pan de muerto breads for sharing with up to 4 people. If you want to make this recipe as one large bread, you may need to adjust the baking time by adding a few minutes.

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Breakfast and Brunch, Day of The Dead, Pan dulce, Recipe "pan de muerto", Day of the Dead, Día de Los Muertos, pan dulce

Authentic Elotes Locos

3 · Sep 10, 2020 · 1 Comment

This shop has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #McCormickMayonesa #MayonesaAtKroger 

Elotes locos are a variation on the traditional elotes sold by street vendors, but dressed with a spicy topping on the outside.

corn cobs covered in butter, mayonnaise, crushed spicy corn chips and cotija cheese, on a blue and white talavera plate, surrounded by limes

Traditional elotes, also known as Mexican street corn, are either grilled or boiled and then slathered with mayonnaise and sprinkled with chile powder and cotija cheese. Mexican street corn sold in a cup is called either elote en vaso or esquites.

What makes this version called elotes locos (literally: crazy corn) is actually the fuego-flavored hot corn chip crumbs they’re rolled in. But in general, any topping that is not the traditional version can be called elotes locos. These are a very popular snack among Mexico City street food stalls and roaming vendors, especially with teenagers! When we lived in Los Angeles, they were also easy to find at small Mexican family-owned food businesses, street cart vendors, food trucks and even at some restaurants that cater to Mexican customers or mainstream customers who love Mexican food.

Since we moved back to Chicago from Los Angeles, I do a lot of my shopping at Mariano’s because they have a great selection of my favorite Mexican products, and they even stock my McCormick® Mayonesa with Lime Juice, which I use for making these elotes locos. Flavored mayos are HUGE in Mexico, and McCormick® Mayonesa with Lime Juice is the O.G.!

What’s also great about using a flavored mayonnaise in this recipe is that there’s no added moisture from lime juice since it’s already in there. This means the consistency of the mayonnaise suspends the chip crumb coating without making it soggy.

McCormick Mayonesa with lime juice on a marble countertop with a lime leaning against the jar and corn cobs in the background

Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe

This recipe is very simple and I purchased all my ingredients at Mariano’s, which is part of the Kroger family of stores. You should be able to easily find all the ingredients at just about any grocery store.

Butter – I prefer salted butter for this recipe, but you can swap for unsalted butter if you prefer. The way it melts and emulsifies with the mayonnaise is pure magic.

McCormick® Mayonesa with Lime Juice – This mayonnaise comes with the lime juice already built in for a tangy twist that brightens the flavor. If you’ve ever eaten this product in Mexico, you’ll be happy to know that it’s the same exact formula and is imported from Mexico.

Cotija cheese – This dry, aged salty cheese has a strong flavor and aroma, similar to parmesan cheese (but its consistency is different). Look for either a whole block of cotija you can crumble by hand or one that’s already grated or crumbled into little pebbles. You don’t want to use cotija that’s grated so fine that it resembles sawdust.

Fuego-flavored spicy corn chips – You can choose whatever fuego-flavored hot and spicy corn chips you like best. The idea is to crush them down to a crumb so you can roll the corn in it after you’ve covered it in salted butter and McCormick® Mayonesa with Lime Juice.

How to make elotes locos

Start by preparing your corn. Make sure you remove as much of the corn silk as possible. A vegetable brush is a great tool to do this, but if you don’t have one, you can rub the corn ear with your hands under running water.

You’re going to also get all your ingredients out in advance and have them ready to go, as once you pull the corn out of the boiling water, you want to finish dressing them as quickly as possible so they’re still warm while you eat it.

I recommend that you bring your butter to room temperature ahead of time, or microwave it in 15-second increments until soft, but not melted.

There are two ways to get your fuego-flavored hot corn chips down to a crumb state: you can either put them in a zip-top bag and crush them by hand, or pulse them in your food processor. Either way is fine depending on what tools you have in your kitchen! Mix your hot corn chip crumbs and cotija cheese while the corn is cooking to make application easy.

Once your corn comes out of the pot, you’ll want to also have a pair of kitchen tongs handy. Turn the corn cob on one side and use a sharp knife to cut a half-inch X-shaped slit in the middle of the cob. This will allow you to easily insert the popsicle stick handles.

Aluminum foil is my secret weapon for assembling elotes locos without making a big mess! Put the foil down on your countertop, put the cooked corn on top of it, add the butter and McCormick® Mayonesa with Lime Juice and turn the corn cobs against each other to help evenly distribute the ingredients and make sure they’re fully covered.

Then all that’s left to do is roll each corn cob in the chip crumb and cotija cheese mixture and you’re ready to eat!

Corn cobs covered in McCormick Mayonesa with lime juice, spicy corn chip crumbs and cotija cheese, sitting on a blue and white talavera plate on top of a white dish towel and surrounded by a mayonnaise jar and limes

PRO TIP: If you don’t like to eat the corn straight off the cob, you can also make this recipe following all the directions and then turn the corn upside down with the popsicle stick handle facing up, and cut the corn off the cob with a serrated knife onto a plate or into a bowl.

For more ideas on how to use McCormick® Mayonesa with Lime Juice to liven up your recipes and to find it at a store near you, visit mccormick.com.

Mexican elotes locos on a blue and white talavera plate on top of a white kitchen towel surrounded by a mayonnaise jar and limes
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Authentic Elotes Locos

  • Author: Maura Wall Hernandez
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 6-7 minutes
  • Total Time: 27 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Snacks
  • Cuisine: Mexican
  • Diet: Vegetarian
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Description

This easy version of Mexican street corn called elotes locos gets its name from the spicy corn chip crumb coating.


Scale

Ingredients

  • 4 ears of corn
  • 1 cup spicy corn chips, such as fuego-flavored
  • 2 tablespoons grated or crumbled cotija cheese
  • 2 tablespoons salted butter, divided
  • 4 tablespoons McCormick® Mayonesa with Lime Juice, divided

You’ll also need:

  • 4 popsicle sticks

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. While you’re waiting for it to boil, clean your ears of corn so they’re free of corn silk.
  2. Once the water has come to a boil, add your 4 ears of corn and boil for 6-7 minutes. Do NOT salt the water – this will make the corn kernels tough rather than plump and juicy.
  3. While the corn is boiling, crush corn chips in a bag or in a food processor until they’re in a medium-fine crumb. Transfer to a dish and mix with 2 tablespoons grated or crumbled cotija cheese until well incorporated.
  4. Once the corn is done, remove it from the water and transfer to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, make an X-shaped cut on one end of each ear and insert a popsicle stick for the handle.
  5. After all your popsicle sticks are inserted, transfer 2 ears of corn to a square of aluminum foil and add 1 tablespoon of butter in the middle of the 2 ears. Rotate the cobs against each other by the popsicle stick handles until they’re fully coated in butter. Repeat with the remaining 2 ears of corn.
  6. Add 2 tablespoons of Mayonesa between 2 ears of corn and rotate the cobs against each other to evenly distribute. Repeat with the remaining Mayonesa and corn.
  7. In the dish with the corn chip mixture, roll each corn cob by the handle to fully coat each one.
  8. Serve immediately while still warm.

Notes

These do not reheat well, as storing them in the refrigerator will make the chip crumb coating soggy. It’s best to eat these immediately after preparing.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 ear of corn

Keywords: corn, elotes, elotes locos, McCormick® Mayonesa with Lime Juice

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @maurahernandez on Instagram and hashtag it #TOSOTT

Enjoy this recipe? You might also like my recipe for homemade chipotle mayonnaise.

Recipe, Snacks elote, vegetarian

Spicy mango gummies

40 · Aug 14, 2020 · 1 Comment

These spicy mango gummies are an easy recipe to rival any Mexican street vendor, mercado or candy shop with a sweet, sour and spicy treat made in your own kitchen!

Mexicans LOVE candy that’s a combo of sweet, sour and spicy. If you need evidence, look no further than candies such as Pica fresas or ositos enchilados (spicy gummy bears). While living in LA, I came across a lot of vendors and Mexican treat shops that sold their own spicy gummies, so I quickly figured out how to make my own at home.

orange mango gummmies arranged on a white marble surface around a plastic container filled with spicy mango gummies dressed with Tajín and chamoy
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Dessert, Recipe tajín

Spanish tinto de verano

5 · Jul 12, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Tinto de verano is a popular wine drink originally from Spain. This modernized version includes fruit-forward red wine, sweet vermouth, and orange and lemon or lime soda.

Originally made with equal parts red wine and sour lime soda, this wine spritzer cocktail made its way to Mexico thanks to well-traveled Mexicans during the 1960s and today is available on many restaurant and bar menus, especially in trendy neighborhoods of Mexico City such as La Condesa and Roma.

Tinto de verano red wine spritzer cocktail in blue rimmed Mexican glasses with orange slices floating on top
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Cocktails, Recipe

Instant Pot pinto beans

3 · Mar 29, 2020 · Leave a Comment

This easy, no-soak recipe for Mexican-style Instant Pot pinto beans will have your beans on the table in less than an hour, tasting just as good as the slow-cooked version you grew up with.

You’re probably used to cooking frijoles de la olla for hours on the stove-top, or even using a slow-cooker for making Crock-Pot frijoles de la olla (one of the all-time most popular recipes on this blog). With just a handful of simple ingredients and the no-soak method, these Mexican-style Instant Pot pinto beans will be on the table in no time.

While the slow-cooked beans are great, most of us don’t always have the time to wait to feed our families. Enter the glorious invention known as the Instant Pot.

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frijoles/beans, Recipe, side dishes

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¡Bienvenidos!

Hi, I'm Maura Hernández. Welcome to my kitchen! I'm an award-winning food and travel blogger, recipe developer, and former journalist sharing my passion for all things Mexico. Married to a Chilango, I've traveled Mexico extensively over the last 14 years. Here, you'll find a mix of traditional and modern Mexican cooking, along with my advice on where to eat, stay and play on your visit to Mexico! READ MORE

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