Mexican Christmas Traditions

Wordless Wednesday: Garibaldi

6 · Jan 12, 2011 · 8 Comments

I've mentioned before my love for a bakery called El Globo - but by far my most favorite thing they sell are these precious little pastries called Garibaldi.

These little pound cakes, about the size of a muffin but without the top, are typically bathed in an apricot or raspberry marmalade and then rolled in white nonpareils (known as grageas in Spanish) for decoration. My favorite are the apricot-flavored.

Every time we visit, my suegra will pick up fresh Garibaldi for the day we want to eat them. They're great as a breakfast pastry or a dessert and they're the perfect treat because they aren't gooey or sticky, the cake is perfectly moist and they're not overly sweet.

I'm on a quest to learn how to make these at home this year because only being able to have them a few times a year is torture! I've dreamed about these little cakes and hopefully soon I'll have a recipe to share here, or at least a comic tale of marmalade-coating-gone-wrong.

What's your favorite Mexican pastry?

Feliz Día de Los Reyes

22 · Jan 6, 2011 · 5 Comments

Feliz Día de Los Reyes and Happy Three Kings Day; today is the holiday known as Epiphany, 12 days after Christmas and the day that the three wise men arrived in Bethlehem with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the baby Jesus.

In Mexico, one of the most common ways to celebrate this holiday is with a rosca de reyes, a sweet yeast-bread adorned with dried or candied fruits that have been soaked in rum or brandy and topped with a buttery and sugary paste akin to the topping on a concha roll.

Baked inside the cake is a tiny baby Jesus figurine, and whoever cuts the piece of cake with the baby Jesus inside is responsible for bringing tamales to the family's Día de la Candelaria (Candlemas) celebration on February 2. The figurine symbolizes the hiding of the baby Jesus from King Herod's men. Traditionally, the whole family gathers around the table to cut the cake while sipping on chocolate caliente, each person taking their turn until everyone gets a piece and until the baby Jesus figurine is found.

My favorite Rosca de Reyes (pictured here) comes from a bakery chain called El Globo, which I first got to know in Mexico City. Their traditional rosca is also made in an individual size and this year on my last day in Mexico, my suegra bought me one, wrapped it up and stuck it in my carry-on bag so I'd have a rosca to cut on Día de Los Reyes....

Wordless Wednesday: Yo <3 Los Tacos

1 · 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

4 · 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!

Nacimientos: The tradition of the nativity scene

18 · Jan 2, 2011 · 2 Comments

La Navidad has come and gone but Día de Los Reyes is only a few days away and I realized that we’ve never talked about nacimientos, or nativity scenes, here before! And every nativity scene has Los Reyes Magos, the three kings who brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus on the Epiphany, 12 days after Christmas.

Displaying a nativity scene at home is a storied tradition in Mexico, but nacimientos actually originated in Italy, thanks to Saint Francis of Assisi.

Here are two nacimientos belonging to our family. The figurines on the left are made from hojas de maiz, or corn husks, and belong to my suegra; the one on the right is made of wood with clay figurines and belongs to our Tía Leda.

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