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La Navidad

Christmas in Mexico: “Lalo y Santaclós”

0 · Dec 4, 2012 · 1 Comment

I was born with Christmas spirit, I think. And I’m a total sucker for organillo music. That’s why, when my cuñada introduced me to this cortometraje (short film) called “Lalo y Santaclós,” directed by Joseduardo Giordano, I immediately snapped into a holiday spirit mood.

This short film got me so excited about the sights and sounds of Christmastime in Mexico.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71QF9CvVsto[/youtube]

  • Do you have a favorite sight or sound in Mexico that makes you think of La Navidad? Share it with me in the comments.

Holidays Christmas, La Navidad

Turkey stuffing, Mexican-style

14 · Nov 19, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas, I’m always looking for a way to infuse Mexican ingredients into our family’s holiday traditions. I came up with this turkey stuffing recipe that’s a riff on my mom’s traditional turkey stuffing, but with a little kick from jalapeño chiles and soy chorizo (aka soyrizo).

…

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Holiday dish, Holidays, Recipe, side dishes, Vegetarian/Vegetariano chorizo, Christmas, La Navidad, soyrizo, Thanksgiving

Nochebuenas for Nochebuena

0 · Dec 24, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Check out these beautiful pink and white nochebuenas I spotted in the grocery store last week. They’re a variation of the traditional all-red poinsettias but just as lovely.

¡Feliz Navidad!

Holidays Christmas, Christmas Eve, flores, flowers, La Navidad, Nochebuena, nochebuenas, poinsettia

What Las Posadas mean to me

1 · Dec 16, 2011 · 5 Comments

December 16th begins Las Posadas, the nine days of celebration leading up to Christmas Eve, also known as Nochebuena.

It’s customary for families to gather together, eat, sing and have a piñata at the party. Sometimes people celebrate posadas by going from home to home, singing the traditional song to ask for lodging the way Mary and Joseph did. But whether you travel around to different homes or stay in one place, there are certain elements of your family’s posadas that you inevitably love more than anything else, and will always try to recreate as you grow older, and especially as you have children so you can teach them your family’s traditions.

For me, the most beloved posadas tradition is making ponche Navideño. Every year, even if I don’t have access to fresh ingredients, I do my best to find canned, jarred or frozen ingredients for the things I can’t easily find in the U.S. Even though I know I’ll have it when I get to Mexico, I feel it’s really important to perfect the recipe at home with available ingredients.

I want our future children to know that it’s a Mexican Christmas staple and always have memories of the smell and taste. I want them to think of love and family and La Navidad when they think of ponche, just the way that I do. I always look forward to spending time with family in Mexico City during the holidays, and I know there will always be an abundance of ponche Navideño. It’s present at almost every family gathering but the most special thing about it for me is that it’s become a family tradition to make it together with my suegros, whom I adore con todo corazón.

We stand around the kitchen, my suegro chopping the caña (sugar cane), while my suegra takes care with the liquid measurements. I slice the guayabas and juice the oranges, add the canela and core the tejocotes. And before a few years ago when I finally put it on paper, our family recipe wasn’t officially written down anywhere with any information other than what should go in it. Learning how to make this family recipe with my suegros meant a lot to me in being able to eventually pass down this tradition.

So, last week when I was grocery shopping in a store I don’t usually frequent and I found a box of fresh tejocotes, I had tears in my eyes as I stood in disbelief in the middle of the produce aisle. This was the very first time I’d ever seen fresh tejocotes in a market near Chicago (also grown in the U.S., according to the box). Tejocotes have long been prohibited from being imported fresh from Mexico as a precaution due to the possibility of harboring exotic pests. Only in recent years have there been growers in the U.S. (mostly in California) who’ve begun cultivating crops of tejocotes, also known in English as Mexican hawthorn. I was surprised and overjoyed to see them in a local store. Though I was tempted to buy the whole box, I painstakingly picked through it to find the most perfect ones to add up to half a pound, just enough for one large pot of ponche.

This year, our family is still headed off on a vacation together as usual, but not within Mexico. As excited as I am to go somewhere new and experience new things, I can’t help but feel a little sad that I won’t be attending Tía Annette’s big posada Navideña in Mexico City.

I’ll miss sipping ponche and café con rompope and eating galletas with my other tías while catching up on all the gossip I’ve missed since my last visit. I’ll miss our tío dangling the piñata over the garden for the kids from the second story window, laughing and smiling as he tugs it just out of their reach. I’ll miss seeing how much some of the younger cousins have grown up this past year. I’ll miss Tía Nene and her famous pastel de dátil (something I still need to learn how to make). I’ll miss the nochebuenas, which are much more beautiful and exotic-looking in their native Mexico. I’ll miss posing for a huge family holiday photo, comprised of four generations of our beautiful family.

As I write this, my kitchen is perfumed by the scent of ripe guayabas, waiting to be made into ponche this weekend. There are oranges, tejocotes, canela and ciruelas pasas. I still need to find some fresh sugar cane; I have a good idea of where to get it locally, but I’ve still got some in a jar as a backup. And though there will be no cousins, tíos, piñatas, pidiendo posadas or certain favorite holiday foods this year, the memories will swirl steadfastly in my heart and my kitchen as I stew a big pot of ponche before I jet off to my holiday destination.

›› GET THE RECIPE FOR PONCHE NAVIDEÑO

›› WATCH A VIDEO OF HOW OUR FAMILY CELEBRATES LAS POSADAS (Includes lyrics to the piñata song and canciones para pedir posadas)

  • What makes you think most of las posadas? This post is part of a blog hop about posadas. I encourage you to check out some of the other related posts about how others celebrate the holidays in Mexico. If you’ve written about posadas, please feel free to add a link to your post!…

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Cultura/Culture, Finding Mexico in Chicago, Holidays, Mexico City, Mexico Today, Sponsored La Navidad, Las Posadas, Mexican hawthorn, Mexico City, ponche, ponche Navideño, posadas, Posadas Navideñas, tejocotes, Tía Annette, Tía Nene

Wordless Wednesday: Nacimiento en Acapulco

0 · Dec 14, 2011 · Leave a Comment

A few weekends ago when we were in Acapulco, I spotted this elaborate nacimiento at the hotel where we were staying. It’s hard to see, but near the lefthand bottom corner, there’s even a cactus with little orange tunas on it. ¿Chido, no?

  • Love nacimientos? Me too. Check out this post from last year for more information on the tradition of nativity scenes and see photos of nacimientos belonging to some of our family members.

Guerrero, Wordless Wednesday Acapulco, Christmas, La Navidad, nacimiento, nativity scene

Nacimientos: The tradition of the nativity scene

9 · 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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Cultura/Culture, Eventos/Events, Historia/History, Holidays Café magazine, Chicago, Día de Los Reyes, Epiphany, Field Museum, iPhone photography, La Navidad, Los Reyes Magos, nacimiento, nativity scene, The Three Kings, Tía Leda

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

0 · Jan 1, 2011 · 4 Comments

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

The end of 2010 was pretty good to us here at The Other Side of The Tortilla. We had a chance to travel quite a bit within Mexico, take hundreds of photos, learn new recipes to share and spend time with family. We hope your new year was filled with food, friends, family and buena vibra for a great 2011.

But we couldn’t let 2010 pass without letting you in on a little good news that happened while we were in Huatulco. Just before Christmas, our ponche navideño recipe was featured as one of the top 20 holiday drinks on Better Recipes, a site that’s part of the Better Homes & Gardens network. We couldn’t be prouder, and we think Abuelita Elda would be proud, too.

Click on the image below to see the full list of top 20 holiday mixed drink recipes on Better Recipes.

Thank you to all of our family, friends, fans and supporters who made The Other Side of The Tortilla great in 2010. We’re looking forward to what 2011 brings, and we’ve got plenty of recipes, stories and travel experiences to share this coming year. We hope you’ll continue to visit regularly and tell all your friends about us, too. May 2011 bring you todo lo que desean!

Con todo cariño,

As Seen In Abuelita Elda, Better Homes & Gardens, Better Recipes, BetterRecipes.com, Christmas, La Navidad, ponche, ponche Navideño

¡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]…

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Cultura/Culture, Holidays, Oaxaca, Travel, Video arból de navidad, Camino Real Zaashila, Christmas, Christmas tree, Huatulco, iPhone photography, La Navidad, la playa, Las Bahías de Huatulco, Oaxaca, piñata, the beach

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?

Cultura/Culture, drinks, Holidays, Travel, Wordless Wednesday caña, Christmas, guava, guayaba, iPhone photography, La Navidad, ponche Navideño, posada Navideña, posadas, sugar cane, tejocotes

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.

Mexican ponche navideño, Mexican Christmas punch with oranges, sugar cane, guavas, tejocotes and cinnamon

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.

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

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!

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

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.

Mexican nativity scenes

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.

Mexican nativity scene outdoors

Christmas, Cultura/Culture, Holidays, Mexico City Canción para pedir posada, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Dale dale dale, La Navidad, Noche Buena, Nochebuena, pidiendo posada, piñata, ponche Navideño, posada Navideña, posadas, rompope, tamales, tejocotes

Wordless Wednesday: Nochebuenas

0 · Dec 1, 2010 · 4 Comments

This past weekend I saw the first Nochebuenas of the holiday season! Did you know that Poinsettia flowers originally came from Mexico? Just a few hours outside of Mexico City, the first poinsettias were discovered in the valleys of Taxco and Cuernavaca but it wasn’t until after the Spanish conquest that they were incorporated as a symbol of the Christmas season thanks to the Franciscan priests. The flower was popularized in the United States after it was brought here by Joel Poinsett, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico after the country won its independence from Spain.

  • Does your family use Nochebuenas to decorate during the holidays?
The photo in this post was taken with my iPhone 3Gs using the Polarize app by Christopher Comair.

Cultura/Culture, Historia/History, Holidays, Mexico City, Wordless Wednesday Christmas, Cuernavaca, flores, flowers, Guerrero, iPhone photography, La Navidad, Morelos, Nochebuena, Taxco

SALSA DE ARÁNDANOS

5 · Nov 25, 2010 · 2 Comments

As a little girl, I never liked whole cranberries and on Thanksgiving I always preferred the canned jellied cranberry sauce over the fresh cranberries my mom or my aunt made. Now that I’m a bit older and my palate is a little more refined, I prefer to make fresh cranberry sauce for my Thanksgiving dinner. In fact, it’s probably my favorite part! I’ve been known to make tortas de pavo topped with arándanos the whole week after Thanksgiving just to have an excuse to keep eating them.

This recipe has been passed on through two generations in my family, and now I’d like to share it with you. If you’ve ever been afraid that making cranberry sauce from scratch would be too difficult, you’re in good company. This recipe, though, is so easy that you won’t believe you didn’t try making your own with fresh, whole cranberries sooner. From start to finish, it takes about 15 minutes and it’s a perfect balance of spicy and sweet. These are great for Thanksgiving or La Navidad, too….

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Algo dulce, Cultura/Culture, Holiday dish, Holidays, Recipe arándanos, canela, Christmas, cinnamon sticks, cranberries, iPhone photography, La Navidad, naranjas, oranges, Thanksgiving, Tía Annette

How to make ponche navideño

31 · Jan 30, 2010 · 6 Comments

It’s not the holidays in Mexico without ponche navideño. This Mexican Christmas punch is served during las posadas, Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) and at holiday parties, and is often spiked with brandy or rum.

ponche navideño

This recipe gives me such warm, fuzzy feelings and memories of being back in Mexico with our family for Christmas. Typically, this is a holiday punch, but in my house we sometimes drink it all winter long if we can find all the ingredients. …

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Christmas, drinks, Holidays caña, canela, Christmas, cinnamon, ciruelas deshidratadas, dried plums, guava, guayaba, La Navidad, Mexican hawthorn, naranjas, Navideño, oranges, ponche, posadas, sugar cane, tejocotes

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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 15 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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