Mexico

The Most Famous Mexican Food Traditions

Every nation has its own traditions, especially when it comes to food. Mexico is no different, having many unique Mexican food traditions. Mexican food customs include certain dishes, which are served on holidays and other special occasions, with some of these dishes being well known as classic Mexican recipes all over the world.

Mexican Holidays And Recipes

One of the best known of Mexico’s unique holidays is Cinco de Mayo. Falling on the fifth of May each year (the name simply means May 5th in Spanish), Cinco de Mayo is often mistakenly thought to be Mexico’s Independence Day, a common misconception in the United States. In fact, the holiday commemorates Mexico’s victory over the French army at Puebla in 1862.

Outside of the state of Puebla, the holiday is a minor one - though there are some special Cinco de Mayo dishes, which are served on this day, especially in Puebla. This state is the region of Mexico where mole, an important ingredient in many traditional Mexican recipes was developed; and this is a popular sauce nationwide.

A common Cinco de Mayo holiday dish you may find in Puebla on this day is turkey cooked in mole poblano. This is a spicy, nutty sauce, which is very labor intensive to make and offers an amazing complexity of flavor. Turkey is one of the most popular meats in much of Mexico; in fact, you will find this bird in many different Mexican recipes, including other Mexican holiday dishes.

Christmas And The Feast Of Epiphany

Mexico is a predominantly Catholic country, which celebrates Christmas (of course) as well as the feast days of many saints and other religious holidays. No country celebrates like Mexico, especially when it comes to holiday food! Christmas Mexican food traditions include the traditional Christmas morning “posada,” a sort of morning dinner party.

At this holiday meal, the menu may include codfish, turkey soup, mashed potatoes with cranberry/chili relish and punch, especially with marshmallows. Adding to the festivity of the occasion is often a piata, something which Mexican children eagerly anticipate about their family’s posada.

Epiphany is a holiday, which is celebrated in Mexico with festivity and food and has some Mexican food traditions of its own. On this day, a ring-shaped cake is served, a tradition introduced by the Spanish. Hot chocolate is traditionally served, a treat, which is native to the Americas.

Of course, no discussion of Mexican food traditions and Mexican food history would be complete without a mention of Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican “day of the dead.” This is the Mexican celebration of All Saints Day on November first and there are special dishes eaten such as candied pumpkin, pan de muerto - bread which is baked, glazed, and decorated with colored sugar. Smaller pieces of dough are prepared in the shape of bones and skulls to decorate these holiday loaves.

One of the Mexican food traditions, which is known around the world, is the practice of making sugar skulls for Dia de los Muertos. These are skull shaped candies, which are made by pressing sugar into skull shapes using a mold. The skulls are then decorated, sometimes with very elaborate hand-crafted designs. Many of these candies are so beautifully made that it seems like a shame to eat them!

The food traditions of every nation reflect their unique culture, something which Mexican food traditions certainly do. The country’s amalgam of new world and old world ingredients, recipes and cooking methods have resulted in a culture - and a set of traditional foods which are an integral part of Mexican life and culture.

Traditional Mexican ingredients which feature in many different Mexican recipes, such as corn, tomatoes, avocado, chicken and cheese, also make an appearance in a lot of Mexican salads. If the weather is warm, making your own Mexican salads can be a nice way to enjoy another facet of typical Mexican cuisine.

© 2009 Travel Oversea.