Photo: Amy Farías / Pexels
The night of 15 September is the Mexican holiday commemorating the Cry of Independence carried out by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in 1810 . With this relevant national holiday, the beginning of the War of Independence is celebrated in the early morning of 16 of September, considered the Independence Day of Mexico.
We tell you what are the iconic dishes of Mexican gastronomy that are usually served at traditional family parties or among friends, called “Mexican Nights”.
1. Pozole
Pozole is the most popular dish of Mexican festivals. It is a soup of pre-Hispanic origin that is prepared with corn kernels called cacahuazintle and commonly It is prepared with pork (although it can be prepared with chicken and other meats ). There is a great variety of pozoles. There are green, white and red pozole, the latter being the most popular.
At the table it is served with lemon, salt, hot sauce or ground piquín pepper, lettuce and sliced radishes, chopped onion and ground oregano.
According to Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, author of the General History of Things of New Spain, during the ceremonies in honor of the gods, Moctezuma received pozole with the thigh of a young prisoner. After the Conquest, the Spanish substituted pork for the human meat of the pozole.
2. Chiles en nogada
Chiles en nogada are the elegant food of national holidays. They are considered a gastronomic tribute to the Independence of Mexico.
It is said that they were created by the nuns of the convent of Santa Mónica, in Puebla in 1821 years, were served for the first time to receive Agustín de Iturbide in his I passed through Puebla together with the Trigarante Army . The chili bears the three colors of the Army: green, with the poblano pepper; white, with its nogada sauce; red, with the grenade.
The filling is prepared with minced beef and pork. It contains raisins, pine nuts, fresh fruits, fruits, chopped dried fruits, olives, capers and spices.
3. Tamales
Tamales are part of gastronomy Mexican since pre-Hispanic times as an offering to the divinities and that were initially stuffed with turkey. They are usually enjoyed throughout the year, at festivals and particularly on the Day of the Dead and the Fiestas de la Candelaria.
In Mexico there is a huge range of tamales, there are sweet and savory, with a great variety of sauces and fillings. There are dough, corn, rajas, mole, beans … They are generally wrapped in banana and corn leaves.
4. Mole
Mole is one of the most popular dishes representative of Mexican food and the main dish at festivities, weddings, XV years and even funerals. It is a complex sauce originating in pre-Hispanic times. The natives mixed several chili peppers with pumpkin seeds, holy grass and tomato to create the mulli, this was normally accompanied with turkey meat, although duck or armadillo meat was also used.
With the arrival of the Spaniards in Mexico, new ingredients were added to the moles, such as black pepper, anise and cinnamon, as for the meats, chicken, beef and pork were integrated.
There are dozens of types of mole with different smells, flavors and textures. Among them: the poblano mole, wedding mole, xico mole, green mole and pot mole.
5. Toasts
Prepared toasts are a common treat in national holidays. They are a variant of tacos. The corn tortilla is fried and topped with refried beans, shredded chicken, lettuce, avocado, sliced chili peppers or salsa, cream and cheese. Tostadas with other ingredients such as pickled pork feet, tinga, chicken with slices, picadillo and seafood are also common.
Among other common snacks of the Mexican Nights there are sopes, pambazos, tacos dorados, empanadas and esquites.
–
You can be interested in: