Super Bowl Parties – Mexicans Like Them, Too!

American football has always been my favourite sport to watch; to me, it has the right speed between basketball and baseball, has concise rules, and it appears to be much more logical than soccer.  American football has been played in Mexico since the 1920s; over the decades, it has not only remained popular, but grown into one of the top sports, both played and followed nationwide, and was recently considered the #1 sport in educational institutions.  I remember the still legendary rivalry of the National University (UNAM) and the Polytechnic Institute (IPN) college football teams in Mexico city, from back when I was a kid; teams, students, families and fans were all focused on the classic game UNAM Pumas vs IPN White Donkeys.  I just learned that a professional Mexican football league (Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional, or LFA) was founded in 2016, with its regular season starting shortly after the NFL season ends.  In addition, earlier this year, a weekend meet was set in Mexico with the Canadian Football League (CFL), in which their scouts were fishing to draft talented Mexican players.  There have been admirable Mexican and Mexican-American players in the NFL, such as Rafael Septién and Tony Zendejas, and Mexico City hosted the first regular-season NFL game played outside the USA, in 2005 (Cardinals vs 49ers, final score 31-14).

Not surprisingly, watching NFL games on TV is also a very popular and social activity in Mexico, and for Super Bowl Sunday, either a parrillada (BBQ) or a feast of carnitas y chicharrón (fried pork meat and rinds) is a must, next to a nice spread of salsas, sides and warm tortillas.  For Super Bowl LIII, this Sunday February 3, my husband and I are going for a quiet evening, just the two of us (and dog), with a simple menu of spicy chicken wings and nachos with five layer dip (click here for my recipe), but following, are also some suggestions for a Mexican style Superbowl menu (click on highlighted text for recipes):

Photo at the top of the post (from top, left to right): warm corn tortillas (packaged or homemade), fresh limes and serrano peppers, green sauce with avocado, store-bought pork rinds, pico de gallo sauce, red guajillo sauce, and pan fried carnitas.

Refried beans:

Mexican style rice:

Beer and aguas frescas:

Friends and relatives partaking of the feast, help themselves to the pile of tortillas and fix a plate of delicious tacos with carnitas, or pork rinds, or both, for a taco campechano (mixed taco), topped with beans, rice and salsa; then, they grab a beverage, and are all set to enjoy the game while “taqueando” (eating tacos):

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And speaking of fiestas, I am bringing my Super Bowl menu suggestions to Fiesta Friday # 261, graciously hosted by Angie @ Fiesta Friday; co-hosting this week are  Antonia @ Zoale.com and Julianna @ Foodie on Board