Christmas – My Slice of Mexico

Celebrations, Mexican Cuisine, Mexican Culture

A Very Traditional Mexico City Holiday Menu

December 21, 2023by Irene19 Comments

In Mexico, the month of December is full of celebrations; it starts on December 12 with the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, followed by seven days of "las posadas". Christmas Eve usually features a late evening family meal, and Christmas Day, either a turkey lunch, or the delicious "recalentado" - reheated leftovers from the night before. In Central Mexico, especially in Mexico City, el recalentado is always welcome because the dishes are mainly soups or stews, so the flavours keep maturing and developing. The following is a good example of a traditional Mexico City Style Christmas Eve Menu ... click on title for more

Celebrations, Desserts

Alcohol-Free Fruitcake

December 8, 2023July 4, 2024by Irene5 Comments

The classic aged Christmas fruitcake is kept moist by brushing rum or brandy all around the baked cake every day, for about one month. Some people do not like the texture of this cake, others cannot tolerate alcohol, and forgetting to bake the cake soon enough for it to be ready for Christmas might be a problem, as well. This version is light both in colour and texture, and is completely alcohol-free, so there is no waiting time after baking ... click on title for more

Celebrations, gardening

Poinsettia – A Christmas Miracle?

December 15, 2022December 15, 2022by Irene10 Comments

The poinsettia plant (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is native to Mexico’s Central and Southern regions, where it was domesticated in pre-Hispanic times, often used to dye textiles and was treasured as a tribute to gods, such as Tonantzin (Our Lady, Our Mother). Last year around this time, I got a large pot with three poinsettias as a rebate at the supermarket, and they are still alive and well ... click on title for more

Celebrations, Regional Cuisine

A Holiday Menu from Jalisco

December 23, 2021December 30, 2021by Irene18 Comments

One of my nieces and her husband live in Guadalajara, capital city of the Mexican state of Jalisco. She just shared with me a photo of their Christmas tree, all decorated with Mexican crafts. Here in Canada, the government has issued an advisory against international travelling, due to COVID19, so no hope for me to join them, but I wanted to imagine how it would be to plan a holiday menu to go with my niece's decorations ... click on title for more

Celebrations, Regional Cuisine

Pozole Rojo – A Christmas Favourite

December 19, 2021December 19, 2021by Irene1 Comment

Turkey and pork loin roasts are some of the most popular choices on the Christmas menu for many Mexican families, as well as more traditional dishes, such as revoltijo (a red mole-based stew), bacalao (a cod stew), tamales, and last, but not least, pozole (hominy soup). I have shared recipes for pozole blanco (clear broth, "white" pozole), and for pozole verde (green pozole), but for Christmas time, nothing like a delicious pozole rojo (red pozole). There are several recipes for red pozole, primarily form the states of Jalisco, Nuevo León, and other Northern states. For this post, I have chosen a recipe from Jalisco, which uses the Mexican staple of hierbas de olor (bay leaf, marjoram and thyme), and only one kind of dry red pepper, either regional chilacate, or the more readily available guajillos ... click on title for more