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Cinco de Mayo...What will you make??

gulfporter

By gulfporter
in Food Traditions & Culture

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gulfporter

gulfporter

Posted
Posted

Cinco de Mayo marks the date of the Mexican victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla; it was a short-lived victory as a year later the Mexican army was defeated and Maximilian was installed as the ruler of Mexico.  

 

Cinco de Mayo is not celebrated in Mexico to any great extent, other than in Puebla.  Though in the US, Anheuser Busch has succeeded in making it a very big party day at bars and eateries.  

 

I lived in Mexico for 5 years full-time and we will celebrate with a Mole' Poblano which originated in Puebla.  The word Poblana or Poblano means a person or thing derived from the City of Puebla.  Yes, I know that Oaxaca also claims mole' as its dish, but I side with Puebla in this battle.   

 

Besides mole' the best dish of Puebla is the taco arabe; the meat is pork on a vertical spit like shawarma and its wrap is more like a pita than a tortilla.  They are divine.  In all our travels in Mexico, we never saw taco arabes anywhere else.  I've heard it argued it was introduced by Lebanese immigrants in Mexico but I don't know if that's true.  Though there is a Lebanese community in Mexico, including Carlos Slim, the world's richest man.  

 

With what dish will you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

 

 

 

 

  • Like 4
Jaymes

Jaymes

Posted
Posted (edited)

Chiles en Nogada.  Which, in my personal opinion, is the best dish of Puebla.

 

And which, also just in my personal opinion, is the best dish to celebrate the victory, since Chiles en Nogada has the same colors as the Mexican flag.

 

http://www.coolchile.co.uk/chile-en-nogada

 

Ain't that pretty?

 

Olé
 
:rolleyes:
Edited by Jaymes (log)
  • Like 2

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

gulfporter

gulfporter

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Chiles en Nogada.  Which, in my personal opinion, is the best dish of Puebla.

 

And which, also just in my personal opinion, is the best dish to celebrate the victory, since Chiles en Nogada looks like the Mexican flag.

Since traditionally, fresh pomegranate seeds are found in late summer, Chiles en Nogada is THE dish for Mexican Independence Day on 16 de Septiembre.  Every September we would try as many as we could as they would be on many special menus for about a week preceding the holiday.  

  • Like 1
Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted

Chiles en Nogada sounds wonderful and I've never eaten it or made it but now it's on the menu for that date which is also the birthday of our female Spoiled-Rottenweiler and the 5th anniversary of falling and cracking open the back of my head...a sort of a mixed holiday you might say.  I hope no one will mind if I use walnuts from North Carolina, a gift from a generous eGulleter.  Otherwise, I'll be good to go. 

 

Thanks for the recipe Jaymes. 

 

My favorite Mexican dessert to date is Capirotada pudding...the one with sugar syrup and without eggs or milk, traditionally served during Lent.  Love it.

 

And thanks gulfporter for reminding me to mark the date on my calendar.

  • Like 3

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

Jaymes

Jaymes

Posted
Posted

Since traditionally, fresh pomegranate seeds are found in late summer, Chiles en Nogada is THE dish for Mexican Independence Day on 16 de Septiembre.  Every September we would try as many as we could as they would be on many special menus for about a week preceding the holiday.  

 

Well, I know this is all subjective, but Chiles en Nogada is, in my opinion anyway, the best dish of Puebla, any time.  And I'm lucky in that I have access to pomegranate seeds year 'round.  Of course, the dish is still pretty darn fabulous, if not quite so pretty, without them.

 

Although, since we're chatting about it, I'm going to be in Puebla for a couple of weeks this summer.  Which restaurants do you recommend for mole and tacos arabe?

  • Like 2

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

gulfporter

gulfporter

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

 

Although, since we're chatting about it, I'm going to be in Puebla for a couple of weeks this summer.  Which restaurants do you recommend for mole and tacos arabe?

Our favorite eatery in Puebla is also a cooking school; the Meson Sacristia de la Compania....reserve in advance. We had 3 meals there all superb. 

 

Also ate at the high end restaurant in the hotel La Casona de La China Poblano....their dining courtyard is graced with a larger-than-life sized statue of the famed China Poblano and their service was excellent as was the meal.      

 

There was a surprisingly good and very popular Italian restaurant on the zocalo.  We ate a few others around the zocalo, a few with top level balconies with great views over the plaza, a great people-watching spot. 

 

We also ate (as we always do) in the main mercado....follow your nose to the grills that line the area near the fresh meat section.

 

Great pozole at Pozoleria Matamoras....it's all they sell.  

 

The rest of our meals were taca arabe stands...they are EVERYWHERE and all are very very tasty!  Las Ranas was the one we liked the best. 

 

Cemitas is the tipico sandwich in Puebla with a variety of fillings; the most common is pata de res: beef feet cartilage which tastes way better than it sounds!  Again, you will find cemitas stands and holes-in-the-walls everywhere.

 

We also snacked on a lot of candy at the Dulce Mercado/Calle...an amazing site.  

 

We spent one day in nearby Cholula touring the pyramid and Los Remedios and the Convento de San Gabriel.  In Cholula we ate at a small place, La Lunita where we had conejo en mole' pipian (rabbit mole with pumpkin seeds) and huitalacoche crepes (corn fungus).  My Cinco de Mayo meal this year will feature that mole' as I have recently found rabbit for sale here in my tiny FLA town! 

 

Enjoy Puebla...we love that it is a bit off the normal turista beaten path.  

  • Like 2
Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted

I was able to google zocalo, cemitas.   I could not find out who was China Poblano , exactly what is a taca arabe,   Fortunately I knew the others or gulfporter explained them.

 

Thanks for any definitions.

 


  



 

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

gulfporter

gulfporter

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

This link explains tacos arabes....I think they are the best food in Puebla.

http://www.puebla-mexico.com/tag/taco-arabe/

 

This link tells the China Poblana story: 

http://www.houstonculture.org/mexico/lachina.html

 

Here are photos of both from our last trip to Puebla.  The statue of the China Poblana was at the dining courtyard La Casona de la China Poblana.  The taca arabe photo was taken at Las Ranas a typical hole-in-the-wall eatery serving them. 

070.JPG

 

 

004.JPG

  • Like 3
IowaDee

IowaDee

Posted
Posted

I had it in my head that this method of spit cooking was what made tacos al-pastor unique. Are they the same thing or just kissing cousins?

Little hole in the wall iln Mazatlan made the best al pastor tacos I've ever had. By day it was a scooter rental and by night it had transformed into a taco place complete with a wonderful lady making tortillas by hand.  What amazing  food.  If I had to live on just one cusine, it would be Mexican hands down!

  • Like 2
Jaymes

Jaymes

Posted
Posted (edited)

I had it in my head that this method of spit cooking was what made tacos al-pastor unique. Are they the same thing or just kissing cousins?

Little hole in the wall iln Mazatlan made the best al pastor tacos I've ever had. By day it was a scooter rental and by night it had transformed into a taco place complete with a wonderful lady making tortillas by hand.  What amazing  food.  If I had to live on just one cusine, it would be Mexican hands down!

 

I also wonder if the tacas arabes of Puebla are the same thing as what is called al pastor elsewhere? 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_pastor

 

And, ETA - Gulfporter, what great information, and photos.  Thank you so very much.

Edited by Jaymes (log)

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

IowaDee

IowaDee

Posted
Posted

Used to be a small Mexican restaurant near here that had what I guess you would call a table top pastor spit.  You could set it up about anywhere there was electricity.  The place went out of business and I tried and tried to find that cool little cooker.  I suspect that some tacos trucks have them too.  "Our" defunct place never failed to have the chunk of fresh pineapple on top of the meat to the juice would run down and carmelize on it.  Damn, make me stop, I might cry at the loss.

  • Like 1
gulfporter

gulfporter

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

In our 5+ years living in MX, we ate tacos pastor everywhere, but tacos arabes were only in Pueblo.  It's the wrap of the arabe that makes it so different....like a marriage between a flour tortilla and a pita.  On the vertical spit of meat, we never had pastors and arabes side-by-side, so I can't honestly say how they differ; In my mind they were pretty similar.  

 

Jaymes....when you're in Puebla maybe you can do a taste test between the two and report back  :cool:

Jaymes

Jaymes

Posted
Posted (edited)

Jaymes....when you're in Puebla maybe you can do a taste test between the two and report back  :cool:

 

Indeed I will.  And, thanks to your marvelously knowledgeable and informative posts, I am also signing up for a few classes at that cooking school you mentioned.  I'll be sure to ask them about the differences.

 

PS - Where in Mexico did you live?  You mention Jalisco.  Guadalajara?  Or maybe Lake Chapala?

Edited by Jaymes (log)
  • Like 2

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

gulfporter

gulfporter

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

We lived in Ajijic, on Lake Chapala.  We used it as our base to travel the country by car and by plane (we were 30 minutes from Guadalajara airport).  

 

We sold our home in late 2013 and moved back to the US due to family eldercare issues on the East Coast.  

 

When we are no longer needed here, we may very well return full-time to MX.  

  • Like 1
brucesw

brucesw

Posted
Posted

Serious Eats did a feature on Pueblan cuisine, with a paragraph devoted to other Central Mexican cuisines.

 

They've also done several features on cemitas as found in NY, Chi, etc.

 

Around here, cemitas is a bun, about the size of a hamburger bun, that comes in de leche, de trigo and, my favorite, de anis.  I've never known them to be used for sandwiches but maybe I've just missed them.

 

I've seen tacos arabes on several menus.  Ordered once from a lonchera but couldn't detect any difference from their other tacos.  I'm trying to remember where else I've seen them so I can try them, now that I know what they are!

  • Like 1
radtek

radtek

Posted
Posted

On a Tuesday this year so soon after Fiesta... Pollo on the grill. Tortillas. Cerveza. Call in on Wednesday.

  • Like 2
Thanks for the Crepes

Thanks for the Crepes

Posted
Posted

I'd love to cook for Cinco de Mayo, but may have to comfort myself with eating out at my favorite Mexican place Torero's due to lack of time.

 

Sadly, 2 days after my birthday, I'm summoned for jury duty on May 5.

 

Torero's is great but may be mobbed on Cinco de Mayo. If I can get it though, I'm looking forward to skirt steak. If it's too crowded, I always have stuff to make huevos rancheros, but will need to grab some cilantro, because it's a must for me.

 

There's a lovely photo from Chris Hennes ' thread:

 

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/151141-cooking-with-rick-baylesss-more-mexican-everyday/

 

at post no. 21 of huevos rancheros with the requisite cilantro, but I don't see any refried beans which I also want in the dish.

  • Like 1

> ^ . . ^ <

 

 

Jaymes

Jaymes

Posted
Posted

Our only Mexican restaurant makes gritty and dry tortillas, nothing like the ones I used to get when Joe made them,  they were corn but smooth not gritty and feels like my teeth will fall out. Should say the stuffing in the tortillas are good, not great and  made mild for us Swede, which is sad.

When we lived out of the US we could not get decent corn tortillas - an unacceptable situation for my native-Texan husband. So I had his mother ship me pkgs of masa harina like this:http://www.bobsredmill.com/shop/flours-and-meals/golden-masa-harina-corn-flour.html

I already had a tortilla press, but it's definitely possible to learn to make tortillas without one. Perhaps you have a friend or relative in North America that could send you some masa.

  • Like 1

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

Thanks for the Crepes

Thanks for the Crepes

Posted
Posted (edited)

I make corn masa tortillas without a special tortilla press.

 

Make your dough according to package directions, roll into desired sized balls (golf ball-sized is typical), and press slightly flat between your palms. Take two heavy sheets of plastic cut larger than your want your tortilla. Heavy gauge gallon-sized freezer storage bags work well. Place one plastic sheet on your counter, take your flattened masa ball and place in the center of the plastic. Cover dough with second plastic sheet. Now I take a 10-1/2 inch cast iron skillet and press the bottom it down evenly on the top of the plastic encased dough until is as thin as you want, but you can use any heavy skillet of sufficient diameter. This is quite easy.

 

Now peel off the top sheet of plastic and pick up the lower sheet and the tortilla. Invert the sheet and tortilla onto your palm and spread fingers, loosen and carefully remove the plastic sheet from the tortilla, leaving the tortilla on your spread hand, and flip it into a preheated griddle, comal or skillet. Cook for a about 30 or seconds per side.

 

You also have the option of frying them for "puffy tacos" if you like. I don't think these are Mexican, more Tex-Mex, but I sure do like them, and you can't really get the puff to work with store bought corn tortillas. If you do opt for this, make sure to drain them and blot them well or they can be greasy.

 

Flour tortillas are pretty hard to roll out thin enough, so I've only made them once, but if I couldn't get good ones otherwise, they are certainly doable at home with nothing more specialized than a rolling pin and a lot of elbow grease. It's a workout but worth it if it's the only option available to you.

 

It may be possible to celebrate Cinco de Mayo without good tortillas, but why would one want to?  :smile:

 

ETA: To make it clear one should remove the second plastic sheet before flipping the corn masa tortilla onto your cooking surface. I got help with the process on YouTube, and I recommend anyone who wants to do this at home watching some videos, because it really is a lot easier than it sounds when I describe it with no pictures or video. 

Edited by Thanks for the Crepes (log)
  • Like 2

> ^ . . ^ <

 

 

Jaymes

Jaymes

Posted
Posted

Wonderful post, TFTC. Thanks.

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

  • 1 year later...
IowaDee

IowaDee

Posted
Posted

Our local Mexican restaurant is now open for breakfast.  They say the serve American ones but we found out they are tickled pink to be asked to cook a typical Mexican one.  No menu, just tell them want you want and sit back and wait.  We had probably the best chilaquilas in our lives there.  Got them half  with red sauce and half with green.  Left the meat choice up to them.  Green came with chicken and the red with beef.

Choice of rice or beans and a salad with fresh salsa cruda  and guac.  Was even asked if we wanted a beer and this was at 8.A.M.  We opted for the endless glass of fresh orange.  All of this is my way to telling you how we will be celebrating El Cinco de Mayo Friday Morning.  To be honest, most Mexicans we know don't make a big deal of the day. In Mexico it is a minor holiday. September 16 is their real Independence Day.  In my world any day I can eat good Mexican food qualifies as a holiday!

 

  • Like 5
kayb

kayb

Posted
Posted

Will be on the road. As we can't leave until 1 p.m., and have an 8-hour drive to our destination, I'm packing a picnic to take along. I'm wondering how well a grilled, room-temp Cubano will travel. Thinking that may be my choice. 

  • Like 1

Don't ask. Eat it.

www.kayatthekeyboard.wordpress.com

  • 1 year later...
Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

Posted
Posted

In a stunning display of dedication, with all of the great foods available within the cuisine of Mexico, the Cinco de Mayo meal is going to be... wait for it... nachos. And not even crispy homemade corn tortilla chips topped with pork carnitas or carne machaca or chicken tinga or anything else along that line of delicious. Oh no, couldn't even pull together that level of effort. So it's store-bought chips, ground beef cooked with onion and jalapeno, some pinto beans, cheese, salsa and sour cream and that's about it. The available avocados were not too wonderful so guacamole isn't even on the list. Waffling between a tequila based tiki drink or the Modelo's I already have in the fridge to accompany. And you call yourself a gourmet! :P :D

  • Like 2
  • Haha 2

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted

I started off with Nopales con Huevo from Diana Kennedy's Essential Cuisines of Mexico, Frijoles Negros de la Olla  and Vegetales con Aceite de Chile Cascabel from Nopalito for my breakfast.

For later, I'm thinking Queso Flameado con Chorizo y Nopales, Guacamole, Salsa Cilantro and an El Diablo cocktail, all also from Nopalito, accompanied by sorry, store-bought chips. 

  • Like 1
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