How Mexico celebrates Cinco de Mayo
The holiday is often celebrated and remembered with a reenactment of the Battle of Puebla, in which a small army of Mexican patriots and peasants were victorious over a French force. Although in 1863 France finally took the Mexican capital and installed a five-year regime led by Emperor Maximilian, the Battle of Puebla’s importance lies in that it strengthened the Mexican spirit after it prevented French Emperor Napoleon III from conquering the country.
Soldiers wearing period costumes take part in a re-enactment of the Battle of Puebla in Puebla, Mexico, on May 5, 2011. The battle marked the defeat of French forces by Mexican troops and local Indians in the central state of Puebla in 1862.
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Barbacoa: Mexican Style Barbeque
My favorite type of cuisine is any meat or fish barbequed. Any season, any country, bring me a grilled entre! Of all the tasty Mexican dishes available, I LOVE barbacoa- tender, succul
The dish of barbacoa runs deep within the culture of Mexico from ancient time. Centuries ago the indigenous Mexicans heated food over an open fire. They used cast iron pots and clay dishes over a smoky wood fire. Today, chefs can get a similar result by using a grill. Grilling also enhances the flavors in Mexican dishes by bringing out the unique flavor that comes from cooking over an open fire. Almost any decent cut of meat can be marinated in Mexican flavors and grilled to bring out the smoky taste.
A traditional Mexican way of eating barbacoa is having it served on a warm soft taco style corn tortilla with guacamole and salsa for added flavor. In some areas, the meat is often served in the banana leaves it was cooked in. Traditional garnish to accompany Mexican barbacoa includes: red and green spicy sauce, onion, lemon, radishes, cucumbers, stewed onions, chiles as well as guacamole and crema (sour cream).
According to Mexican food expert, Chelsie Kenyon, the ancient, traditional method used to prepare meats was steaming. Barbacoa was made by steaming meat suspended over boiling water in a deep pit. The meat was often wrapped in cactus or banana leaves.
Traditional Mexican barbacoa seasonings are onion, garlic, oregano, cumin and chili powder. Mexican oregano gives their dishes a rich earthy flavor. The Mexican Chile powder is actually a blend of dried, powdered chiles, cumin and oregano. Other spices are sometimes included in the mix, but those are the key ingredients. It is used primarily for seasoning meats and vegetables but is also used in other dishes. Other ‘must have’ ingredients for Mexican style barbacoa include the following seasoning: garlic, onion, Tamarind, bay leaves, fresh cilantro.
Another chile powder commonly used that is gaining popularity outside of Mexico is Chipotle. Actually, chipotle is just a jalapeno that has been dried and smoked. Chipotle has a distinctive flavor that goes well in many sauces and salsas. It is also the primary flavor in Adobo, a fiery marinade.
Let’s take a look at the seven different regions of Mexican cooking and their signature dishes. Starting at the top of the country is the vast region that makes up “El Norte”-encompassing the states of Baja, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas. This area stretches 2000 miles from the rugged Pacific coast of Baja California to the lowlands of the Gulf of Mexico, and its cuisine reflects the hearty and unpretentious nature of ranch culture. T
he region’s distinctive cooking technique is expertly grilled beef, and the most popular dishes include machaca, arrachera ( beef flank steak used for fajitas) and cabrito (baby goat). One of the most requested dishes is ‘Mochomos style’ beef. The beef is salted, shredded and dried in accordance with northern Mexican tradition with the meat then being fried. It is so tender that the meat melts on your tongue! Luscious!
The Pacific North Coast region includes states of Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco and Colima. Stretching along Mexico’s long Pacific shoreline and supplying much of the country’s staple grains, fruits and vegetables in addition to the freshest and widest selection of local cheeses, chiles, and seafood. The North Pacific Coast cuisine is noted for dishes such as chilorio, birria, pozole, chilayo, menudo and pork dishes. Birria, a traditional cuisine of Jalisco is prepared with goat meat or lamb in a tomato broth and chile.
An immense plateau bordered by rugged mountains, the Bajio region consists of Michoacan, Guanajuanto, San Luis Potosi and Queretaro. el Bajio cuisine are rice, pork and spices. One of the best-known dishes from the state is morisquesta – a sausage and rice dish – closely followed by carnitas, or deep-fried pork. The latter can be found in many parts of Mexico, often claimed to be authentically Michoacán.
The highlands of Oaxaca, Guerrero and Chiapas make up the Southern Pacific Coast region. This area remains the most purely Indian region, boasting the most indigenous of Mexico’s provincial cuisines. The regional cooking includes staples such as chicken and pork, mole sauces, and chiles.
The food of the Yucatán peninsula- including the states of Campeche, Yucatan & Quintana Roo- is distinct from the rest of the country and is based on Mayan food with influences from Cuba and other Caribbean islands, Europe, Asia and Middle Eastern cultures. The area’s best-known dish, pibil, refers to the cooking method (from the Mayan word pib, meaning “buried”) in which foods and various meats are wrapped, generally in banana leaves, and cooked in a pit oven. I have had lamb barbcoa prepared in this manner and it is fabulous: spicy tender and moist.
The eastern region consists of Tabasco & Veracruz. The balmy, easy-going world of the states that border the Gulf of Mexico is culturally – as well as geographically – an arm of the Caribbean and is the essence of the region’s cuisine, a mix of indigenous, Afro-Cuban and Spanish that shares the Creole culture of Colonial Caribbean port towns like Havana, San Juan, Cartagena and even New Orleans. The Europeans introduced herbs to the region such as parsley, thyme, marjoram, bay laurel and cilantro that characterize much of the state’s cooking. Huachinango a la veracruzana, a local popular dish, is red snapper prepared with a light tomato sauce seasoned with bay leaves, onions, capers, olives and sweet yellow peppers.
The last region, Central Mexico, consists of Mexico, Puebla, Morelos, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo and Distrito Federal (Federal District). Mexico City cooking is characterized by influences from other regions of Mexico as well as a number of foreign countries. Many of the ingredients used in this area’s cooking, such as tropical fruits, are not grown here. Nearly every street has a variety of quick cuisine, with taco stands, torta (sandwich) shops, and lunch counters on every street. Popular foods in the city include barbacoa (a specialty of the central highlands).
The next time that you’re dining out, try one of the Mexican regional barbacoa specialties. From cabieria (tenderloin) to costillas (ribs) and every other grilled meat, you can’t go wrong. Add a Margarita to the meal and enjoy the sunset!
The Mexican Rebozo – more than just a shawl
Traditional rebozos are handwoven from cotton, wool, silk and rayon in various lengths but all have some kind of pattern (usually from the ikat method of dyeing) and have fringe, which can be fingerwoven into complicated designs. The garment is considered to be part of Mexican identity. It has been prominently worn by women such as Frida Kahlo, actress María Félix and former Mexican first lady Margarita Zavala and still popular in rural areas of the country. However, its use has diminished in urban areas
Description and use of garment
A rebozo is a long straight piece of cloth which looks like a cross between a scarf and a shawl. Like ponchos, huipils and sarapes they are classic Mexican garments made of straight, mostly uncut cloth, but rebozos have their own characteristics. It is classically a woman’s garment, traditionally hand woven, distinguished by complicated fingerwoven fringes called rapacejos.
The wearing of the rebozo is said to make the movement of a woman more graceful.The wearing of a rebozo by many women is a sign of Mexican heritage, and for that reason, sales of the garment can double before Mexican Independence Day on September 16. Because of the nature of the garment, especially the fringes, they should be hand washed. The dye may or may not be colorfast so mild soap should be used.
Silk rebozo from Santa María del Río, SLP on a mannequin at the Feria de Rebozo in Tenancingo, State of Mexico
While all rebozos are rectangular woven cloth with fringes, there is significant variation within these constraints. There are three classes of rebozos. Traditional ones have a design created with the ikat dyeing technique and come in various set patterns. Regional rebozos are more colorful and their origins can be identified, especially those from Oaxaca, Chiapas and Guerrero. Contemporary rebozos experiment with non-traditional fibres and designs. Sizes vary with lengths anywhere from 1.5 to about 3.5 meters long.
Most Mexican rebozos are made from cotton, wool, silk or rayon.The type of fibre used is the main factor in determining a price of a piece which can vary from a couple hundred pesos to thousands of pesos, with fine pure silk pieces being the most expensive. The finest silk rebozos can be passed through a wedding ring.
Rebozo colors and patterns vary widely and traditional designs can usually identify where it was made.For example, a tightly woven black and indigo version is identified with the mountain areas of the state of Michoacán. Designs are generally classified as “classic” and “indigenous.” Classic rebozos come in various colors with designs based on the prehispanic art of plumaría, or creating images with feathers. Some of these have their fringes knotted to form images of animals and stares. However, almost all are created with the ikat technique. The most famous classic rebozo style is called “de bolitas” whose name comes from little knots of string tied onto groups of threads used in its production. Among indigenous groups designs and colors almost always indicate with group the woman belongs.While most rebozos use more than one color, monochrome versions are called “chalinas.”
Rebozos have two main functions, that of a garment and that as a carrying aid. As a garment, it can be an indispensable part of the wardrobe of many mestizo and indigenous women, especially those who live in rural areas.As a shawl, it can provide warmth (especially the thicker and wool ones), worn on the head to block the sun as well as for modesty, especially in church.For city and upper-class women who use them, they can be worn inside the home but are most often used as an accessory to an outfit, especially on certain occasions.As a carrying aid, it can be tied around the head or shoulders most often to carry small children and large bundles, mostly commonly among indigenous women.The rebozo has even figured into Mexican traditional medicine. It has been used as a tourniquet, as support for a woman in later pregnancy, as an aid to a woman in labor, supporting her allowing for rhythmic movements and positioning with aim of making childbirth easier. It can also be used to alleviate headaches by tying it tightly around the head. Other uses for the rebozo have been in indigenous traditional dances and even as a shroud.One modern and innovative way to wear it has been to twist it around the upper body and fastened to make a kind of blouse or top.
History
The name comes from Spanish, from the verb that means to cover or envelope oneself. However, there have been indigenous names for it as well, such as “ciua nequealtlapacholoni” in colonial-era Nahuatl, which means “that which touches a woman or something like her,” “mini-mahua” among the Otomi and in the Nahuatl of Hueyapan, Morelos, it is called “cenzotl” from a phrase that means “cloth of a thousand colors.
The origin of the rebozo is not known, but probably had its beginnings in the very early colonial period.The first mention and description of the garment in written records is in 1572 by Friar Diego Duran, according to research done by Ruth D. Lechuga.The rebozo itself shows various influences, which probably come from the various cultures that had contact at that time.
There are various indigenous garments that share physical characteristics with the rebozo. They include the ayate, a rough cloth of maguey fibre used to carry cargo, the mamatl, which is a cotton cloth also used to carry objects and which often had a decorative border, and the tilma (used for carrying and as a garment), a cloth best known from the one Juan Diego wore and which bears the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.There are chronicles that say that la Malinche carried a cloth called a “Manta del sol” or “Sun Cloth”, which was not just used to protect from the sun but also to denote status as decoration.However, prehispanic clothing and other cloths did not have woven fringes.The main European influence is most likely the Spanish mantilla, although a southern Spanish garment called a rebociño (introduced to the area by the Moors) may have also played a part. Later influences came from the Filipino alampay (Spanish pañuelo) at the start of trade from the Manila galleons. The 19th century mantón de Manila, also based on the alampay, was also influential in the development of the characteristic fringes.