Dubai: Love Mexican food? Now is the time to put on a sombrero and grab a bowl of guacamole! It’s Cinco de Mayo or May 5, a celebration commemorating the Mexican victory over the French army in the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
On this day, mothers and Abuelas (grandmothers) usually cook up a delicious feast with many different dishes. So, what better way than to celebrate with food? Just like the Mexicans do.
Speaking to the Gulf News Food team, 43-year-old Benjamin Cadavieco, manager of Maria Bonita, a Mexican restaurant in Dubai explained: “Cinco de Mayo is integral to Mexican culture. It is a tradition, a holiday in the country with 32 states. Each state has a regional favourite dish that they prepare for Cinco de Mayo. Some of them are common throughout Mexican kitchens.” At the same time, some have become popular globally. These are dishes like Mole Poblano (mildly spicy chicken cooked in a gravy that looks like chocolate), Empanada de huitlacoche (fluffy pastry stuffed with Mexican truffle and corn), Barbacoa de pollo (meat cooked in an underground oven, wrapped in maguey leaves and cooked for 24 hours) and Flan de elote (Mexican corn custard with cajeta/unique Mexican goat milk).
Cinco de Mayo is integral to Mexican culture. It is a tradition, a holiday in the country with 32 states. Each state has a regional favourite dish that they prepare for Cinco de Mayo. Some of them are common throughout Mexican kitchens.
Dubai-based food entrepreneur and co-owner of the Mexican restaurant Copala, Mercedes Torres Lagarde said: “Being away from home, especially on celebrations like Cinco de Mayo, brings back many memories. The closest I can feel to being home is enjoying the food I grew up eating. One such sweet dish is Cajeta (Mexican caramel) which my grandmother used to make during this holiday.” So fond of this dessert, she has made it a part of her restaurant’s dessert menu, a Cinco de Mayo special.
Being away from home, especially during celebrations like Cinco de Mayo, brings back many memories. The closest I can feel to being home is enjoying the food I grew up eating. One such sweet dish is Cajeta (Mexican caramel) which my grandmother used to make during this holiday
Unique Mexican spices and herb
Like this dessert, there are spices and herbs unique to Mexican dishes prepared on this holiday, hard to find outside the country, explained Lagarde. Mexican expatriates in the UAE rely on importing and preserving them for months and reserving them for festive occasions. For instance, there is a deep aromatic herb called Epazote, which is used in dishes like Frijoles de Olla (Pot Beans), Quesadillas, to name a few. Then you have these unique fungi or mushroom truffles called huitlacoche (pronounced as weet-la-coh-cheh) used in dishes like Huitlacoche tacos, Corn Truffle (Huitlacoche) Quesadillas and more.
Dubai-based head chef and partner at Copala restaurant, Adan Naranjo, who grew up in the small town of Garerra, near the Mexican west coast, said: “I have been in the UAE for over four years now and miss my hometown a lot during Cinco de Mayo. The tradition calls for a feast and celebration. They do not have one special or unique dish for this festivity in Mexico but a festive spread. Mariachi (a small, strolling Mexican band) plays music all day and night, and you can see people dancing to it.
“We take any opportunity to enjoy food. I try to relieve my childhood and the food that I ate during this festival through my mother’s and grandmother’s recipes, which are dear to me. I cook food with love and happy memories in my kitchen, and that’s the closest I can feel to home.”
We take any opportunity to enjoy food. I try to relieve my childhood and the food that I ate during this festival through my mother’s and grandmother’s recipes, which are dear to me. I cook food with love and happy memories in my kitchen, and that’s the closest I can feel to my home
Mexican chillies, a key festive ingredient
There are specific and unique ingredients to Mexican cooking that make it an instant hit. However, Mexican chillies play a significant role in elevating dishes and festive dishes, explained chef Naranjo. “Chillies are important, namely the three kinds – Ancho, Pasilla, Poblano which are majorly planted during the cold December month and picked up in time for Cinco de mayo, during the summers.”
Is Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican Independence day?
No. It is often confused with Mexican Independence day (September 16). Lagarde explained: “The United States of America has many Mexicans, and with them, they carried their food traditions. Many Americans confused the Mexican Independence day with Cinco de Mayo, and continued celebrating it that way. Nonetheless, it grew popular in America.”
Dubai-based Mexican expatriate and general manager of Lola Taberna, a Spanish restaurant, Bernardo Morales Gilbon said that May 5 is a big celebration in Mexico: “But, I think it is even bigger outside of my country.” One of the reasons is the craze for Mexican food and festive dishes cooked on this day. “I fondly recall my mother and grandmother cooking Tostada with cream and cheese for the festivities.” Toastadas means toast in Spanish, and they are corn tortillas, fried or baked until crisp and topped with beans, chicken, cheese and condiments such as guacamole and salsa.
May 5 is a big celebration in Mexico: “But, I think it is even bigger outside of my country
Mexican expatriates in the UAE miss being away from their home country during Cinco De Mayo. In their unique way, through food and recipes, they stay connected to home.
Here are classic Mexican festive recipes to try: Guacomole, Mexican carne asada tacos and tamales.
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