By Carol Fisher-Linn
Cinco De Mayo sounds like it should be Mexico’s Independence Day. Although it is not, it does celebrate the improbable Mexican victory at the Battle of Puebla during the second Franco-Mexican War, which came after Mexico’s independence from Spain, the Mexican-American War and the Mexican Civil War. These 2-3,000 ragtag soldiers with outdated guns in Puebla were tired of fighting and seriously outnumbered (6,000 French soldiers), led by an untested 33-year-old, General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín, who defeated them after a day-long battle. Using tall cacti as shields, these indomitable fighters won the day.
Puebla, on the southern edge of Central Mexico, roughly between Acapulco and Veracruz, is the epicenter of the Cinco de Mayo celebrations. If you find yourself wanting to experience an authentic Cinco de Mayo celebration, it is only 2,400 miles and a straight 37-hour drive from Ellicottville, NY, USA. However, you can stay stateside and celebrate in Los Angeles, which bills its annual Fiesta Broadway (since 1990) as the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the country. It is a few miles fewer driving hours 2521 miles – 34 hours straight drive from Ellicottville.
Although not a national holiday, all the schools in Puebla are closed and they celebrate with military parades and reenactments of the Battle Puebla. Today, in America, revelers mark the occasion with festive, colorful parades, parties, mariachi music, Mexican folk dancing, and foods such as tacos and the traditional mole poblano. Here is a sample of Mariachi music that one might hear at these celebrations. https://youtu.be/12_eYjSP5G8
Food is a major part of the celebrations. The funny thing is that you won’t find tacos, nachos, and frozen margaritas in Mexico on Cinco de Mayo, any more than you will find corned beef in Ireland on St. Patty’s Day. Here’s what we find at Smithsonian.com: … “what America’s Cinco de Mayo misses is the traditional food of Mexico, named to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, a recognition given to only one other cuisine (French).” … “What makes traditional Mexican fare worthy of such a distinction? You won’t find hard shell tacos stuffed with bland ground beef and topped with iceberg lettuce and cheddar. But you will find lamb barbacoa that has been smoked underground in banana leaves or carnitas topped with queso fresco, pickled onions and homemade salsa verde wrapped in a warm homemade corn tortilla that has been ever so lightly heated on a comal. And Puebla just so happens to be considered by many, including Rick Bayless and Mark Bittman, as the gastronomic capital of Mexico.”
Long story short about Mexican food history: Puebla is near the sacred town of Cholula (there’s a pre-Columbian pyramid there). In the ancient days, food vendors set up food stalls to feed incoming worshipers. Then the Spaniards came and created what is now known as the city of Puebla. Religion came with the Spaniards, so convents and monasteries popped up. Here’s the interesting part: Spanish nuns invented much of Mexico’s famed dishes, successfully integrating ingredients from this New World into their Old-World recipes.
FYI: Authentic Guacamole consists of only a few ingredients: Avocado, finely diced sweet or red onion, chopped jalapeno pepper, salt, lime, and in the Phoenix Mexican restaurant I ate in last week (where the primary language was Spanish!), they made it at table, left the avocado in fork-squished chunks and sprinkled the top with pomegranate seeds. No cilantro. No tomatoes. No fuss. It was out of this world! Delicioso!
For those of you courageous enough to take on the daunting recipe for Mole poblano (the most consumed dish in Puebla for Cinco de Mayo), the laundry list of ingredients, the roasting and toasting is well worth the effort. (I am assured.). It is a sauce made from ground up ingredients and comes in all colors and consistencies, but the thick, dark mole poblano has made its mark on the gastronomic world. Legend has it that mole poblano was first created in the kitchen of the Santa Rosa convent in Puebla by Sor Andrea de la Asunción in the late 17th century. Recommended recipes: Mole Poblano, Pati’s Mexican Table, Chicken in Mole, Puebla Style, Epicurious. Chalupas – another favorite, are more do-able for those with less time to devote in the kitchen. Recommended recipes: Chalupas Poblanas, Saveur Magazine, Chalupas Poblanas, Mexconnect. Feliz cinco de mayo! Happy Cinco de Mayo! ¡Buon appetito!
Continuation 2: Though the day has nothing to do with American history, Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the United States are only getting bigger and bigger. Like on St. Patrick’s Day, Americans are celebrating their affinity for a culture that is also increasing in the U.S. (military.com)
Continuation 3: But you will find lamb barbacoa that has been smoked underground in banana leaves or carnitas topped with queso fresco, pickled onions and homemade salsa verde wrapped in a warm homemade corn tortilla that has been ever so lightly heated on a comal.
Continuation 4: Puebla just so happens to be considered by many, including Rick Bayless and Mark Bittman, as the gastronomic capital of Mexico.
Continuation 5: Puebla is near the sacred town of Cholula (there’s a pre-Columbian pyramid there)