So why, then, is Cinco de Mayo important to Mexican culture?  In 1862, a French army of 6000 set out to attack Puebla de Los Angeles, a city in southeastern Mexico.  Under General Zaragoza, 2000 Mexicans warded off the French in a battle that lasted from daybreak to early evening before the French finally retreated.  France had lost nearly 1000 soldiers, while Mexico lost fewer than 100.  The battle, while seemingly insignificant in the war, represented a great moral victory for the Mexican government.  To them, winning the battle of Puebla illustrated the Mexican will and determination, a resistance to foreign domination.  Morale soared in the wake of the battle, and although it took another five years to separate themselves from French authority, the May 5^th battle was a large factor in the war’s final outcome.

Today’s celebration seems to be more about celebrating the Mexican way of life than about remembering the attack on Puebla de Los Angeles.  Although there is a re-enactment of the battle near Mexico City each year, other celebrations (in Mexico and the United States alike) center around Mexican food and beer, and have even become somewhat commercialized, especially in the United States.  Mexican restaurants hire Mariachi bands to play for a packed house while diners feast on tacos and Dos Equis, margaritas and burritos.

Tacos with iceberg lettuce and burritos with refried beans and cheddar cheese have become the staples of Mexican restaurants in commercialized America, and while delicious, they are simply not authentic.  Traditional Mexican fare is so much more, and “Puebla just so happens to be considered by many…as the gastronomic capital of Mexico,” according to the article What to Really Eat on Cinco de Mayo, found in the Smithsonian. What you will find there, especially during the annual Cinco de Mayo celebration, are foods such as Mole Poblano, Chalupas, and Chiles en Nogada that better signify Mexican tradition as well as commemoration of the Battle of Puebla.  Should you want to try some of these distinctive meals this year as you celebrate Mexican Heritage and Cinco de Mayo’s battle, recipes follow.

Mole Poblano

Ingredients:

¼ pound sesame seeds

Olive oil

¼ pound almonds

¼ pound peanuts

3 plantains

¾ pound raisins

1/3 pound tomatoes

1 pound fire roasted poblano chilies (rehydrated)

¼ teaspoons aniseed

¼-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 ounce unsweetened Mexican chocolate

1 whole chicken, precooked and cut into pieces

Cilantro for garnish

Directions:  Toast sesame seeds an put into a food processor.  Saute the almonds in olive oil, then the peanuts, and add both to the food processor.  Saute the plantains, then the raisins, and add to the processor.  Lastly, saute the tomatoes and place in processor.  Grind ingredients with the poblanos, aniseed, and cinnamon, and thin with the water used to rehydrate the chilies.

Heat some olive oil and add the sauce from above to cook to bring out the flavors.  Add the chocolate and stir until melted.  When the chocolate has fully melted, add the chicken pieces and simmer until the chicken is heated.

Chalupas

Ingredients:

½ cup pork lard

24 corn tortillas, 3” diameter

2 cup salsa verde, salsa roja, or a combination of both

1 ½ cups shredded meat (beef, chicken, or pork)

1 cup white onion, chopped

1 ½ cups queso fresco

Directions:  Heat the oil and soft-fry the tortillas.  Drain well.  Spoon about a tablespoon of salsa over each tortilla.  Top with shredded meat, queso fresco, and onion.

Chiles en Nogada

Chiles en Nogada

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces

1 onion, halved

2 medium carrots, peeled

2 celery stalks

2 cloves garlic

12 poblano peppers-cleaned, roasted, and peeled

1 white onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 ounces raisins

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Bay leaves

1 tablespoon vinegar

½ cup chopped cilantro

¼  cup tomato paste

4 cream cheese blocks, 8-ounces each

8 ounces queso fresco

1 cup crème freche

1 cup walnuts

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon white sugar

½ cup pomegranate seeds

Cilantro for garnish

Directions:  Place chicken in a large pot with the onion halves, carrots, celery, garlic clove.  Cover with water and boil until chicken is cooked.  Cut or shred.

Meanwhile, saute chopped onion and garlic until soft.  Add chicken, raisins, brown sugar, ½ cup walnuts, pepper, and bay leaves for about 5 minutes.  Add vinegar, cilantro, and tomato paste.  Simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.

Cut a slit in each pepper and add chicken mixture in each.  Keep warm in oven while making sauce.

For the sauce, combine cream cheese, queso fresco, sour cream, 1 cup walnuts, nutmeg, and sugar in a sauce pan.  Heat for about 5 minutes, or until cheeses are melted and sauce is blended, stirring constantly.

Pour sauce over stuffed chilies and garnish with pomegranate seeds and cilantro.

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