Growing up, I looked forward to celebrating Noche Buena with my Latinx Catholic family. It allowed me to spend time with my primates, but it was also the time of year when my tías pulled out all the stops to cook comida, which could only be expected during the holidays. I’ve always been a foodie and coming together around our traditional foods is what makes our culture so beautiful. Our affinity for food helps us express our love for one another, even when our parents or family weren’t and aren’t emotionally ready for it. Food has always connected, healed and redeemed us as we navigate toxic familismo and gather to celebrate la vida.
When it comes to the holiday season and major cultural holidays like Noche Buena, there are traditional culinary dishes that connect us to our roots and bring back childhood nostalgia. One of these popular dishes is posole. Posole and Menudo are two dishes that represent forgotten stories from the hands of our beloved ancestors who cooked with purpose and soul. Posole is a dish that reflects our loving connection to Madre Tierra through the use of radish, cabbage and sacred corn, as told by the elders before us through hearty stews.
Posole can be prepared in three variants: blanco (white), verde (green) and rojo (red). Red Posole is the most common and probably the most distinctive style found in many parts of Mexico. In my family we enjoy both green and red Posole. Historically, posole has its origins in Mesoamerican ancient culture as a pre-colonial ritual dish. Then, through Spanish colonial influence, Posole became popularly associated with pork as the protein of choice. Today, posole is enjoyed with pork or chicken on the dining tables of Mexican families in Mexico and the States on the night before Christmas. “Pozole feels like home. Every single scoop,” says Kat Novoa, a queer Mexican-American health and wellness advocate and owner of babies of well-being. “I think it’s important to break away from the narratives that our cultural foods are unhealthy and stop demonizing them. Our foods are rich in flavor and essential nutrients that are especially needed during the colder winter months.”
Novoa shares how she is decolonizing nutrition and health through her role as a gym owner and mental health advocate. “We do this by changing the way we think about our food and by educating ourselves about the nutrient density in our food,” she adds. “A bowl of Pozole can contain up to 40g of protein, 20g of carbs and 12g of fat for just under 400 calories. Our ancestors survived on these meals and were very conscious when creating them. So we should worship them as sacred, nourishing, and delicious.”
How is Posole traditionally made and prepared?
Each family will have their own direction when it comes to their immediate family’s recipe. That’s because different regions of Mexico proudly infuse the influence of their state’s traditions into cultural dishes. Apart from these indications, there is a standard traditional recipe for posole. The star of the show is Hominy. Posole’s main ingredient is the large core of white hominy, which gives the texture and flavor that will satisfy you. Going back for seconds just to eat the corn was something I would eagerly await after everyone had received a decent helping of the coveted corn.
Posole is easy to prepare but not a quick dish. The delicacy of letting the stew simmer for at least a few hours is an integral part of its traditional process. “I remember that my Abuelita started making the pozole bright and early [us] Children were running around,” shares Novoa. In order for the pork to be fully cooked and the corn to be tender, this meal takes at least an hour and a half to two hours from prep to serving. Hence the early start of the day.
Traditionally, the meat used in this delicious dish was pork, but it has been modernized to mix it with chicken as the protein of choice. “Everyone brings their own personal touch, like my grandma, she used to make it with purple corn. My mom uses red chili ancho instead of guajillo, and I like to make mine with chicken instead of pork,” Mexican food blogger and YouTuber Karen Delgado of Mi Cocina Rápida shares. Aside from the controversial meat choices, be sure to incorporate chili (chili) and garlic to perfect the recipe.
Posole became a main dish enjoyed during Las Posadas (Spanish religious festivals). Las Posadas were performed in Mexico to celebrate Noche Buena as a way to commemorate Mexican indigenous gastronomy that was involuntarily mixed up with Spanish colonial religion and the Inquisition. Posole always seems to have been a ceremonial dish since its Aztec beginnings, using this stew as an ofrenda (offering) to the gods in Nahua pantheism. Each time Posole is made, it is seen as a symbolic ofrenda for our ancient cosmology and a way to honor Native Mexican culture through ritual and a form of active ancestor worship.
“For as long as I can remember, pozole has been one of my family’s favorite dishes. It’s actually my mother’s specialty… It’s always been part of the menu for all special occasions, like birthdays, anniversaries, class reunions and of course, the holidays…” says Delgado. Bringing all the ingredients together is the incorporation of chili, which makes up the colorful aesthetic of this popular pastime and adds spice to it. “I love the richness of tomatillos,” says Novoa of green posole. “It feels like I’m literally drinking a bowl of green salsa. It feels spicier and feels less heavy on my stomach than the red pozole.”
What is traditionally served with Posole?
What makes posole so beautiful? It’s history, of course, but so are all its side dishes. When you think of a soup or stew, you definitely don’t associate it with toppings other than cheese or onions. But Mexican posole is all about the toppings and their pragmatic use of ingenuity by including vegetables like cabbage, onions and radishes, which are typically served as stacked toppings. Some also serve avocado on top.
Grab some tostadas as you make your way down the kitchenette so you can enjoy your bowl of posole. Tostadas, or sometimes tortilla chips, basically replace utensils when washing down porridge and broth. You always want to accompany your food with tostadas to give it an authentic touch.
What is the significance of Posole on Noche Buena and/or Christmas Day?
Noche Buena marks the imminent birth of Jesus in Christianity, which is a fundamental ideology of Catholicism. Translated as “good night”, it is a Spanish term for Christmas Eve. Many Latin American households gather and celebrate this holiday the day before Christmas. Occasionally you will come across those celebrating on Christmas Day instead of Noche Buena. Apart from the religious context, the affinity for food at this time of year corresponds to the values of religious slavery. Posole is made in huge batches and when you make Posole you will make one giant pot to guarantee foodie feasts the next day.
Most commonly enjoyed on Christmas Day, posole is part of the leftovers from Christmas Eve (Noche Buena) and is better known in Latin American culture as el recalentado (an all-day reheating meal). It’s famously a day when we watch countless rounds of delicious leftovers. “I grew up celebrating Noche Buena, it was one of the best and biggest celebrations in my family,” says Delgado. “Noche Buena is all about family, [the] Happiness of togetherness, gratitude and of course lots of food.” Posole is not only a way to welcome our living ancestors, it is also a time to honor and share with our ancestors.
“The smell of the pozole, the laughter and the energy make us feel like they’re still with us and we’re eating with them and our ancestors,” says Novoa. Even if you’re not Catholic, Christian, or religious, enjoying hearty posole at Noche Buena is a way to revive the importance of our cultural foods and customs, and reclaim the indigenous gastronomy with which many Mexicans have been spiritually connected since their ancestors.
Delgado is a proud Mexican Latina living in Los Angeles, California and whose cooking is heavily inspired by her grandmother and mother, particularly when it comes to preparing their infamous family recipe of posole. Here’s her easy homemade recipe to try this holiday season!
Chicken Posole Recipe:
yield: 12 people
preparation time: 15 minutes
cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes
total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
ingredients:
- 4 pounds chicken pieces, I usually use chicken breasts (bone-in)
- 1 can of cornmeal, drained and rinsed
- 1 large white onion, halved
- 10 cloves of garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- water (about 10 cups)
- Salt to taste
- 8 guajillo peppers
- 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
toppings:
- shredded cabbage
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Onion, diced
- oregano
- Crushed red pepper
- lime wedges
- tostadas
- avocado
instructions:
1. In a large saucepan, combine the chicken, 1/2 onion, 5 cloves of garlic, and bay leaves. Cover with water. Add 1-2 teaspoons of salt or chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Cook chicken for about 45 minutes. Skim the foam and excess fat from the top of the broth.
2. Remove the stems and seeds from the guajillos. Put in a saucepan covered with water. Add the remaining onion and five cloves of garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
3. After 45 minutes, remove the onion, garlic and bay leaves from the broth in which the chicken was cooked. Shred or chop the cooked chicken and return to the pot. Turn the broth heat to the lowest setting.
4. In a blender, add the guajillo peppers, onion, and garlic to 2 cups of the warm chicken broth. With salt. Mix until smooth.
5. Pass the red sauce through a sieve and pour into the chicken broth. Stir well to combine. Add corn and season with oregano, cumin and salt. Cook for another 25-30 minutes. Serve with side dishes. A corner!
Image Credit: Karen Delgado
