Patriotic-holidays pozole: the dish for 15 September

What is it?

Pozole is the central dish of the Grito de Independencia celebration on 15 September and Independence Day on 16 September in Mexico. A thick, deep broth of cacahuazintle maize cooked for hours until it bursts ("flowers") as soft white kernels, mixed with pork (head, backbone, leg, loin) or chicken, in three colour versions that evoke the flag: green pozole (with tomatillo, herbs and pumpkin seed), red pozole (with chiles ancho and guajillo), white pozole (without chilli in the broth, decorated with the three colours on the table). It is served in a deep bowl with loose garnishes: sliced lettuce, radishes, chopped onion, oregano, chile piquín, lime and tostadas with crema. It is communal food that brings together families and friends around the table on the night of 15 September with the Grito booming on the television.

Origin and history

Pozole has a deeply pre-Hispanic origin, documented by Bernardino de Sahagún in the Florentine Codex as a Mexica ritual dish prepared with cacahuazintle maize (Zea mays var. cacahuazintle), a variety with large hard kernels that requires extended nixtamalisation with lime to burst. In the pre-Hispanic period, pozole was prepared with human flesh from ritual sacrifices and consumed at religious festivities; after the Conquest, the friars prohibited human flesh and replaced it with pork, the animal recently introduced by the Spanish. Larousse Cocina records that pozole was thus transformed into a mestizo dish of which there are three large regional families: red from the Pacific-North (Sinaloa, Sonora, Nayarit, Jalisco), green from Guerrero (with pumpkin seed), and white from central Mexico and the State of Mexico. The association with the patriotic holidays of 15-16 September consolidated in the twentieth century as an urban tradition. México Desconocido documents that pozole is a national identity dish, present in any region and consumed massively in September.

Characteristic ingredients

Cacahuazintle maize is a fundamental ingredient, an endemic Mexican variety of large floury kernels grown mainly in Tlaxcala, the State of Mexico, Puebla and Morelos. To prepare pozole, the kernels are nixtamalised with lime (the process of boiling the maize with lime water to remove the husk and increase its nutritional value, a pre-Hispanic technique) and cooked for 2-4 hours until they "flower" (open like white flowers). The traditional meats are head, backbone, rib, leg or pork loin; in Guerrero chicken is also used. The cooking of the pork is done in the same broth for 2-3 hours. The seasonings vary: red pozole contains hydrated and blended chile ancho, guajillo and mulato; Guerrero's green pozole contains tomatillo, chile poblano or serrano, toasted pumpkin seed, epazote leaves, coriander and lettuce; white pozole has no chilli in the broth. The garnishes served at the table: lettuce, sliced radishes, chopped white onion, dried oregano, chile piquín powder, lime juice, tostadas with crema, avocado.

Cultural significance

Pozole is one of the strongest and liveliest symbols of Mexican national culinary identity, an emblematic dish of the patriotic holidays of 15 and 16 September when it is prepared in huge quantities for family gatherings, offices, schools, restaurants and public celebrations. The commemoration of the Grito de Dolores (Miguel Hidalgo, 15 September 1810) and Independence Day (16 September) annually brings the nation together, and pozole is the ritual food of the date. The pozole economy has spectacular peaks in September: producers of cacahuazintle maize, pig breeders, traditional cooks and specialist restaurants (pozolerías such as El Cardenal, La Casa de Toño, Potzollcalli) experience extraordinary sales. Traditional Mexican cuisine was recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010, and pozole features among the central dishes of the heritage. Its character as a pre-Hispanic-mestizo, ritual and communal dish makes it one of the most complete expressions of gastronomic Mexicanness.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between red, green and white pozole?

Red pozole contains dried chillies (ancho, guajillo, mulato) hydrated and blended into the broth, giving it intense red colour and moderately spicy flavour; typical of the Pacific-North. The Guerrero green pozole contains tomatillo, chile poblano, toasted pumpkin seed and herbs, olive-green colour, herbaceous flavour. White pozole is the maize and pork broth without chilli, decorated with green, red and white at the table. All three can be served at patriotic holidays.

What does pozole taste like?

It tastes of a deep broth of nixtamalised cacahuazintle maize with earthy and sweet notes, enriched by the richness of pork cooked at length. The red one provides moderate heat and toasted chilli notes; the green adds herbaceous freshness and umami from pumpkin seed; the white is cleaner. The garnishes provide crunch, acidity (lime), aromatics (oregano), freshness (lettuce, radish) and heat (piquín).

How is pozole served?

It is served in a deep dish or bowl, with a generous portion of broth, flowered maize and shredded meat. Each diner seasons their pozole with the garnishes they prefer: sliced lettuce, radishes, onion, oregano, chile piquín, lime and sometimes avocado. It is accompanied with warm tostadas topped with crema, cheese or beans. It is a communal dish, ideal for large gatherings at celebrations.

Where does pozole originate?

It is native to Mesoamerica, documented by Sahagún in the Florentine Codex as a pre-Hispanic Mexica ritual dish prepared with endemic cacahuazintle maize. After the Conquest, ritual human flesh was replaced with pork. Today's mestizo pozole has three large regional families: red from the Pacific-North, green from Guerrero, white from central Mexico. Traditional Mexican cuisine was recognised by UNESCO in 2010.