Tejocote: the yellow fruit of Christmas punch

What is it?

Tejocote is one of the most beloved and symbolic fruits of the Mexican Christmas season: a small round or oval drupe two to three centimetres across, with thin skin of yellow, orange or red colour depending on the variety and ripeness, firm cream-yellow flesh, slightly mealy, sweet and aromatic, with five hard seeds in the centre that are discarded. Its aroma is intense, floral and fruity, capable of perfuming an entire kitchen with just a few fruits. It is an irreplaceable ingredient of traditional Mexican Christmas ponche, alongside guava, sugar cane, prunes, apple, piloncillo and cinnamon, simmered for hours to create the most recognisable drink of the posadas, Christmas Eve and the end of the year. It is also eaten fresh, in traditional sweets (tejocote in syrup, chilli-coated sweets), jams, jellies, atoles and, more recently, contemporary chefs have incorporated it into gourmet versions. The harvest runs from October to January, coinciding with the festive season.

Origin and history

Tejocote is endemic to Mexico and parts of Central America, where its use has been documented since pre-Hispanic times. The name tejocote comes from the Nahuatl texocotl, where te means stone and xocotl means sour fruit, translating as stony sour fruit or stone fruit. Sahagun in the Florentine Codex and Francisco Hernandez in his Natural History of New Spain, both of the 16th century, document tejocote among the important fruits of Mexica cuisine, attributing food, medicinal and ritual uses to it. The tree belongs to the genus Crataegus (hawthorns), the same as European and North American hawthorns, making it a botanical relative of Old World hawthorns. The Mexican species, Crataegus mexicana, is distinguished by its larger, sweeter and fleshier fruits than its wild relatives, the result of centuries of selection by pre-Hispanic peoples. After the Conquest, tejocote integrated into culinary syncretism, retaining its role in traditional celebrations that transformed into Catholic festivities, particularly the Christmas posadas and the Day of the Dead celebration, where it appears in offerings and atoles. In the 20th and 21st centuries, tejocote cultivation has consolidated in states such as Puebla, the State of Mexico, Tlaxcala, Michoacan and Hidalgo, where commercial orchards supply national markets during the Christmas season.

Characteristic ingredients

Tejocote is Crataegus mexicana, an evergreen or semi-deciduous tree of the family Rosaceae that can reach ten metres in height, with thorny branches and alternate serrated leaves. It flowers in spring with clusters of small white flowers and produces fruit in autumn-winter, which makes it ideal for the Christmas season. There are wild and cultivated varieties, with fruits ranging from pale yellow to intense orange-red. The flesh contains vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, calcium, potassium, dietary fibre and flavonoid antioxidants, particularly those associated with cardiovascular health (Crataegus species are known in world herbalism for their cardiotonic properties). To prepare, tejocotes are washed and any soft or damaged ones are discarded; in ponche, they are boiled whole with skin on for an hour or more, until the flesh softens; diners bite them carefully avoiding the seeds. In sweets in syrup, they are peeled and cooked with piloncillo, cinnamon and clove, resulting in a traditional dessert very popular in Puebla, Tlaxcala and the State of Mexico. Jams and jellies are typical of producing regions. In traditional medicine, the dried flowers, leaves and fruits are used to prepare infusions for cardiovascular conditions and as a mild sedative. CONABIO lists Crataegus mexicana among the species of cultural and food importance in Mexico.

Cultural significance

Tejocote is part of Mexico's gastronomic heritage and one of the fruits most laden with symbolism of the Christmas season, alongside guava, sugar cane and piloncillo. It is an irreplaceable ingredient of Christmas ponche, a drink served at all posadas (the nine nights before Christmas), Christmas Eve, New Year and end-of-year festivities. The phrase 'echar tejocote al ponche' is a popular metaphor for adding the essential ingredient. The Tejocote Fair in some towns of the State of Mexico and Puebla, held in November, keeps the regional tradition alive. Traditional Mexican cuisine, inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010, includes ponche and Christmas fruits as part of the festive repertoire. Economically, tejocote supports thousands of small rural producers in central Mexico, with a marketing season concentrated in November-January. In 2010-2012, US health authorities detected dietary supplements made with tejocote sold for weight loss that contained adulterations with the cardiotoxin from yew (taxus); this generated alerts and controversy, although fresh fruits and traditional Mexican sweets pose no risk and are safe. Today chefs such as Margarita Carrillo Arronte and Patricia Quintana have rediscovered tejocote in contemporary cuisine, in jams, mole, sauces for poultry and signature desserts.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between tejocote and wild apple?

Both are rosaceae but from different genera. Tejocote (Crataegus mexicana) is a relative of European hawthorns, with small yellow or orange fruits, firm flesh and small hard seeds in the centre. Wild apple (Malus spp.) is a direct relative of cultivated apples, with larger fruits and pip-like seeds. Tejocote has a more aromatic flavour and a more tart-floral profile.

What does tejocote taste like?

It has a sweet-and-sour flavour, slightly mealy, with notes reminiscent of apple, peach, pear and a very characteristic citrus-floral touch. The ripe flesh is dense but firm, not juicy like an apple. The aroma is intense and perfumed, easy to identify even among other ponche fruits. Cooked in piloncillo it becomes sweeter and softens the acidity, retaining its distinctive perfume.

How is tejocote served?

Its most popular use is in Christmas ponche, boiled whole with guava, sugar cane, prunes, apple, piloncillo and cinnamon for hours. It is also prepared in sweets in syrup (crystallised tejocote, honeyed tejocote), jams and jellies, sweet atoles, and, in contemporary cuisine, in sauces for poultry and signature desserts. Fresh, it is eaten in small portions, taking care with the hard seeds in the centre.

Where is tejocote originally from?

It is native to Mexico and parts of Central America, where its use has been documented since pre-Hispanic times in sources such as Sahagun and Francisco Hernandez. The name comes from the Nahuatl texocotl, stone fruit. Today it is grown mainly in Puebla, the State of Mexico, Tlaxcala, Michoacan and Hidalgo, in commercial orchards that supply national markets during the Christmas season from October to January.