Cinco de Mayo ...

Most of us know that Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for the 5th of May; however, there is must speculation as to why and where it is celebrated.  This uniquely American celebration has its roots in Mexican Americans living in Southern California, Arizona and Texas.  It initially spread up the West coast into Oregon and even Washington State.

So now that we know what it is and where it originated, what is the celebration in honor of? The 5th of May celebrates the French defeat by Mexico at the same time the United States was starting into the Civil War.  The celebration is a mix of honoring the victory of Mexico against a perceived oppressor and showing support for the Union and an end to slavery in the US.  Another fun fact is that the most avocados consumed in the US are on Cinco de Mayo and Superbowl Weekend (“Superbowl” is the registered trademark of the National Football League – have to stay legal).

So in honor of the defeat of Napoleon III I am celebrating Cinco de Mayo with some local friends.  Taking a more traditional approach to the menu we made savory and sweet tamales.  A salsa verde and salsa roja (that's a roasted salsa rojo), and no Cinco de Mayo wouldn't be complete without guacamole.   There were two versions, one with crickets for the adventurous and one without.

Appetizers: Guacamole, Tomatillo based Salsa Verde, Roasted Tomato based Salsa Roja. (Left)

Main Course: Savory Tamales: Pork tamales with a chili gravy, garnished with queso fresco and cilantro.  Served over a bed of Mexican style rice. (Right)

Dessert: Sweet Corn Tamales: Masa based tamales with sweet corn, cream, and a little sugar finished with local honey for a tasty and different dessert. (Left)

Beverages: The evening was all about Beer and Margaritas, need I say any more.  This was not a wine night, unless you are talking about Mescal wine distilled into something special; something that if it was made only from the Blue Agave we would call Tequila.

Wine Suggestions -
Just go for it and enjoy a good Mexican light or dark beer, maybe a cold salted Margarita, and finish the night with some good Tequila.  Save the wine for another night.

For my complete recipes click on the links below:
Guacamole            Salsa Verde            Salsa Roja           Pork Tamales           Sweet Corn Tamales