May the Fourth be Cinco
This is one of the most festive times of year. It’s the middle of Spring. Flowers are in full bloom. Temperatures in America are relatively comfortable, not too hot or cold. And, people are celebrating all kinds of random stuff. We Just got past Mayday, so put that pole away. It’s time to watch some star Wars movies, and focus our attention south of the border. May 4th is usually overshadowed by May 5th and the strongly hyped Cinco de Mayo. But, thanks to Arrested Development, we also have Cinco de Cuatro. And, why not? It’s as good a day as any to change a date. So, May the Fourth be Cinco.
May 4th is a complete contradiction anyway. While popular culture has May the fourth be with you after star wars, longer standing traditions have the fouth as National day of reason and national day of prayer. To the secular world, these two concepts are pretty much polar opposites. Reason requires proof, facts, and logic. Meanwhile, prayer requires faith and a suspension of logic based in the physical realm. But, we can reconcile the two since it is also national Renewal day. So, put aside your religion, science, and science fiction. Let’s renew our faith in food.
Table of Contents
May the Fourth be Cinco is a numbers game
Jimmy Hendrix sang: If Six were nine. So, what if 4 were 5? Just like Jimi, I don’t mind. The 5th is National astronaut day, outer-space day, Cinco De mayo, and Silence the shame day. So, there is no shame in whatever you want to celebrate. Besides, there are multiple theories on time. And, if some are correct, Block theory states that the universe is all things that have happened and exist all in one place at the same time. It’s like “everything, everywhere, all at once”. So, in this world, what happens on May the fourth, is the same as May the 5th. And Cinco de mayo and cuatro can co-exist in harmony. Maybe it’s a good day to play the lottery with 4’s and 5’s. With odds like 1 in 327 million, it’s all a numbers game.
Meanwhile, on Earth one here, it is still either the 4th or the 5th (depending on when you read this, maybe even the 12th if you’re behind). So, let’s focus on one thing at one time, in one place. Since, we are food oriented here, we are going to focus on the cuisine of Mexico. So, let’s start thinking of how chilies, spices, and sunbelt crops go together.
It’s not that important
Cinco de Mayo is not all that important to Mexicans. In fact, celebrations in North America are more prevalent. It’s not Mexican independence day. It actually marks the battle of Puebla, where ill equipped and under-trained Mexican forces defeated a battalion of Napoleon’s army. While it was a symbolic victory, it didn’t win the war, nor result in Mexican independence. In a way it’ like bunker hill day or the Alamo to Americans, except the Mexicans actually won this battle, while Americans lost both of those battles. But, all 3 battles showed the resolve of the nationalists.
And, Mexico has a long history of ceding land to foreign invaders. Heck, what we know as the Southwest United States was all part of Mexico until we stole it from them. For more, see here. So, the least we can do is dedicate a couple days to honoring the culture of a once great nation, and our neighbors. We don’t seem to have problems with Canadians, despite the fact that the terrorists behind 9/11 came in through that border. But, we need to secure the southern border? You mean the one we took by force? resulting in thousands of deaths on both sides? What ever happened to sharing? Jut sayin’…
Getting back to Mexico
If you visit or live in the Southwestern Territories of the US, you see a lot of Mexican and indigenous influenced culture. Most of it is overshadowed by modern American culture. But, a visit to Santa Fe or Taos, reminds us of what was once there. And, let’s not forget that salsa has become one of the most popular condiments in the USA. Just ask Seinfeld. Now we have Tex Mex Cuisine all across the country. And, don’t forget, Texas was part of Mexico. In 1845, President Polk offered to Buy Texas. When the Mexican government said it’s not for sale, we sent in an army to take it. Not very Neighborly. And, now we call Americanized Mexican food Tex Mex? A little redundant? And not very accurate.
But, it’s also important to remember that the Spanish conquered Mexico before we started taking parts of it. People think Christopher Columbus discovered The United States of America. But, he actually never stepped foot on US soil. He started in the Caribbean. But future settlers moved toward Mexico. In 1518, Hernan Cortes visited Mexico, and from 1519 to 1521 waged a war to take the land from the Aztecs who ruled at the time. So, our view of Mexicans as “Hispanic” people is as inauthentic as “Tex Mex” food.
So, by the time the USA got to Mexico, they were already a subjugated society. Just like the English forced their culture on the US, Spain had 3 centuries of changing Mexico into a “Hispanic” country.
So, what do “real Mexicans” eat?
When Cortes invaded Mexico, he and his people found a wide variety of food staples. Aztec and indigenous tribes relied heavily on Maize (corn) for their daily cuisine. Most of it was ground and used for tortillas. They use a process called nixtamilization where corn kernels are cooked in water and lime, and ground. The type of corn used isn’t the sweet table corn we think of as corn on the cob. It’ dry and tough. So, the process makes it palatable. It also amplifies the nutritional aspects of the corn, extracting things like niacin and proteins that may not be in consumable form. And, this nixtamilized corn makes a great base to pair with other indigenous ingredients like beans and squashes to get a balanced diet.
The Mexican Climate is great for the propagation of a number of crops like tomatoes, avocados, sweet potatoes, chilies, and a variety of tropical fruits like mangoes, pineapple, and bananas. As for livestock. There are plenty of seafood choices from shrimp to a variety of fish. Turkey, duck, and (unfortunately) dog were the domestic meats before the Spanish brought other livestock like sheep, goats, pig, and cattle. But, they didn’t need as much animal protein since there were plenty of good vegetable crops with varying nutritional values. Chia, Quinoa, and Amaranth are good protein rich grains. And, chocolate and vanilla are also great flavorful ingredients indigenous to Mexico.
So, it’s not just tacos and burritos. The true Mexican diet can be quite a smorgasbord.
May the Fourth be Cinco on the grille
So, what are we going to make to celebrate true Mexican Heritage in our sci fi world of everything, everywhere, all at Star wars? There is a connection between these things and ancient Mexicans. Aztec and Mayan cultures were highly evolved. And, they had an eye on the sky. A visit to Tulum or Chichen itza will show you how in tune they were with their place in the universe. Their cuisine was on par with what conscientious diners eat today. Most of their food was plant based. The art of nixtamilization shows that they knew something about chemistry. Animal protein was not part of the daily diet. They had things like beans and grains for that. And, they were known to eat insects, and even harvest a protein rich algae from lakes and ponds. It may sound disgusting. But, we drink spirulina in smoothies. So, there.
So, today’s menu will be mostly plant based. But, we (like the Aztecs) reserve the right to incorporate some animals. After all, we are omnivores. You can make your own menus too. Think squash, beans, maize, chilies, and don’t forget the chocolate. And, you don’t have to think of it as “Mexican” Cuisine. Mexico used to include everything from Oregon to Texas. We are all part of the galaxy. So, today we dine as if in a time a long long time ago in a place far, far away.
Aztec Vegetable Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Seeded and Cubed Zucchini
- 2 Cups Diced Sweet Onion
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh garlic
- 2 Cups Cubed, peeled Sweet Potato
- 1 Cup Diced Fresh Tomato
- 1/4 Cup Diced Poblano Chili
- 1 Cup Cooked Pinto Beans
- 1 Cup Grilled Fresh Corn, cut off the cob
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 tsp Coriander seeds
- 1/4 Cup Lime Juice
- 2 Cup Water
- Avocado Oil for cooking
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Scallion
- Tortillas, Rice, and Salad to accompany
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over high heat. Put in the coriander and cumin seeds. Lightly toast them until they become aromatic. Remove from the pot and grind in a spice grinder. Set aside.
- Heat some avocado oil in the same pot over medium high heat. Add the garlic, onion, and sweet potato. Saute until lightly browned and softened, stirring as needed. Add in the chili at this time.
- Add some water and bring to a simmer. You want to cook the potatoes. If the liquid evaporates, add more.
- Add the tomatoes and bring back to a simmer. Then add all the remaining ingredients, including the freshly ground cumin and coriander. Season to taste. You only want to cook until heat has penetrated all the vegetables. So, no more than a minute or two. You don't want to overcook the squash, or it will become bitter.
- Serve in a casserole dish or right from the pot. We suggest a simple salad with lime and oil to dress, and rice as accompaniments.
Notes
Tipsy Xocolatl (Aztec Chocolate)
Ingredients
- 1 Quart Light Cream
- 2 Small Hot Chili Peppers
- 2 Tbsp Agave syrup
- 1 each vanilla Beans, split open
- 2 Cups Baking chocolate or chocolate chips
- 2 3 inch Cinnamon Sticks
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except chocolate in a pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Allow to steep for about 5 minutes so the vanilla, chili, and cinnamon have time to flavor the cream. Then whisk in the chocolate. Be careful to make sure it all melts evenly.
- Strain out the vanilla, cinnamon, and chilies. Serve hot. You can top with whipped cream and cinnamon sugar if desired.