Pozole symbolizes family.

Ever since I was little, I remember eating pozole all the time. It’s a type of food my family has made, and it goes back generations. Pozole is a traditional Mexican soup made with meat and hominy (corn kernels softened with lye). Pozole comes from the Nahuatl word pozolli, which in English translates to a stew of maíz kernels. It’s a dish that cannot be wolfed down or rattan on the run. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to make pozole just yet, but it is something I want to learn how to make. My grandma, my aunts and my mom all know how to make pozole. Pozole is a symbol for family coming together during times of festivities, keeping our culture alive and for remembering loved ones.

Originally, pozole was regarded as a meal for privileged elites of the Aztec empire. These pozole occasions were to celebrate gods, harvests and changing seasons. It is said that pozole used to be made with human meat from prisoners who had their hearts cut out in ritual sacrifices. In the 1500s, cannibalism was banned. If cannibalism was never banned, would people still want to eat pozole if they knew human meat was an ingredient?

Pozole is part of my Mexican culture, and it is passed down from generations to generations to keep it alive. To my family, it’s very important keeping our culture alive because it helps us keep in touch with our roots and it makes us remember where we came from. My parents immigrated to the United States back in the 1990’s. When my parents felt homesick, they would go to a local Mexican grocery store and make pozole.

There are many ways to make pozole. There’s white, red, and green pozole. My family makes red pozole. Anyone familiar with pozole can agree that the color of the pozole doesn’t determine how the dish taste, but it’s determined by the person who makes it. Pozole rojo, or red pozole, is a version of pozole that utilized spicy, red peppers to give it its signature color. I admire anyone who knows how to make this dish. It takes up a lot of time and patience.

How to make Pozole: Getting Started

1) Fill a large pot with 4 quarts of water. (About 3.5 liters)

2) Bring the water to a boil and add 2 pounds of pork cut into small pieces. Add salt and 2 bay leaves.

3) Let everything simmer for about an hour checking it constantly

While cooking, start with your chilis

1) While the pork is cooking, get 5 guajillo chilis, 1 ancho chili and 1 Chile de arbol.

2) Cut off stems and remove seeds of pepper

3) Place the chilis in a separate pot and allow the chilis to boil in water until soften.

4) Once soft, place them in a blender and add oregano, a piece of onion, garlic, and some of the water where the chilis were boiled in.

5) Once happy with taste and consistency of the red sauce, add the sauce into the pot where the pork is cooking.

6) Add cumin and chicken boullion to taste

7) Allow to simmer for another hour.

Adding hominy

1) Get one large can of prepared hominy and rinse thoroughly.

2) Add it to the pot where the pork is in.

3) Mix well

4) Allow the mixture to simmer for about half an hour.

When I was a child, I used to think that going to family gatherings was boring and a waste of time. It wasn’t until I reached my early twenties that I started to understand the importance of any family gathering. Pozole is a symbol for family coming together during festivities like birthdays or holidays. It’s one of the rare times my entire family gets together. The adults would be around the table cooking and laughing while my cousins and I would be playing soccer outside. Everyone is laughing and making jokes. Parents, aunts, and uncles talking about memories they have with each other. They would reminisce about their time in Mexico and how much they miss it. My favorite would be when they would tell us ghost stories.

One of the stories they would tell us about was “La Llorona.” She is the ghost of a mother who killed her children. She is described as a white figure who appears near water crying for her children. They would always tell us about the time they saw her or would hear her cries at night. Then they would end the story by saying how important it is not to roam the streets at night because she can come get you and will take you with her. Now that I look back at it, that story was a tactic my family used to keep us from getting home after sundown. Most of their stories involved a moral lesson.

Another story they would tell us about would be the things we used to do when we were kids. My cousins and I were always up to no good destroying everything we touch. According to my parents, I once climbed up a dresser that was in my aunts’ room and I caused it to fall on me as well as the tv that was on top. The only reason why it didn’t crush me was because the bed was able to stop it from fully falling. Another thing we did was that my cousins and I were jumping on their bunk beds and we broke the top bunk. I don’t remember these stories, but I do enjoy listening to them. My family doesn’t get together as often anymore but when we do it’s such a beautiful feeling being able to enjoy a food, we all love while still making memories with each other.

Pozole reminds me of loved ones. My great grandpa passed away recently and he used to love eating pozole. My uncle also passed away years ago and pozole was his favorite dish. Eating pozole always brings back memories of the times my uncle and I would be sitting at the dining table laughing and talking about where we see our lives in the future. My great grandpa used to own a restaurant in Mexico and pozole was a signature dish in nis menu. He suffered from memory loss because of old age but every time he ate pozole, it’s almost like he would suddenly wake from his “sleeping” state and start talking to us as if no time has passed.

There’s a song I listen to that helps paint a picture of how I see pozole. The song is called “tamales” by Eddie Zuko. There’s a verse in his song that says, “you used to be the glue that hold together the tree…I play these memories back in my head, replay over and over again.”

As we get older, many things change. People grow old. Things happen with family. It’s very interesting how a dish can be the glue that holds family together. This traditional Mexican dish that’s made of rich, peppery soup of pork and hominy has such a great impact on my family and many other families. I don’t agree with the people who say they don’t like pozole. How can you not like a dish that fills you up with warmth with just the first spoonful? The way the flavors blend in your mouth all at once like there’s a dance party happening. The delicious smell that comes out of the plate. Pozole is a symbol for family coming together for festivities, it’s part of my Mexican culture and it’s a constant reminder of my loved ones who are no longer around.