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Cinco de Mayo, a celebration of Mexican heritage, is a major event in many parts of the United States. While in Mexico it is a legal holiday, the festivities are rather muted, except in Puebla where May 5th is a day of special significance. For there, over 300 years ago, a rag tag group of Mexican ex-guerillas drove off a powerful army of 6,000 French invaders. Never mind that the city was eventually conquered, resulting in the Viennese Prince Maximillian being installed by Napoleon III as Emperor of Mexico. The courage of these Mexican soldiers has not been forgotten and this holiday represents the Mexican spirit to survive.
Cinco de Mayo, rather than Mexican Independence Day on September 15th, became popular in the U.S. as it became a rallying point to the Chicano students at Cal State in Los Angeles during the 1960s and these students and the faculty wanted to celebrate in the spring. The original premise was to introduce Mexican cultural arts and history into the curriculum, but as has happened with St. Patrick’s Day, a much larger group of people than just Mexican Americans have made it into a holiday that everyone can celebrate. One should keep in mind, however, that Cinco de Mayo is not just an excuse for a party, but a time to discover or rediscover the cultural contributions of the Mexican Americans.
There are no specific foods or dishes associated with Cinco de Mayo, but since it is spring time, here is a vegetable soup from Puebla made special by the addition of a zesty radish sauce. This dish is a complete and flavorful meal traditionally cooked in a clay pot. This recipe is from Mexico the Beautiful Cookbook.
Place the pork, onion, garlic, water and salt in a large pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, skim the surface, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the pork is tender, about 45 minutes. Correct the seasonings and set aside.
In a blender, purée the tomatillos, cilantro and chiles serranos. Set aside.
To make the sauce, combine the water, salt and vinegar in a bowl, add the chiles poblanos and soak for 30 minutes. Drain the chiles and combine with the radishes, onion, orange juice and lime juice.
Twenty minutes before serving, bring the pork mixture to a boil, add the corn, zucchini and green beans and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes. Bring the soup to a boil, add the tomatillo purée, stir and remove from the heat.
Pass the sauce separately, to be served over the hot soup. Serves 6.
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