Cinco de Mayo Food and Facts

Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow. Are you ready? Most importantly, are you saying it right? It’s not Cinco de Mayo like May-o or mayonnaise. It’s Cinco (sink-o) de My-oh. People of Hispanic heritage know how to say it, but sadly, a lot of other people don’t It’s important to pronounce it correctly, to give respect to the holiday. It really is about a lot more than food.

What Does Cinco de Mayo Celebrate?

Cinco de Mayo means the 5^th of May in Spanish. It’s an important day in Mexican history, and the holiday celebrates the date the Mexican army emerged victorious over France at the May 5, 1862 Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War,

Battle of Puebla Day is actually a minor holiday in Mexico, but it has turned into a big deal in the United States. Cinco de Mayo has become a major commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage, especially in cities and towns with large Mexican-American populations.

You can learn more about the history of Cinco de Mayo from this History Channel post.

Cinco de Mayo Food

Pretty much every Mexican restaurant is going to have specials going all weekend long if you prefer to eat out. However, if you want to celebrate the Mexican culture at home, there are a lot of delicious recipes you can try, that go well beyond your standard burrito.

We’ve searched for appetizers, main dishes, desserts, and cocktails so you don’t have to. Let’s dig in.

Appetizers

One word. Guacamole. Use your own guacamole recipe for this, because everyone likes to add different things. For the purest guacamole, use avocadoes, lemon juice, garlic, and a bit of minced onion.

For a tasty appetizer you may not have made before, try queso fundido.  It’s a gooey appetizer with melted Mexican cheese, browned chorizo, jalapeno peppers, and onion. Try it once, and you won’t wait for Cinco de Mayo to roll around before you have it again!

Main Dishes

Get the slow cooker started in the morning for tasty carnitas – Mexican pulled pork. You can use the pork in tacos, tostitas, burrito bowls, and more. Or get your grill on and do carne asada – marinated flank steak. If you have a vegetarian or vegan in the family, consider using spicy chorizo vegan meat crumbles for their tacos or bowls.

Dessert

A traditional Mexican dessert-like tres leches cake is great to try if you have the time and want a great-tasting dessert. But if you’re stretched for time, try Freses con Crema. It’s an easy, no-bake strawberries and cream recipe that’s absolutely delicious!

Cocktails

You can certainly stock up on your favorite Mexican beer (Corona, Modelo, Tecate), but you may also want to try your hand at making margaritas from scratch. No mix is required for this classic margarita recipe.

For even more recipes, check out this complete list from IsabelEats.

Make It Exceptional. Make It Woodfield.

Have a Happy Cinco de Mayo! And if you’re considering a new inground pool installation or want to put in an outdoor kitchen this summer, we can help. We believe you deserve an exceptional experience when it comes to enhancing your outdoor living spaces.

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