"Mexico" news and stories

Many Americans wrongly think that Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican Independence Day -- it's really just a fiesta in honor of one battle that happened years later in 1862. This year marks Mexico's bicentennial celebration of the actual independence on September 16, 1810. Here at Casa Cóctel in Baja California Sur, Mexican flags are everywhere as we gear up for this massive Mexican celebration. The iconic red, white and green of the flags even translates to the cocktail we're serving: Banderita, meaning "little flag," consists of 3 shots -- tequila, lime juice, and sangrita -- lined up next to each other to resemble the colors of the Mexican flag.

If you can't make it over to the Mexican side of the California border, perhaps you can check out The Polished Palate's Spirits of Mexico Festival in San Diego this week from September 15-19. It's a huge gathering of distillers, writers, bartenders, and other industry folks to celebrate agave-based spirits such as tequila and mezcal, as well as agave beer, liqueurs, and even sotol [pronounced soh-TOLL], a less common Mexican spirit made from a plant that grows wild in the northern state of Chihuahua.

Besides the chance to taste more spirits than your body can possibly handle, the Festival will also feature seminars on spirits and cocktails and include the finals of a sangrita competition. If hopping in a plane just isn't in the cards, do some armchair travel via the list of spirits that won silver and golds in the Spirits of Mexico tasting competition.

For more information about Hispanic Heritage Month, visit AOL Celebra.

Let's not kid ourselves -- holidays have always been about the food. Hannukah has latkes. Thanksgiving has turkey. Independence Day has barbecue. Christmas is no exception, especially in Latin America. In Mexico and parts of the United States, Christmas is preceded by Las Posadas, a nine-day marathon of singing and eating. It begins Wednesday and lasts until Dec. 24.

The phrase "Las Posadas" translates to "the inns." It refers to the attempts of Mary and Joseph to find room at an inn for the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Each night, celebrants and musicians gather for candlelight processions, led by children dressed as the Holy Family and the Three Wise Men, and travel from home to home singing and requesting permission to enter until welcomed by an "innkeeper." At last, the food!

Among the essential dishes of holiday parties are ponche (punch), antojitos (snacks or appetizers), colaciones (light foods like sugar balls), pozole (hominy, pork and chile stew) and, of course, tamales, the ever-present Mexican holiday food. Ultimately, the foods and recipes are regionally dependent, as much of Mexican cuisine is. Zarela Martinez, matriarch of Mexican restaurants in New York and owner of Zarela, likes to serve pozole during Las Posadas. "It is easy to do and everyone loves it."

What makes chocolate so addictive?

Chocolate contains a variety of substances, which definitely have an effect on the mind or body chemistry. These include compounds like theobromine, the primary alkaloid in cocoa and chocolate also stimulates the heart and has many therapeutic uses.

People associate the "chocolate high" with the theobromine content, which oddly enough has a stronger biochemical effect for horses and is normally banned in horse racing since it's considered to give them a competitive edge.

Tryptophane, an essential amino acid and precursor to serotonin, that most people associate with turkey, can also be found in chocolate. Tryptophane can help to calm and relax the body, but I like chocolate simply for the fact that it's an easy way to spoil yourself! Get my recipe for Mexican hot chocolate after the jump.

On a quick trip to Mexico City last weekend, we got adventurous and tried escamole -- ant eggs harvested from agave plants.

A friend had informed us prior to sampling what exactly these buttery white grains were. Had we not known, we would have just found them to be pleasant, nutty things similar to cooked, toasted risotto. We ate them at the San Angel Inn, which serves up escamole with fresh guacamole and corn tortillas.

Have you tried escamole? What did you think? And what's the weirdest thing you've eaten? Let us know in the comments below.