Both the readers of this blog know that Valentine’s Day is a day that we avoid restaurants — we usually go out for Valentine’s Day, but the day before or the day after — not on February 14. Today is another one of those holidays that we tend to avoid restaurants — especially, Mexican Restaurants. Today is Cinco de Mayo — but we hit the Mexican restaurants before or after May 5, to avoid the crowds.
But I do like Cinco de Mayo — it’s a great excuse to drink margaritas…. not that you need a special day for that, but it just seems to be more fun if you’re celebrating something…..
Cinco de Mayo is one of those holiday I never heard of when I was growing up — and there were a number of Mexican restaurants around where I lived.
But this day is about more than drinking tequila — it actually has deep-seeded roots in Mexican history.
The popular belief is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexican Independence Day — of course, that’s not true. Mexican Independence Day is September 16th, not May 5th. May 5th is the anniversary of the 1862 Battle of Puebla. During that battle the guerrilla troops of General Ignacio Seguin Zaragoza fought off Napoleon’s troops during the Franco-Mexican War. The battle for the town of Puebla was an unexpected victory for the Mexican soldiers, marking a decisive win against the French invaders.
The popularity of Cinco de Mayo in America can probably be attributed to Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt enacted the “Good Neighbor Policy,” which was meant to improve relations with Latin America countries and communities. Because of this policy, Cinco de Mayo began to pick up steam in the 1950s and 60s.
Los Angeles has the biggest Cinco de Mayo celebration — even bigger than the festival in the Mexican city of Puebla. The Los Angeles party is called Fiesta Broadway and has been a huge celebration since the 1990s.
I don’t think you could have Cinco de Mayo without tequila — 47% of all drinks ordered on Cinco de Mayo are margaritas and tequila sales usually double during the week leading up to the holiday. It’s interesting that long ago, tequila couldn’t be enjoyed by all Mexican people. Centuries ago, Aztec priests used to make a milky beer-like drink from the agave plant called pulque. Only the priests could consume this precursor of tequila.
The traditional dish eaten in the town of Puebla on their big holiday is mole poblano. Invented in the late 17th century, mole is a thick sauce made with chocolate, chili peppers, and other spices. I’ve never had the sauce over turkey legs, but apparently, traditionally, that’s the way to do it.
According to what I’ve read, ten states consume more tequila than the others — New York, Ohio, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Colorado, Nevada, California, Arkansas and Texas.
This year will be the 161st year of celebrating Cinco de Mayo — cheers!!
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