Lent, or Cuaresma, is a special time of year for Mexican Catholics. It’s a time of reflection and penitence, and the most noticeable characteristic is that people generally try to avoid certain things, like eating meat. However, this only means that Mexican cuisine gets creative. There’s need for bland or dull food this time of year!
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The Meaning Of Lent
Lent holds a very deep and powerful religious meaning that mostly speaks of sacrifice and self-denial. For most people, this means giving up something they crave, which might include such earthly pleasures as alcohol, sweets, and meaty foods.
During Lent, Catholics generally avoid meat, especially on Fridays. In Mexico, generations of cooks have created a surprising array of delicious meatless dishes that make Lent an extra special time of year. I’m not really sure if this lives up to the tradition of sacrifice and self-denial, but it sure lives up to the tradition of one of the world’s top cuisines- Mexican cuisine.
10 Yummy Reasons Why You’ll Love Lent In Mexico
1. Stuffed Poblanos
Poblano peppers look so slick and fluffy, they are just crying to be stuffed! Usually, they are stuffed with meat cooked with dried fruit. But during Lent, poblanos are stuffed with different kinds of cheese or seafood and fish. Believe me, they are a real treat!
Poblano peppers stuffed with cheese from Pati’s Mexican Table
2. Poblano Rajas
As you can see, poblanos are a must-eat during Lent. If you’re not into stuffed peppers, you can slice them thinly and make “rajas“, or strips. Poblano rajas can be used to spice up rice and casseroles, or they can be served as a side dish. If you want them to be even yummier, you can drown them in sour cream and sprinkle them with corn kernels. Yum!
Roasted Poblanos In Cream Sauce from Simply Recipes
How To Make Rajas from Mexican Food About
White Rice and Poblano Rajas Casserole from Pati’s Mexican Table
3. Fancied-up Tortillas
Tortillas can be made fancy and be turned into enchiladas. This a very iconic Mexican dish, and there are as many ways to make enchiladas as there are cooks in Mexico. Enchiladas are so amazing that even if you take out the meat for Lent, they will be delicious!
Leftover tortillas can be used to make chilaquiles. This creamy dish is perfect for breakfast or brunch, and it doesn’t need meat to be amazing either. It’s also the perfect remedy for when you are hungover. Although you really shouldn’t drink during Lent. Not too much anyway.
Red Enchiladas from Mexico In My Kitchen
Authentic Green Chilaquiles from Mexican Authentic Recipes
Green Chile Enchiladas from Muy Bueno Cookbook
4. Legumes
Beans, lentils, and lima beans make for wonderful soups and side dishes during Lent. They are also a great source of protein to replace meat. I love beans and lentils, and I always make sure to have them in my pantry. They’re healthy, delicious, and nutritious!
Mexican Homemade Beans from My Heart Of Mexico
Mexican Lentil Soup from My Heart Of Mexico
Fava Bean Soup from Pati’s Mexican Table
5. Croquettes or patties
Making croquettes or patties is always fun, and during Lent there’s several yummy options- potato pancakes, tuna cakes, shrimp patties, and cauliflower patties. My kids love the potato and tuna versions, and the shrimp patties can be superb when paired with mole sauce and romeritos. If you don’t know what romeritos are, you should really keep reading.
Potato Patties With Cheese from Mexico In My Kitchen
Shrimp Patties from Que Rica Vida
Tuna Patties from Mama Latina Tips
Mexican Tuna Burgers from La Cocina de Leslie
6. Veggie dishes
There are several veggies that are native to Mexico, like romeritos and huauzontles. Romeritos are a wild herb that looks a lot like rosemary but tastes like baby spinach. During Christmas and Lent, these are cooked in mole sauce and served with shrimp patties. They are amazing!
Romeritos With Shrimp Cakes from Saveur
Mexican Romeritos from The Latin Times
Huazontles are a veggie that looks like elongated broccoli and taste like minty spinach with broccoli undertones. The best way to eat them is by mixing them with cheese to make patties and then bathing them in a spicy sauce. This is one of my favorite Lenten dishes!
Mexican Huauzontle Croquettes by Mexico Food And More
7. Cactus
The nopal cactus is one of my favorite veggies, and it’s also a very fresh and delicious food, perfect for Lent. It may sound too exotic, but nopal cactus can be enjoyed in many ways- cooked, roasted, in a salad, in a stew, in tacos, or even in a smoothie. If you think you would never eat cactus, I must tell you that they are full of fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins. Nopal cactus is a superfood!
Cleaning and Cooking Cactus Paddles from Pati’s Mexican Table
How To Cook Cactus Paddles from Mexico In My Kitchen
Nopal Cactus With Onion, Guajillo Chile, And Fresh Cheese from Rick Bayless
How To Eat A Cactus And Not Die Trying from My Heart Of Mexico
8. Tostadas
Tostadas are crispy corn tortillas that can be topped with almost anything- beans, guacamole, fish, veggies, cheese, salsa, you name it! They’re perfect for brunch, lunch, a late night snack, or a party. There really isn’t a set recipe for this. Your imagination is the limit, so start topping!
Mexican Tostada With Black Bean Spread from Center Cut Cook
Refried Bean And Guacamole Tostadas from Muy Bueno Cookbook
9. Fish and seafood
Fish is the usual substitute for meat. It’s perfectly acceptable to eat it during Lent. There are many Lenten fish and seafood dishes in Mexico, and they are all delicious. The only downside is that the price of fish and seafood skyrockets during Lent, so many people have to settle for canned tuna. Expensive as it may be, most Mexicans always try to have at least one of these heavenly dishes before Easter.
Mexican Ceviche Recipe from Mexico In My Kitchen
Mexican-Style Shrimp Cocktail from Serious Eats
Mexican Fried Tilapia from Nathan’s Comida
Veracruz-Style Tilapia from Food Network
10. Dessert
During Lent, many people choose to stay away from decadent sweets, such as chocolate. However, Mexicans came up with a mouth-watering simple dessert instead- capirotada, or bread pudding. It’s made with leftover pieces of bread and spiced with cinnamon and cloves. It seems like a humble little dish full of Lenten spirit, but don’t be fooled! Capirotada is so delicious, it might be a sin in disguise.
Capirotada Mexican Bread Pudding from Muy Bueno Cookbook
Capirotada With Bananas, Pecans, And Prunes from Pati’s Mexican Table
Lent In Mexico
I must admit that sometimes, Lent in Mexico seems more like an excuse to have lots of yummy food, and less like a time of self-denial and sacrifice. But in our defense, Pope Francis recently said that Lent should be a time to fast on indifference, not on food.
If that’s true, then we can enjoy all these amazing dishes and share them with all our friends, family, and especially with our foes. Breaking bread together is the best way to put an end to old resentments. That would truly fulfill the spirit of Lent, don´t you think?
Thank you for sharing these! My mom’s step dad was Mexican, so she grew up on a steady diet of Mexican food, which she then raised her children on. And of course, I’m raising my children to love Mexican food as well.
By the way, I read a recent quote that said, “Jesus doesn’t want you to give up chocolate, he wants you to surrender your life”. So there you go, no guilt for enjoying this amazing food!
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Wow, how amazing that you are teaching a new generation to appreciate Mexican food. Congrats! To be honest, I don’t usually give up chocolate during Lent, with Valentine’s Day and all. You know what I’m talking about! lol 😀
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Yummy! We have Lent in Greece, too, with comparable goodies.
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Oh, I would love to check out what Greeks eat during Lent!
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I will do a post on it!
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Looking forward to it 😀
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I love nopales! 🙂
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You’re my kind of person! Aren’t they amazing? 🙂
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definitely! I love mixing them with black beans and salsa and eating them with fresh greens. nom nom nom nom
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Delish!!
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I have never participated in Lent yet I can quite imagine there are many in Mexico that do The food they are allowed to dine on sound super yummy
come see us at http://shopannies.blogspot.com
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Thanks for reading! I’ll be sure to pay you a visit.
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We have a very wise Pope!! Great ideas for Lent – thanks for sharing!! 🙂 🙂
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He sure is! And we’ve been fortunate enough to have him visit for a few days 🙂
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Lucky you! He came here to Philadelphia in September and it was a huge success! 🙂
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wow, I can imagine 🙂
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I loved all the choices you talked about! I am ready to try the stuffed poblanos and poblano rajas! I like to try out new recipes, and you certainly gave me plenty to choose from. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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I looooove poblano rajas! 😀 Hope you like!
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Great post Fabiolao, made me hungry for Mexican food! Yum!
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Let’s get cooking, Todd!
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My husband and I were just talking about getting into more homemade Mexican dishes so this post is very inspiring. Plus I adore Poblano peppers!
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Me too! I specially love poblano rajas. Yum!
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Yummy! I’ve never tried cactus before but would love to
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It’s my favorite veggie! 😀
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Great recipes ideas! I seriously cannot get enough of poblanos. I tried fire-roasting them at home for the first time this past year.. so good!
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I love poblanos too! The only part I hate is peeling off the skin, but it’s so worth it.
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I was happy to see that you included lentils in your list. Lentil soup with carrots and tomatoes is one of my favorites.
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I love lentil soup!! In Mexico, we also add plantains. I shared the recipe in a previous post.
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It is possible to find plantains in the stores here, but I have never seen cactus as you write about in this post. I am much too far north…
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Yes, that’s probably a little too exotic!
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You make these dishes look very inviting and delicious. I love Mexican dishes and thanks for bringing them to the Blogger’s Pit Stop
Kathleen
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Thanks for visiting my blog 🙂 I hope you can try one of these dishes
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Reblogged this on My Heart of Mexico and commented:
Carnival time is over and Lent has begun. In Mexico, this means it’s time to enjoy a whole array of yummy food.
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Something new for me 🙂
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Although Lent was not part of my religious upbringing, it is nice to see the positive experiences at the end of this sad “season of grief.” The food looks absolutely amazing!
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Lent should be a time of reflection, not exactly grief. Besides, there’s no reason to be sad with all that great food around 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Doctor Jonathan!
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The “grief” comment I made was based on a definition I found on Lent. It was probably meant more as “repentance of sins” than actual grieving. I misinterpreted it. Regardless, how much grieving can there really be with all this wonderful food waiting to be eaten! 🙂
I hope this holiday provides you the time for reflection and spiritual peace.
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I understand. Traditional Catholics do think of Lent as a time of grief, but others prefer to think of it as a time of renewal m
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Well, I’m sold! Beautiful pictures by the way!
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Thanks and gracias!
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The food looks so yummy! Wow! Also well written! 🙂 hi from the UK!
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Nice to meet you!
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I love all the different croquetas. I just got into the wonders of cauliflower, so that’s on my to do list to test out.
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I love cauliflower! I make cauliflower croquetas and cauliflower rice, and I really want to try cauliflower pizza crust 🙂
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Wow what great ideas for recipes. It’s amazing what one can come up with when there are restrictions. I not catholic and don’t celebrate lent, but it’s quite interesting to learn about.
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Well, to be honest I’m not very devout, but I do like to cook different things during Lent 🙂
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Hi Fabiola thanks for sharing your ideas for Lent with us at #BloggersPitStop. The recipes certainly look delicious.
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