Nana's Mexican Pozole Rojo (Red) Recipe - The Foodie Affair (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between pozole and posole? ›

There's really no big difference between pozole and posole, except a letter. In Mexico, where the brothy, chile-spiked soup originated, it's often spelled with a "z"; near the border and beyond, it's often spelled with an "s." It just depends where you are, and who taught you to cook it.

Pozole Makes a Crowd-Pleasing Meal

This pozole rojo, or "red" pozole, is made with pork shoulder or shanks, red chiles, and lots of hominy corn.

The big difference between these two soups is the meat that they use. While pork and chicken are commonly used to make pozole, menudo uses tripe, which is the stomach lining of the cow with a chewy texture very similar to that of sautéed calamari.

Since maize was a sacred plant for the Aztecs and other inhabitants of Mesoamerica, pozole was made to be consumed on special occasions. Historical texts state that the pozole of the Natives was made with sacrificed human flesh which is why it was only served on special occasions.

It's a balanced dish made with nutritious ingredients that could help you lose weight, manage your blood sugar, and improve your gut health — all while being naturally gluten-free. However, it can also be high in sodium, fat, and calories. Thus, using low sodium broths and lean cuts of meat is advised.

Pozole (Spanish pronunciation: [po'sole]; from Nahuatl languages: pozolli, meaning cacahuazintle, a variety of corn or maize) is a traditional soup or stew from Mexican cuisine.

Both soups are also deeply emblematic of their cultures. The roots of pozole pre-date Spanish colonization, and the dish is said to have had ritual significance for the indigenous people of Mexico. Its principal ingredient, corn, was a sacred crop to the Aztecs and Mayans.

There are three main types of pozole, each named for the color of the soup: verde, rojo and blanco.

Storage & freezing:

If you have any leftover pozole, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for around a week.

Posole can be made a bit leaner than menudo thanks to the option of making it with chicken, but both dishes are full of vegetables and different groups of nutrients, so honestly, both soups are pretty healthy overall.

Who invented pozole rojo? ›

Pozole rojo is believed to have originated in the ancient city of Tehuacan, located in central Mexico. This traditional food was likely created by the Aztecs who used it to celebrate special occasions and religious festivals.

The indigenous ancestors used human flesh in the stew. Aztec priests would make human sacrifices to their gods, offering up the heart and using the rest of the flesh for a ceremonial pozole. After the Spanish conquest, Spanish rulers outlawed cannibalism, and so pork was used in replacement of human flesh in pozole.

noun. , Mexican Cooking. a thick, stewlike soup of pork or chicken, hominy, mild chile peppers, and cilantro: traditionally served at Christmas and often favored as a hangover remedy.

Similar to many Mexican dishes, the name Pozole originates from Nahuatl and has a significant history. The main ingredient in Pozole is Hominy, which is made from corn. Due to the belief that humans were made by the corn gods, in Mexican Aztec history corn was considered a sacred plant.

Interestingly, historical records suggest that during special ceremonies, the meat used in pozole was not pork or chicken as we know it today, but rather human flesh. After the arrival of the Spanish, who banned cannibalistic practices, pork was substituted, as its taste was said to be similar.

Pozole and posole are the same dish spelled differently. “In Spanish we write it with a z and in English they write it with an s,” Carrillo Arronte explains.

Its name derives from the Náhuatl word “ pozolli ,” which means foam and refers to the foam produced when the corn is boiled. Pozole dates back to pre-colonial times. It was served during a celebration for the god Xipe Tótec , a god who was flayed and protected agriculture, fertility, and love.