The Whole Enchilada for Cinco De Mayo

Despite what many may believe Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in America than it is in Mexico. For the most part it is considered a regional holiday in Mexico, only being celebrated in the state of Puebla. The holiday is important in Puebla because the reason behind the celebration is the victory of the Mexican Army against the French in the "Battle of Puebla" in 1862. For every one else in Mexico it is an excuse for party or parade. It is not the Mexican Independence Day, which is held in September and happened some 50 years before the Battle of Puebla.

Cinco de Mayo celebrations generally include parades, mariachi music, folk dancing, decorating homes with flowers and the colors of the Mexican flag and of course food, food and more food. Since Cinco de Mayo, which literally means the fifth of May, is primarily celebrated in American there are many dished that have been added to the celebrations over the years. Many times those dishes lack very much authenticity and are more "Americanized". For example one such food, the enchilada, is very popular at Cinco de Mayo celebrations, yet the food is usually made very different in American than it is in Mexico.

Enchiladas, pronounced ehn-chee-LAH-thahs, is generally a tortilla dipped in chile sauce and stuffed with meat, cheese, onions, chiles and a variety of other ingredients. Now-a-days enchiladas can be found on many street corners being sold as snacks. Usually these enchiladas are crunchy and aren't dipped in any kind of sauce.

Many believe that the enchiladas has its roots in both Mayan and Aztec history. It may have come for a dish called papdzules, which is a tradition Mayan dish that uses corn tortillas dipped in a pumpkinseed sauce, then rolled in chopped boiled egg and smothered in a red sauce.

The Aztecs was infamous for wrapping their food in tortillas and covering it in various types of sauce. Many of their dishes are made similar to enchiladas. There are some who believe that a dish very similar to enchiladas was developed by the Aztecs in the 19^th century.

Since there is generally no set traditional food for Cinco de Mayo, presenting an enchilada dish wouldn't go a miss. Generally food that is brought to a Cinco de Mayo celebration is put out in a pot luck type fashion with everyone bringing their own favorite recipes from all different regions of Mexico. With traditions varying from Mayan to Aztec to many regions of Spain, even adding the Americanized enchilada would be acceptable.

Here is a recipe that is simple to make. For those who want to be adventurous, try adding splitting the dish by topping it with two different types of sauce on each side.

Enchiladas

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup sliced red onions

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 tablespoon hot sauce

1 pound ground beef

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Salt and pepper

8 (10-inch) flour tortillas

2 cups packaged dirty rice

1 cup sliced cheddar, plus 1 cup for topping

Chili verdi enchilada sauce

Red enchilada sauce

Heat skillet on medium flame, add oil and saute onions. Once the onions are sauteed, add the garlic, cumin powder, hot sauce and beef. Saute until the beef is brown, then add the chopped cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lay out a tortilla, add a layer of dirty rice, beef, and cheddar. Roll up the tortilla and place in a casserole dish. Repeat process with the remaining tortillas. Once all the tortillas are stuffed and in the casserole dish, pour the tomato sauce over the top, and sprinkle the rest of the cheddar cheese over the sauce. Bake casserole for 20 to 30 minutes until heated through and the cheese is melted.