Mexican Lent Food

Mexican Lent Food - "Capirotada" - Loncheria y Taqueria Fer in Barrio of Barra de Navidad

Lent is the period starting on Ash Wednesday to Easter. In Mexico special meals known as lent food in English or "comida de cuaresma" or "comida de vigilia" in Spanish are prepared during this period of time but only on Ash Wednesday, Every Friday and Holy Saturday. A characteristic of these dishes is that there is no meat on them and are mainly eaten at lunch time which is the main meal in Mexico.

-Mexican Lent Food - "Salpicon de Marlin" - Cocina Economica in Nueva Espana 89 in Barrio of Barra de Navidad-

"cuaresma" meals vary depending of the region of Mexico some are: "Tortitas de Camaron" / Dried Shrimp Cakes, "sopa de lentejas" / lentil soup, "sopa de habas" / lima beans soup, "capirotada" / a kind of bread pudding, "nopales con papitas de monte en chile de teñir" / cooked cactus with baby potatoes in a chile sauce, "chiles capeados rellenos  de queso o atún" / batter deep fried stuffed poblano peppers filled with cheese or tuna fish, pipian sauce, "guidado de pescado" / cooked fish in tomatoes and spices sauce,  "sopa de pescado" / fish soup , "romeritos con nopales" / romeritos with cactus,  "ensalada de nopales" / cactus salad, "torrejas lampreadas con miel de piloncillo" / deep fried bread in caramel sauce, pipian con nopales y papitas de monte / pipian sauce with cactus and wild small popatoes.

Other kind of pan fried cakes also common during lent season are: "tortitas de espinacas y queso" / spinach deep fried cakes , "tortitas de acelgas y queso" / acelgas and cheese deep fried cakes, "tortitas de papa"/ potato cakes, "tortitas de atun" / tuna cakes,  "tortitas de huazontle" / huazontle cakes.

Mexican Lent food - Batter deep fried stuffed poblano peppers filled with cheese - Cocina Economica Michoacan and Mazatlan streets

Some of the "cuaresma dishes" that can be found in Barra de Navidad are: "Tortitas de Camaron" / Dried Shrimp Cakes, "capirotada" / a kind of bread pudding, "nopales en chile de teñir" / cooked cactus in chile sauce, "chiles capeados rellenos  de queso o atún" / batter deep fried stuffed poblano peppers  filled with cheese or tuna fish, "salpicon de pescado" / cooked fish in tomatoes and spices sauce.

Mexican Lent Food - "Tortitas de Camaron" - "Cocina Economica" Nueva Espana Ave. 89 in Barrio of Barra de Navidad

"Tortitas de Camaron" / Dry Shrimp Cakes. These are cakes made with dried shrimp made powder, mixed with eggs and deep fried. These cakes are very similar of those found in the Chinese and Vietnamese food.
The "tortitas de camaron" are normally served with "nopales" / cactus in a not hot spicy red chile sauce or pipian sauce (a delicious sauce made with toasted pumpkin seeds, chile sauce)

Mexican Lent Food - "Capirotada" - "Chicha" Bakery in Barra de Navidad

"Capirotada" / Bread Pudding : Capirotada is a bread pudding prepared with raw sugar, almonds, dry bread, raisins, cheese, Mexican cinnamon.

Mexican Lent Food - Cactus Salad - Casa Las Margaritas

"Ensalada de Nopales" / Cactus Salad : Delicious and nutritious the cactus has many properties. You can find shredded cactus in different grocery stores. A common recipe to prepare cactus is to slice the cactus and boil it or grilled it, mix it cold with onion, cilantro and tomato as a salad. A very good book with recipes to prepare nopal is "Tradicion y Sabor 120 Recetas de Nopal".

Some Restaurants and Cocinas Economicas where you can find Lent Food in Barra de Navidad:

• Capirotada at the bakery with La Chicha
• "Cocina Economica Paola" restaurant located at the corner of Mazatlan and Michoacan streets.

Visiting Mexico? Stay at Casa Las Margaritas in Barra de Navidad Jalisco 

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Woman selling nopales (cactus) , gorditas, limes and calabacitas on a street in Guanajuato

Mexican Lent Food - Pipian con nopales y papitas de monte, tortitas de camarón, ensalada de nopales