{"id":5084298,"date":"2019-12-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-23T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ctlatinonews.com\/latino-christmas-traditions-a-food-centered-holiday\/"},"modified":"2019-12-23T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-12-23T05:00:00","slug":"latino-christmas-traditions-a-food-centered-holiday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/2019\/12\/23\/latino-christmas-traditions-a-food-centered-holiday\/","title":{"rendered":"Latino Christmas Traditions: A food-centered holiday"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>By&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/vickiadame\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vicki Adame,<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/ctln.local\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CTLatinoNews.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Christmas is this week, and the thoughts of Latino families across the state are set to the centerpiece of that magical night \u2014 the Christmas dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although born in the Dominican Republic, Claudia Hilario\nmoved to Puerto Rico at the age of 12. And Puerto Rican Christmas traditions\ninfluence the way she and her family celebrate Navidad.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Christmas Eve, Hilario and her family get together to\ncelebrate \u2014 and that means a lot of traditional food from the island nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the foods found on the dinner table that night are\npernil and pasteles. The pasteles are made with <em>masa<\/em> &nbsp;(dough) de platano or\nyucca and are filled with pork.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pernil \u2014 a slow roasted pork leg or pork shoulder \u2014 is the heart of a Puerto Rican Christmas dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe pernil can never be left out,\u201d Hilario said. \u201cAnd\nneither can the pasteles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Christmas Eve on the island is for the big celebration when\nthe entire family gathers, she said. And on Christmas morning gifts are opened.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s also when either family who couldn\u2019t make it to the\ncelebration on the 24<sup>th<\/sup> come or you go and visit and deliver\npresents,\u201d Hilario said.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hilario moved to Connecticut in October 2018, but this will be her first Christmas celebration here. Last year, she went back to Puerto Rico to celebrate the holiday.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI still haven\u2019t made a pernil in my life, but I think this\nwill be the first time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And while finding the ingredients for a traditional meal\nmight be a challenge, Hilario isn\u2019t too worried.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019ll just go to a <em>mercado\n<\/em>with Hispanic food,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dinner, she said, is heavy on the carbs.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf you take a green salad, it will be left untouched,\u201d she\nsaid. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty funny.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"A Puerto Rican Christmas \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf7\ud83c\udf84\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xCiS06a4LEI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>A Puerto Rica. Christmas  <br \/>(video by Claudia Hilario)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><figcaption>Coquito <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><figcaption>Jessica Serrano <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><figcaption>Arroz con gandules<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><figcaption>Tembleque<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Making a traditional dinner for Christmas Eve is important,\nshe said, because it is one way to maintain the tradition and culture of the\nisland.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFood is something that always unites us. It\u2019s a way to keep\nthe tradition via the flavor. I\u2019m always looking for the flavor of Puerto Rico.\nAnd the way to keep the flavor is to make it yourself. It\u2019s also a way for the\nchildren to learn about the culture,\u201d Hilario said.<\/p>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to the one food traditionally served in the\nhomes of the majority of Mexican families in the United States, tamales will be\nthe mainstay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, this is not the case in Mexico. While you may find\nthem on some tables, tamales are reserved for Feb. 2 \u2014 for the celebration of\nLa Candelaria.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Depending on the region, the main dish served for Christmas\ncan vary widely, but the day when families get together is December 24. With\nDecember 25 being reserved for <em>recalentado\n\u2014 <\/em>leftovers.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Families in the central part of the country, including\nMexico City and the State of Mexico, serve bacalao \u2014 dried, salted codfish \u2014\nand romeritos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Romeritos \u2014 an edible leafy foliage that belongs to the <em>quelites<\/em> family, (which in turn is\nsimilar to spinach in consistency when cooked) \u2014 resemble Rosemary but have no\naroma and are completely edible. <\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Romeritos are cooked with mole, potatoes and <em>torta de camaron<\/em> \u2014 shrimp patties. And\nit\u2019s a mainstay on the Christmas Eve dinner table in central Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Veracruz the main dishes on table can be cerdo en\nciruela, pierna adobada or pollo en adobo.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ensalada De Manzana Naviden\u0303a\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3xq8cnnJReE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>How to make <em>ensalada de manzana<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But regardless of where you are in the country, the <em>ensalada de manzana navide<\/em><em>\u00f1a<\/em> cannot be left off the table. The\nmain ingredients of the salad are apples, raisins, nuts, crema Mexicana and\ncelery. Some families will add other ingredients, but <em>ensalada de manzana <\/em>is always served.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">December 25 is actually a quiet day and reserved for <em>recalentado <\/em>\u2014 leftovers. <\/p>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, many Hispanic, Latino families living in the U.S. also integrate American traditions into their Christmas meals. It isn&#8217;t uncommon for turkey and ham to be the centerpiece of dinner tables. <\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like in most aspects of their life in America, this community acculturates rather than assimilates common customs in this country into their ancestral traditions; that is to say &#8211; they adopt the best of both worlds. <\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While some families do wait for Santa Claus and some\npresents are opened on Christmas day, the majority of families look forward to\nthe arrival of the Three Kings on January 6. Gifts are usually given on both\nDecember 25 and January 6. Depending on the family, one of the two days is\nreserved for the fun gifts, while on the other \u201cuseful\u201d gifts such as socks and\nunderwear are given.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But regardless of where Latinos come from, Christmas centers\non food.<\/p>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Noche Buena   <\/h4>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><figcaption>Balta extended \u201cLittle Christmas \u201c celebration, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><figcaption>\u201cLittle Christmas\u201d, 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><figcaption>Graciela Balta, 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By&nbsp;Vicki Adame,&nbsp;CTLatinoNews.com Christmas is this week, and the thoughts of Latino families across the state are set to the centerpiece [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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