Mealtime in Mexico

Hello, friends and lovers of Mexican gastronomy and culture! In this post we are going to talk about mealtime in Mexico.
In Mexico mealtime is not just a way to feed ourselves, it is the time when everyone in the family waits to share a nice moment. It is full of anticipation, intense flavors, laughter and long after-dinner conversation.

It's no secret that many of our celebrations revolve around food, but it's not only the celebrations, it's our daily life, and that's how we Mexicans are, as the saying goes "for a lack of love, a few tacos of pastor"... we even eat to feel good when we have a heartbreak!

We Mexicans, eat all day long. Each household creates its own meal schedule according to its own timetable and activities, but we can say that it is generally customary to eat breakfast between 7 and 10 am; lunch, between 10 and 12; lunch, between 1 and 5 pm dinner; and supper after 7 pm.

And it all starts with breakfast...
Ever since we were little, our moms have told us that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day". So our breakfast is usually hearty. It usually consists of fruit, juice or a smoothie; eggs, pancakes or chilaquiles; milk or coffee and a sweet bread. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

But this is just the preamble to the sacred mealtime.....
Whether your mom tells you: "don't go to eat to much junk food because today I'm going to make the mole that you like so much" or, before leaving for school you ask what will be for lunch? and you find out that they will eat the delicious "dobladitas de chile pasilla", your grandmas secret recipe; and you will spend the whole day waiting and savoring the food!

The procession continues when mom, grandma or the whole family goes to do the errand at a market, this way we select the freshest ingredients to cook. Unfortunately, this practice has diminished due to the accelerated pace of life.

Once you have all the ingredients you have to get to work. It is said that on average a Mexican family takes 45 minutes to prepare their meals, and that is because we take mealtime very seriously. For millions of families, mealtime is one of the few moments to be together and share quality time.

There are numerous customs that take place during mealtime in Mexico, of course these vary from family to family, but here are the ones we find most curious:

• Tortillas are eaten with everything, we use them as cutlery and they are the perfect tools to leave the plate clean.
• There should always be salsa on the table, since without salsa it is not food.
• Mexicans put lime on everything. To soups, meats, tacos, salads, rice, etc. It is said that on average each Mexican consumes 14 kg of lemon annually.
• The garnishes to accompany food vary depending on what is going to be served. They can be as simple as tortillas, lemons and salsa. Or, depending on the dish, the table may have in addition to the above mentioned: chillies, beans, nopales, guacamole, tostadas, among many others.
• Be very careful when passing the salt on the table. Mexicans think that salt is an omen of bad luck, so it should not be given in the hand, it should be placed on the table next to the person to avoid passing bad luck.
• In Mexico we wish the other diners that we hope the food has a positive effect for them, as a blessing, we wish "provecho". We wish it to our table before we start the meal and when we leave a place if someone is still eating (even other tables in a restaurant).

And why leave the table if we will be hungry again? This is how the "sobremesa" ( after-dinner conversation.) is justified in Mexico. The "sobremesa" is that moment after the meal, where the conversation continues with a dessert, a coffee and some spirits to digest. If the conversation and the atmosphere are good, dinner time will arrive before we know it.

Sundays in Mexico are popularly known as "family Sundays", this is because we dedicate this day to spend time with the extended family. Sundays become an extended version of mealtime where we spend a magical time sharing an elaborate meal with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins; followed by a long after-dinner conversation with music, board games and kids running around.

Let us know in the comments what games you love to play during the "sobremesa" and stop by our traditional Mexican food section to make your favorite recipes and pamper your family.