A coworker once asked me, “When is Cinco de Mayo?”  Um…..  Of course, she meant what day of the week does Cinco de Mayo fall on.

It reminded me of the time I went to a deli and ordered a BLT. The worker asked if I wanted lettuce and tomato on that. Um….I didn’t order a “B.”

Cinco de Mayo - quite literally translated 5th of May. For all those who love tacos and nachos and margaritas, it’s a day to break out the tequila and limes. Most people believe that Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexico’s independence, but a quick search on Google revealed that it’s actually a celebration of Mexico’s victory over France in the Battle of Puebla in 1862. 

According to a blog on the Library of Congress website, Cinco de Mayo has its roots in a decision made by Mexican President Benito Juárez. Facing a nation in financial ruin after two years of civil war, he suspended payment of foreign debts to the United Kingdom, Spain and France. All three nations sent warships to Mexico to seize payment, landing in Veracruz, on the Gulf Coast. The first two soon cut deals for repayment and withdrew. The French, led by Emperor Napoleon III, had more on their minds, planning to conquer the nation and establish a pro-French monarchy to rule it.

An elite French military force headed for Mexico City was stopped on May 5, 1862, at Puebla, a city about 80 miles southeast of the capital city. The Mexican forces were led by Texas-born general Ignacio Zaragoza. Working with a ragtag army, he defeated the superior French forces. 

The battle also played a role in the American Civil War. With Napoleon III defeated and leaving North America, the Confederacy wasn’t able to use the French as an ally to win the war.

Much like St. Patrick’s Day in the United States being a holiday to celebrate Irish culture, Cinco de Mayo has become a holiday to celebrate Mexican culture. 

One year, many years ago, my husband’s cousin held a Cinco de Mayo party and asked that everyone bring something reminiscent of the culture. I still recall that day with a great deal of fondness. All the cousins were at the house. The children (now grown with children of their own) were running around. There was lots of laughter, joking, and storytelling. What a happy time. It was so wonderful to share the day with family. Many who were there that day have passed and so the memories are all the more sweet. I brought a pastel azteca, which is really just a kind of lasagna. Instead of noodles and red sauce, I used corn tortillas and enchilada sauce.

There are plenty of recipes out there for Mexican lasagna. It seems everyone has their own version. I made mine very simply. In a large frying pan, I sauteed onion until they were translucent, added one minced garlic and ground beef. When the meat was just cooked, I added a taco seasoning package and water and let the mixture cook for a bit - just like you would do when making tacos.

Once that was done, I assembled the casserole in layers. I used corn tortillas in place of traditional italian lasagna noodles, laying them down in the glass casserole dish overlapping each other. Next came the meat mixture, enchilada sauce, drained black beans, some corn, canned green chiles and chopped cilantro. I sprinkled Mexican shredded cheese on that and then repeated the layers, ending with the cheese. I baked it in the oven at 350 until it cooked through and the enchilada sauce was bubbling a bit. When it came out of the oven, I dressed it up with a bit more cilantro.

While I cannot find the exact recipe that I used that day, here are two recipes that are similar; one from Mama Loves Food and the other from Belly Full.

If you’re planning to celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year, why not consider making your own version of pastel azteca and washing it down with a homemade margarita? Salud!