In Mexico, pozole is what you cook when a lot of people are coming. It shows up on the night of September 15, when the country celebrates its independence, and again at Christmas, at birthdays, and at any family gathering big enough to need the largest pot in the house. A pot of pozole feeds everyone, and nobody minds a second bowl.
The dish is older than the country. The name comes from pozolli, a word in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, and in the 1500s the Spanish friar Bernardino de Sahagún described a corn stew eaten at feasts in central Mexico. Pork arrived with the Spanish and became the usual meat, though chicken pozole is common too.
The corn
Pozole is built on hominy: large dried corn kernels that have been cooked in water with lime (the mineral, cal, not the fruit). The lime loosens the hull and changes the corn so that, when it simmers in the broth, each kernel splits open at the tip. Cooks say the corn “flowers.” Those soft, chewy kernels give pozole its body.
Red, white or green
- Blanco, white, is the plainest: pork and hominy in a clear broth, with the flavor coming from the toppings.
- Rojo, red, is the style most associated with Jalisco. The broth is colored and flavored with dried red chiles.
- Verde, green, is the Guerrero style, made with tomatillos, green chiles and ground pumpkin seeds. In parts of Guerrero, Thursday is pozole day.
Whatever the color, the bowl arrives plain and gets finished at the table. Shredded lettuce or cabbage, sliced radish, chopped onion, dried oregano rubbed between the fingers, chile and a squeeze of lime are the usual toppings, with tostadas on the side.
Our pozole
Ours is made with pork shoulder and hominy. Pork is the classic choice, and shoulder has enough fat and connective tissue to stay tender through a long simmer while it flavors the broth. Look for it under Soups on our menu. It’s a full meal on its own, and if you’re planning for a group, see our events page.
Come by
We’re at 102 McLean Boulevard, Paterson, NJ. Hours are Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, noon to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, noon to midnight. We’re closed Mondays.
Reservations are by phone at (973) 345-1255, for groups of any size, and walk-ins are always welcome. To eat at home, order pozole for pickup on Toast.