Easy, fast and cheap Christmas snacks
The Christmas season is one of the most anticipated in the world, and each country brings its traditions to the global culinary culture. In Mexico, Christmas is particularly joyful, since the prelude to it begins with the famous posadas. Although this celebration is also practiced in other Latin American countries, the most famous posadas are the Mexican ones.
Posadas are a popular festival of religious origin, which are celebrated among friends, neighbors, family members, work colleagues and, sometimes, even strangers. These parties full of warmth begin on December 16 and end on 24, that is, they last 9 days. This celebration is characterized by the “pilgrimage” sharing the use of the traditional piñata and abundant food. For this reason, we want to share with you some delicious Christmas snack recipes that are easy, fast and cheap. That authentic flavor of snacks or garnishes, typical of Mexican posadas and Christmas, a whole tradition! Also, some of the recipes are different from the traditional ones, for a change.
Tamales
The tamale is a stuffed dough that is wrapped in corn husks, mainly. This food of pre-Hispanic origin is prepared with corn dough (in Mexico nixtamalized flour) or rice, filled with salty or sweet ingredients, wrapped with leaves (corn cob, banana, bijou, maguey, avocado, canal, among others) and finally it is steamed.
This is one of the most representative Mexican snacks of this gastronomy, which is why they are consumed in all their festivities and most significant dates. For this reason, without a doubt, it cannot be missing at Christmas or at the Christmas inn.
It is interesting to mention that tamales are not only consumed in Mexico, because throughout Latin America there are variants of this dish with the same or different names. If you want to try this appetizer, take a look at these recipes, ideal as snacks for Christmas posadas:
• Sweet tamales
• Chocolate and walnut tamales
• Pursuance tamales
• Chipilín tamales with chicken
Spicy Mexican Bombast
Bombast are bite-sized potato balls that are usually stuffed with meat. Without a doubt, it is a perfect Christmas party snack to entertain guests while they wait for the main dishes, such as the popular baked turkey. This appetizer is very similar to Spanish croquettes, but they provide the typical Mexican flavor, spicy!
Mexican bombs are suitable for any occasion and are sure to cause a sensation at your Christmas dinner or posada. Here you have the step by step of this recipe for spicy Mexican bombs.
Tinga Toast
A tostada de tinga is a crispy tortilla covered with a stew of shredded meat and vegetables. This appetizer falls within the group of the most popular Mexican appetizers and is almost always present in significant celebrations such as September 15, Christmas or in Christmas inns.
The tostada is traditionally prepared on the griddle or in the sun, but the easiest way is to fry it. For its part, shredded meat is made from pork, beef, chicken, fish (grouper, tuna, among others) and vegetables (carrots, cabbage, sweet potato, mushrooms, among others). In addition, the meat contains a stew that can have very varied ingredients, for example: tomato, onion, garlic and chipotle chili. Finally, it is decorated with fresh cheese and lettuce or other vegetables.
The tostadas are very similar to the chalupas, but to the poblanas, since in other parts of the country the chalupas are very different (they are oval or boat-shaped). That said, here is the step-by-step chicken tinga tostadas and Guerrero-style chicken chalupas recipe for you to compare!
Tip: Shredded meat is called tinga.
Fried fish or fried fish strips
This crunchy snack is consumed at any time of the year, which is why it works very well for any celebration, including Christmas. The preparation is very simple, you do not need many ingredients and it is very economical. For all these reasons, if you are looking for cheap and delicious Christmas snacks at the same time, this is the recipe you need!
Its flavor and texture will delight children and adults alike, so it is also a great way to get children to eat fish. Here we leave you the recipe for Mexican style fried fish.
Sopes
The scope is a thick and wide tortilla, similar to a tartlet, which can contain different fillings. This tortilla is pinched at the edges with the fingers, before or after cooking, to shape the edges. Although it is not an exclusive Christmas recipe, it is one of the most popular snacks for Christmas posadas. It is somewhat similar to gorditas, since its thickness is greater than normal tortillas, and it can be filled in many ways (scallops, beans, etc.).
This Grenache comes from the pre-Hispanic cultures of the southern and south-central zone of Mexico, although it is now consumed throughout the country. This appetizer is present in almost all national festivities and special events, so the following sopes recipes for Christmas and Christmas inns cannot be missed:
• Mexican sopes
• Sopes of hash
• Chicken soup
Coconut shrimp in tamarind sauce
Do you want to prepare something different? A very sophisticated Christmas snack? Then prepare shrimp with coconut and tamarind sauce. This crunchy appetizer is breaded with grated coconut and finally bathed in sweet and sour tamarind sauce, an irresistible combination!
This recipe originating from the Mexican Pacific coast works for any special celebration and can become a family Christmas tradition. If you feel like it, you can change the sauce for mango chili sauce, pineapple chili sauce or chipotle sauce. Now, in this coconut shrimp recipe we will also teach you how to make the tamarind sauce in case you like this combination.
Skiing
Esquires are boiled corn kernels and are considered a very popular snack in Mexico. This snack has different names depending on the region and is prepared with different ingredients in each place.
This appetizer works well for any traditional holiday or social event. One piece of advice we give you if you want to serve it as a Christmas snack is to focus the presentation on this holiday. For example, instead of serving it in glasses you can serve it in glasses, which always adds extra elegance. In addition, it is a very cheap snack that everyone likes. Preparing it is very simple and you just need to follow the following step-by-step recipe for Mexican Esquites.
Tip: Esquites are also known as trolls, trollies, Chaska, corn cocktail, or corn in a glass.
Quesadillas
The quesadilla or doubled consists of a corn tortilla folded in half, which can be cooked fried or cooked on the Comal. This appetizer is mainly filled with cheese, although it may contain other additional ingredients such as mincemeat, huitlacoche, brains, pumpkin flower, etc. It is interesting to mention that, curiously, in some parts of Mexico quesadillas are consumed without cheese.
The quesadilla is very similar to the taco, but in the quesadilla the filling is cold and almost always has cheese; in contrast, in the taco, both the filling and the taco itself are hot, and both are heated separately.
This snack is very popular in Christmas inns and Mexican national holidays, for this reason we suggest three very delicious recipes so that you can choose the one you like the most for Christmas:
• Mexican chicken quesadillas
• Potato quesadillas with longaniza
• Turkey and cheese quesadillas
Chilaquiles
Chilaquiles are pieces of tortilla cut in a triangular shape (totopos or corn chips), which are cooked fried or toasted and, once ready, they are bathed in abundant sauce (red or green) and various extra ingredients are placed on top ( cheese, egg, etc.). This appetizer is almost always present at national holidays, Christmas inns and any Mexican family celebration.
If chilaquiles remind you of nachos, you’re right! They are the same thing, although chilaquiles use much more sauce than nachos. For this reason, chilaquiles are served as a side to meals, while nachos are considered more of an appetizer. However, chilaquiles work very well as appetizers for Christmas parties, but with the same amount of sauce that you put on nachos. Another idea to prepare them is to put the filling in each tortilla chip instead of adding it all together.
Here are a couple of good recipes for you to enjoy this Christmas:
• Ranch chilaquiles
• Chilaquiles in three chili sauce
Flautist or golden tacos
They are made with corn tortillas, which are filled, rolled and fried. The filling can contain any stew or ingredient of your choice. It is interesting to mention that tacos are not the same as flautist or tacos dorados, since the flute tortilla is longer than the one used for the traditional taco and is fried.
Among the most common flavors for the filling of golden tacos, the following stand out: minced or shredded meats of different types (chicken, beef, suckling pig, etc.) and vegetables (avocados, potatoes, etc.). In addition, when serving them they are accompanied by various sauces.
The flutes are part of the appetizer table in family celebrations, national holidays and, of course, in posadas and Christmas! Therefore, we are sure that you will love to include this delicious recipe for Mexican chicken flautist on your list of easy Christmas snacks.
Tacos
Tacos are tortillas filled with various ingredients and dipped in sauce. This appetizer is one of the most representative of Mexican food worldwide, along with burritos, tamales, chimichangas and enchiladas. In almost any Mexican celebration tacos are present and they cannot be missing in Christmas posadas! For this reason, we invite you to consult the following taco recipes so that you can prepare them as Mexican Christmas snacks:
• Suadero tacos
• Potato tacos with chorizo
• Tacos al pastor
• Meat tacos
Pambazos
The pambazo consists of a stuffed bread, sandwich or sandwich type, and sometimes dipped or dipped in sauce. This appetizer is made with a traditional Mexican bread that, depending on the region, can have different shapes, fillings and ways of preparation. Sometimes the filling consists of sweet mole poblano, beans and fried sausage, ground beef, shredded meats, potatoes and chorizo, cochinita pibil, etc. The dipped pambazos can contain thick broth in the sauce prepared with different types of chili, guajillo marinade, etc.
A suggestion to prepare pambazos as snacks for Christmas posadas or on Christmas day is to create a mini version, as this way you achieve a more comfortable appetizer to consume. That said, we encourage you to consult one of the most popular recipes in the country, the pambazos poblanos.
Chubby
The gorditas are tortillas made of corn or wheat, which are prepared in various ways: they are filled before cooking, they are opened in half to fill them after cooking or they are served without filling. They are generally made thicker than regular tortillas, and some varieties closely resemble Venezuelan arepas (these are also made with corn or wheat). This appetizer can be cooked fried or directly on the griddle, it can be sweet or salty.
This Mexican snack, ideal for parties, can be filled with whatever you feel like, although they are usually filled with cheese, beans, meat and/or stew. Likewise, it may contain certain ingredients already mixed in the dough: pork rinds, nopales, etc. Once the gordita is filled, lettuce, onion, cilantro and fresh cheese are added (although there are many other ingredients).
This appetizer is also eaten at national holidays, at any family event and at Christmas inns. If you want to show off with your gorditas as a snack, you can make them in a mini version using the following step-by-step recipe for Mexican gorditas.
Tlacoyos
Tlacoyos are a shelled or nixtamalized corn tortilla (blue or white corn) that has a thick shape, either oval or rhomboid. This variant of tortilla is slightly thicker than the regular tortilla, making it more similar to gorditas and similar tortillas.
This appetizer is filled with ground and refried beans, pork rinds, broad beans or cottage cheese, among other ingredients. Finally, it is covered with sauce, such as nopales or chili sauce, plus some extra ingredient such as cheese or cilantro. This appetizer livens up any Mexican celebration or festivity, such as the night of September 15 or Christmas posadas. If you want to include it in your Mexican snacks for Christmas, you just have to follow the step by step of the recipes that we propose:
• Tlacoyos from Puebla
• Tlacoyos with beans and nopales
Tip: Tlatloyos are also known as clacoyos, clacoyito, tlatloyos, tlayoyos or tlacoyos).
Chimichangas
Chimichanga consists of a wheat flour tortilla that is filled, folded into a rectangle, and finally fried. This appetizer can be filled with a wide variety of ingredients, both sweet and savory.
Once fried, chimichangas are served with fresh ingredients such as guacamole, cheese, and hot sauce, which themselves also make great quick and easy Christmas snacks. Many characteristics of chimichanga vary by region, but everywhere it is considered a perfect snack for any occasion. Here are some great suggestions for snacks for Christmas posadas: original Mexican chimichanga and chicken and cheese chimichanga.
