
Rosalina quickly walks back to the stove, spoon in hand, ready to stir an immense steel pot of pozole. She began the process the night before–starting with the corn. Well-inspected dried corn kernels simmer in water and pickling lime, also known as cal. It takes about three or four hours to cook the corn before the kernels open “como las palomitas”, Rosalina tells us. Like popcorn. Then, they’re rinsed and hulled before becoming a star ingredient in one of Mexico’s most known and loved soups.

Rosalina lives just outside Guadalajara with her two children. Although she has lived in Mexico’s second largest city for many years, Rosalina grew up in a much different, much quieter environment along the Sierra de Huicholes de Mezquitic. She was born in the town of Nostic in the northern highlands of the state of Jalisco, just between the states of Nayarit and Zacatecas and bordered to the north by Durango. Her mother and other women around her were the gatekeepers to the family’s health and wellbeing, providing comforting and nourishing meals for their family.

Similar to her own children, Rosalina was less interested in learning how her mother cooked and mostly focused on eating. Marriage and her own future family meant learning how to cook. It was actually her sister-in-law Anita who taught her how to grind corn and make tortillas, as well as the pozole Rosalina makes for her children today. It has a light brick-red ancho chile-based broth, without the extra oil slick of grease Rosalina dislikes in other versions of the dish. “Entonces, dije, “No, quiero pozole light. Aprendí como la hacía.”

After much observation, Rosalina learned how to make pozole from her meticulous sister-in-law. Thanks to the ancho chiles, Rosalina’s broth is just a touch smokey, but it does not have any heat. “Eso no pica. Pinta,” she tells us. These chiles provide the deep rojo color, but they won’t sting the tongue. Once the dried chiles are re-hydrated, she blends them with tomatillos, water and garlic, which then goes into a large pot with the cooked corn, seasonings and her meat of choice–pork chamorro, or the upper part of the shank, along with the tenderloin and spine.

We watched her hands place bowls on the counter for various toppings–shredded lettuce, sliced radishes, diced onions and tomatoes, wedges of limes–that would adorn our pozole. As she trimmed and cut vegetables, her daughter Frida helped her along the way. One of the most important final additions being marjoram, Rosalina put a hearty pinch in one of her hands. She rubbed her hands together, boosting the herb’s flavor, to show us how to garnish our pozole.

Similar to when she was younger, Rosalina’s children aren’t interested in cooking right now. She knows they love and look forward to her food–the specific flavor of her food. “Se lo comen y quieren ese sabor. Están acostumbrados a ese sabor,” Rosalina states matter of factly. She’s a mother who knows her kids love her food. They love the flavor of her food, and they will always seek out that flavor. One day, Rosalina knows they will mimic her ways in the kitchen to hold tight to memories of her.
Amazing!!!
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