The tejocote, recognized in English as Mexican hawthorn, is a fruit deeply rooted in Mexican vacation traditions. Once a restricted import, this small however important fruit has turn into more and more out there within the United States over the previous decade, demonstrating its rising reputation past Mexico’s borders for Mexicans and Mexican-Americans dwelling within the U.S.
If you’ve got ever needed to know extra in regards to the important ingredient to Mexican Christmas punch often called Christmas punchthis is every little thing it’s essential to know.
As tejocotes turn into extra accessible exterior of Mexico, house cooks and meals fans are discovering the flexibility of this conventional fruit. Whether you are getting ready the beloved ponche navideño through the vacation season, experimenting with preserves, or exploring new culinary purposes, tejocotes supply a novel taste and connection to Mexico’s agricultural heritage.
Their journey from a restricted fruit to a more and more out there ingredient mirrors the rising appreciation for genuine Mexican substances. For these discovering tejocotes for the primary time, begin with the traditional Mexican Christmas punch recipe to expertise why this small fruit has captured the hearts of generations of Mexican households as an indispensable a part of the vacations.
A Guide to Mexican Hawthorn
Tejocotes (Crataegus mexicana) are small, spherical fruits native to Mexico. The title comes from the Nahuatl phrase “texocotl,” that means stone fruit. These pome fruits—fruits which have edible flesh and a core of seeds surrounded by a tricky membrane—belong to the Rosaceae household, making them kinfolk of apples and pears. They measure about 3-4 centimeters in diameter and intently resemble crab apples in look.
Appearance and Characteristics
The tejocote has a number of distinctive options:
- A skinny, easy pores and skin starting from yellow-green when unripe, to yellow-orange or brilliant orange when ripe
- Small brown spots scattered throughout the floor
- Firm, dry pulp with a lightweight, creamy yellow colour
- Brown seeds inside
- A barely acidic taste when uncooked
- A texture just like crab apples or quince; mealy when uncooked
Traditional Uses in Mexican Cuisine
Christmas punch
The most well-known use of tejocotes is in Christmas punchthe normal Mexican Christmas punch. Their excessive pectin content material helps give the punch its attribute physique and texture.
Other Applications
Tejocotes might be ready in varied methods:
- Stewed with piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar) and cinnamon
- Made Into Ate (Fruit Paste) just like quince (fifteen paste)
- Added to conventional jams and preserves
- Caramelized and served on sticks like candied apples
- Used in regional liqueurs
Tejocotes are additionally used as conventional piñata filling throughout December festivities.
Availability and Storage
While contemporary tejocotes have been as soon as exhausting to seek out within the United States because of import restrictions over agricultural pest issues, they’re now extra available and simple to seek out in most Mexican grocery shops or markets that cater to Mexican and Central American immigrants. They’re imported in addition to grown within the U.S., and out there from October by means of December.
Fresh tejocotes (Seasonal; October-December)
Storage: Should go within the fridge till prepared to be used
Preserved in syrup (tissues in syrup)
Storage: If selfmade, retailer within the fridge. If store-bought, are sometimes shelf-stable till the jar is opened, after which needs to be refrigerated.
Frozen
Storage: Keep within the freezer till able to thaw and use.
Nutritional Benefits
Tejocotes supply a number of dietary benefits:
- Rich in pectin, making them glorious for preserves
- Good supply of pure fiber
- Contains vitamin C and different vitamins
How to Use Tejocotes
Whether you are attempting tejocotes for the primary time or searching for new methods to make use of them, listed below are some preparation suggestions:
- Raw Consumption
- While edible uncooked when totally ripe, most individuals want them cooked
- The uncooked texture might be considerably mealy and acidic
- Cooking Methods
- Boiling for punch or preserves
- Slow-cooking with sugar for candied variations
- Pureeing for fruit paste
- Preserving in syrup
Where to Find Tejocotes
Before they grew to become commercially out there within the U.S., the one methods to get tejocotes have been in the event that they have been amateur-grown or smuggled. In reality, they have been at one time deemed the most-smuggled fruit, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service stated that between 2002-2006, it was the most-seized fruit coming throughout the U.S.-Mexico border, carrying fines of as much as $10,000.
Commercially-grown tejocotes have been out there within the U.S. regionally since round 2009, and it grew to become authorized to import them from Mexico in 2015.
If you are seeking to buy tejocotes within the United States, you may discover them in these locations:
- Mexican grocery shops and Latin American specialty markets
- Some mainstream supermarkets throughout vacation season the place there are massive Mexican populations, similar to Chicago and Los Angeles
- Specialty distributors (similar to Melissa’s Produce)
- Online retailers promoting preserved variations
Where Do Tejocotes Grow?
In Mexico, tejocote timber flourish throughout a number of areas, and are grown each commercially and within the wild.
- Trees can develop as much as 20 toes tall they usually thrive in Mexico’s diverse local weather circumstances.
- Mature orchards can yield 20 tons per acre in Mexico.
In the United States, the primary industrial tejocote orchard was close to San Diego, California, and immediately, they’re cultivated on a small scale for American customers. The timber can develop as much as 20 toes excessive and 12 toes broad, and have evergreen leaves in most climates.
- They are chilly hardy to USDA Zone 7, with common minimal winter temperatures between 0°F and 10°F, and above.
- Zone 7 spans 28 states throughout all the nation, from the Pacific Northwest, to the South, and East.
- The timber are drought and warmth tolerant, and general low upkeep.
