El often northern It is a dish highly appreciated by Mexicans, made with belly, legs and beef marrow bones, with pozalero corn and other additions such as lemon juice to give it flavor. In some cases they add the chiles to the preparation and in others they prepare the red chili sauce and each diner is left to decide the amount of spiciness they want to add to the dish. It is commonly accompanied with tortillas.
With the use of so many ingredients, the obtaining of a complete dish from the nutritional point of view and also with an exquisite taste is guaranteed. Throughout Mexico, many grandmothers gather their families on weekends and pamper them by preparing a often northern, thereby strengthening family ties and transmitting their traditions to the new generations.
As the recipe spread, it began to gain differences in each region of Mexico, according to the particular tastes and crops of each region. There are white, red and varied tastes due to the spices and condiments used in each place. Also, each family transmits its tastes and ingredients of the dish provided by the particular seasoning of each grandmother and that becomes the particular seasoning of the family over time.
History of the Northern Menudo
The origin of often northern It is not fully defined, some claim that it originated in northern Mexico and others say that it originated in the center of the country. What they seem to agree on is that it originated in the countryside, among the lower-income classes, who used what the upper social classes considered waste by slaughtering a cow for food.
Those who say that it originated in northern Mexico, affirm that at the end of the XNUMXth century and the beginning of the XNUMXth century, beef was assigned to the battlefields to feed soldiers and waste, among which were, the The legs and belly of the beef were given to the farmers. It is very likely that to make use of such “waste” the dish of often northern.
On the other hand, those who say that it originated in central Mexico, affirm that in the central region it was developed before the northern part of the country, so there is a greater probability that the dish originated in the central part. They are also based on the existence of a legend where it is stated that after the arrival of the Spanish “whites”, a Spanish butcher refused to sell the meat to the locals, allegedly stating that “the meat was not food for Indians”.
Therefore, “the Indians” had to settle for buying what for the whites was considered waste. It was then that wisdom led the locals to invent ways to use the legs and belly in dishes that ended up giving the dish that is currently called often northern.
Whether it originated in northern or central Mexico is no longer of any importance at this point. The important thing is that it is a dish fully extended throughout the territory with the corn for pozole it contains, its spicy touch and lemon, which characterize it as fully Mexican.
Northern Menudo Recipe
Ingredients
2 kg of clean bald belly
2 beef legs cleaned and cut into 4
A quarter of a kg of marrow bone
1 kg of corn for pozole
2 onions
2 chili peppers
1 large head of garlic
1 bell pepper
2 tablespoons of piquín chili
2 tablespoons oregano
Chopped fresh coriander
4 lemons
Salt and pepper
Preparation
- Cut the belly into small squares.
- In a large pot, cook the legs and bone with the garlic and previously chopped onion. When it boils, the foam is removed and the belly is added, waiting for the foam to rise again before removing it. Continue cooking over medium heat for approximately 2 hours, with the pot uncovered, until the legs and belly are tender.
- The beef legs are removed from the pot to remove the meat and chop it into small pieces, which are incorporated back into the broth later.
- Add the corn to the broth and reduce the heat, letting the cooking continue for another 2 hours or until the corn begins to burst.
- Then the rest of the ingredients are added to the broth: chili, paprika, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. The meat that was removed from the beef legs is also incorporated at this time.
- The dishes are served from the same pot and on the table dishes are arranged with chopped coriander, chopped chives, piquín peppers, oregano and sliced lemons, so that each diner can season their dish to their personal taste. Tortillas are also placed on the table to accompany.
Tips for making a delicious Northern Menudo
If you make a often northern For a meeting and you do not know the tastes of all the diners, the ideal is to make a chili sauce to add to each dish of each one of them. In case someone does not like spicy or it could even happen that someone is allergic to chili.
If you want to add much more flavor to the often northern You can, instead of using water to start the preparation, you can use beef, chicken or pork broth. In any case you will gain in flavor.
Did you know ….?
- In many countries there are variations of the often northern, which in most cases have beef belly in common. In addition to the recipe, the names also vary according to the country where it is made. In some cases it is called tripe, tripe, among others.
- In Mexico there is no meeting or celebration where the often northern. They even include it at weddings.
- El often northern It is a restorative dish with a high nutritional value, due to the ingredients it contains it represents a natural multivitamin. It contains proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals that in all cases help the proper functioning of the body.
