Guide to Pozole: Exploring Mexico’s Take on Traditional Stew

Pozole, or posole, is a traditional Mexican soup that shares comfort food status with menudo (a popular tripe soup) and caldo de res (beef and vegetable soup). To make pozole, pork or chicken is slowly braised in a large pot of stock along with onions, garlic, and spices; after the meat is tender enough to pull apart into bite-sized pieces, a puréed chile sauce is added to the broth along with the hominy. The soup simmers together for a little longer before it is served with a spread of accompaniments.

The name “pozole” is derived from pozolli, the Nahuatl word for hominy—those large maize kernels that are central to any good bowl of pozole. Dried hominy (which must be soaked before using) or canned hominy can be found in Latin American grocery stores. In Mexico, pozole soup is traditionally eaten to ring in the new year, and to celebrate Christmas, birthdays, and regional holidays like Mexican Independence Day.

Pozole is an ancient dish made by many different civilizations in Mesoamerica, including the Aztecs in modern-day Mexico. Maize was an incredibly important crop for the Aztecs, as their main source of nutrition. The maize kernels—known as white hominy—were the main component of this sacred dish. To honor the maize, pozole was typically only served on special occasions.

There are three varieties of pozole—green, white, and red—that are made with either chicken or pork shoulder. (Vegetarian preparations swap in beans and vegetable stock.)

1. 1. Pozole verde, or green pozole, features a salsa verde made from tomatillos and green chiles like serranos and jalapeños.
2. 2. Pozole rojo, or red pozole, gets its name from the red chiles that dominate its chile sauce: ancho and guajillo. Learn how to make red pozole with our recipe here.
3. 3. Pozole blanco, or white pozole, omits the chile sauce to make a milder soup.

You can serve pozole with a variety of toppings, according to preference: Sliced radishes, diced avocado, crumbled cotija cheese, shredded cabbage, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges, with warm corn tortillas or freshly fried tortilla chips on the side.

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