With Mexico’s Independence Day just around the corner, there’s no better way to capture the spirit of the holiday than filling the belly with typical cuisine.

The country boasts a vast array of culinary delights, but one dish that is universally emblematic of the Mexican kitchen is pozole, a wholesome hominy stew that is consumed on a daily basis and relished on festive occasions.

Travel experiences may lead to tasting any of more than 20 varieties of pozole, with recipes determined by regional and family customs. The dish may include pork, chicken, seafood or vegetarian protein substitutes, but the main ingredient is corn, most commonly cacahuazintle, the heirloom white maize that is soaked in water with slaked lime, cooked until the kernels soften and pop open, and hulled to become hominy. The hominy is cooked up in broth seasoned with onion, garlic and assorted condiments.

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