In an effort to goad Mexico into taking more action against Central American migrants traveling through Mexico to the United States southern border, President Trump has announced that he will begin implementing tariffs on Mexican goods in the coming weeks and months. There is a long history of Jews in Mexico, dating back to the early 16th century, when Jews fled the Inquisition in Spain. It is believed that many Conversos (Spanish Jews who had been forced to convert to Catholicism) accompanied Hernando Cortés on his voyage to Mexico in 1519. Some Conversos in Mexico remained Catholic while maintaining some Jewish customs, while others eventually returned to Judaism. What Mexican tradition is said to have its roots in the practices of these early Jewish immigrants?
Pint Sized Sombreros by Russ is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
A. The idea of eating food wrapped in a tortilla, though now a very common Mexican eating tradition, was not native to Mexico. Mexicans typically ate yeast breads which were originally of Spanish origin, such as pan basico and pan rustico. Because the Inquisition was eventually established in Mexico, many Jews lived lives as Crypto-Jews–ostensibly as Catholics, while secretly maintaining their Jewish practices. In order to hide the fact that they would not eat leavened bread during Passover, they created corn tortillas, which were an unleavened product, to use instead of bread. Because these Jews had Sephardic roots, they had no restriction against eating corn during Passover.
B. Buñuelos (also called bimuelos) are a popular snack in Mexico and throughout Latin America. The treat is a deep-fried dough drenched in syrup, which in Mexico typically consists of brown sugar, cinnamon, and guava. It is believed that buñuelos were brought to Mexico by Jews fleeing the Inquisition, as this was basically a variation of a Sephardic fried doughnut which was part of the Chanukkah tradition.
C. Piñatas are a popular decorative and party item in Mexico, consisting of a very colorful papier-mâché figure, usually an animal, which is filled with candy and hung from a tree. Blindfolded children swing a bat at the piñata, hoping to break it and release the candy for all to enjoy. The roots of the piñata are from Syrian Jews who had settled in Spain, but were later expelled during the Inquisition, ultimately settling in Mexico in the New World. The piñata was based on a Syrian tradition at Purim, where papier-mâché Haman heads were hung in the synagogue. When Haman’s name was mentioned during the Megillah reading, children would strike the Haman figure with sticks.
D. The tamale is a traditional Mexican food, consisting of dough which is filled with either meats, cheeses, chiles, vegetables, or other items, and then steamed and placed inside a corn husk as a wrapping. The idea of using a corn husk, rather than using a tortilla as was very common in Mexican food, came from Conversos. These former Jews would not eat tortillas, as they were made with lard, which the Conversos would not eat.
E. Many of the first Jews to come to Mexico following the Inquisition maintained their Sephardic customs, including the wearing of head coverings by men. A Mexican hatmaker once admired the hat of his Jewish neighbor, a man of Bukharan ancestry who was wearing the large, brightly colored kippah traditionally worn by Bukharan men. The hatmaker learned from his friend where he could buy one of those hats, which he then adapted by adding a wide brim. He sold that hat, and eventually built a business around selling these beautiful multi-colored head coverings, which provided great protection against the blazing Mexican sun. The hatmaker thanked his friend for helping launch his successful business, but added, “I have one question. Why do you always wear your hat, even when you are inside?” Replied the Bukharan Jew, “God requires us to always cover our heads. As my rabbi says, we have ‘shum b’reira,’ no choice.” Hearing this, the hatmaker adapted the Hebrew phrase into Spanish and called his wide-brimmed colorful hat the sombrero.