Pavo
Turkey is native to Mexico and is another popular choice for a Mexican Christmas Eve dinner. The Christmas turkey may be roasted or served with mole, a rich sauce made of ground chiles, and other ingredients.
Advertisement
Buñuelos
Served with a hot drink, buñuelos make an excellent treat on a cold night. This crispy fried treat is like a sweet tostada sprinkled with sugar or doused in syrup. In Oaxaca, there are special stands set up at Christmastime selling buñuelos and atole. After enjoying the sweet fritter, you make a wish and throw your clay plate on the ground, where it smashes to bits. This tradition is said to spring from a pre-Hispanic festivity in which all the dishes were broken at the end of a calendar cycle.