Forget the nachos and tacos! Give your Cinco de Mayo party real Mexican flavor with these traditional dishes.

Pozole Rojo/iStockphoto

Cinco de Mayo festivities are just around the corner, so let's bring out the nachos, tacos and margaritas. Right? Wrong! This most Mexican of US holidays, which against popular belief actually commemorates "La Batalla de Puebla" where a handful of poorly armed campesinos defeated the invading French army, should be celebrated with the same recipes used in Mexico for their national holidays. So, this Cinco de Mayo do as the Mexicans do. Ditch the tex-mex for some of these authentic dishes. ¡Qué viva México!

PHOTOS: Real Cinco de Mayo Celebrations

Pozole

Pozole Blanco/iStockphoto

Both versions of this traditional Mexican stew, Pozole Blanco and Pozole Rojo, are a must-serve at all Cinco de Mayo tables. The difference between them lies in the meat and the peppers used. For the Blanco (or white) version, the recipe calls for chicken and pork, as well as different kinds of green

Spanish tapas have become very trendy nowadays, and they can be served as special hors d'oeuvres when you have guests. The original reason for having tapas in Spain was to have something to eat as a snack or appetizer before dinner along with the after-hours glass of wine or beer. Tapear, or eating tapas, can actually replace lunch or be eaten as a light dinner.

Try a healthy tapas party

According to history, Spanish farmers used to eat small snacks with a glass of wine between meals as a way to re-energizing during the day. The word tapas comes from the practice of covering glasses of wine with slices of bread or ham in Spanish taverns, in order to prevent fruit flies or dust from falling inside the glasses while patrons ate. In the past, tapas consisted mostly of olives, sausage and slices of cheese, but these days they are made out of seafood, meat, fried food or vegetables, depending on the region of Spain you may be in.

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Here is one of my favorite tapas recipes:

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Discover the real story behind this US-adopted holiday, and why it's about more than margaritas and tacos.

Most Americans take Cinco de Mayo as their cue to indulge in nachos, tacos and tequila, mistakenly interpreting the occasion as Mexico's Independence Day celebration (actual date: September 16). While nowadays it's more celebrated in the US than in Mexico itself, Cinco de Mayo is really a story of courage and inspiration that shouldn't be forgotten.
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Mexico had already gained independence from Spain in 1821, but two costly wars during that time had left the country indebted to Spain, England and France. When Mexico stopped making loan payments, France decided to assume control of the country by installing Maximilian of Austria as emperor of the land. Ahead of the new ruler's arrival, the 6,500 troops of the French army invaded the port of Veracruz and marched towards Mexico City. But, once they got to the town of Puebla they encountered strong resistance from a small

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A boy and his dog/iStockphoto

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Ahhh, the good old days of dating! Boy sees girl, asks her to be his "novia", and she says "sí". That's how it was when my mom was allowed to have boyfriends. Then came the challenges: he visited her home, her father decided to read the paper in the living room with them; he took her out, and her little brother had to come along. It was the era of the "chaperonas", and as far she was concerned, this dating scenario was pretty revolutionary. In generations prior, mothers and aunts chaperoned the budding couple. How did people ever get married?

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