You can also visit:www.aztecacatering.com

WELCOME!
At Azteca Catering we can plan your event, from a luncheon to large-scale corporate events. We will do our best to make your event a grand success. Azteca Catering also caters: receptions, birthdays, baptizes, picnics, backyard parties, graduations, fundraisers, special cultural events, Christmas reunions and much more.

Contact us/ Contactanos

CONTACT US
Thank you for your interest in Azteca Catering.for questions or to receive a proposalPlease contact us at: leticia@aztecacatering.com
Envianos un correo a leticia@aztecacatering.com Nos encantara leer tus sugerencias.

Your Menu for this weekend!

Entomatado- Pork in tomatillo

Rajas con crema-Chilacas= Chilaca pepper with sourcream


Our Special agua de Horchata!
amazingly refreshing drink with cantaloupe
Horchata de arroz,semilla de melon y trozos de melon.

Cactus Salad! Mexico city style.

Ensalada de nopales estilo DF

Spring rice/ Arroz Primavera

Arroz no es original de Mexico pero existe en la dieta del Mexico contemporaneo.

Contact us at: leticia@aztecacatering.com we are getting ready for our Holiday Menu.

Mexico on your table

In Azteca catering we make food with soul, which will make your event a grand success and also an event with meaning

Salsas

Pico de Gallo!

Salsas

Guacamole!

SALSAS

salsas: 8oz and 12 oz jar

Salsas

Remember to contact us for your order at :leticia@aztecacatering.com

Botanas= Snacks

Ingredientes=Ingredients

Veamos algunos ingredientes, Some ingredients:

Chiles Rellenos en salsa de nuez

Supporting Local Farmers.

Here is one example of the results.

Supporting local farmers

Hola! Amigos, en Azteca Catering apoyamos a nuestros campesinos locales y ellos se han comprometido ha cultivar los chiles que necesitamos en Azteca Catering para ofrecer a nuestros clientes la comida mas fresca directo en sus mesas.

In Azteca Catering we are compromise to get fresh vegetables and support our local farmers. They will support us too providing to us with all the different kinds of Chile peppers that we need to put on your tables a fresh dish every time.

CONTACT US

Thank you for your interest in Azteca Catering.
for questions or to receive a proposal
Please contact us at: leticia@aztecacatering.com

Capirotada

Menu

APERITIVOS

Ate de membrillo con queso manchego

Surtido de cacahuates
Chiles cuaresmenos rellenos
Plato Mexicano (Nopal, cebolla, chicharrón, queso)
Frijoles con totopos
Rajas de chiles cuaresmenos

SALSAS

Guacamole (México central)
Salsa Margarita
Salsa de pasilla
Cascabel
Chile de Árbol
Salsa verde de molcajete
Salsa Roja molcajete
Morita
Guajillo
Salsa borracha
Salsa Mía

CREMAS
Crema de Cilantro
Crema de Frijol
Crema de Chayote
Crema de Zanahoria
Crema de Espinaca

SOPAS
Sopa Azteca
Sopa de Migas
Sopa de Hongos
Sopa de Calabacitas
Sopa de Pescado

ENSALADAS
Ensalada de Pepino
Ensalada de Betabel, Jícama, Zanahoria (rayado)
Ensalada de Nopal
Ensalada Cesar (con huevo duro)
Ensalada de Berros
Ensalada de Rábanos
Ensalada de Zanahoria, Papa y Chicharos c/mayonesa
Ensalada de Chayote

Plato Fuerte
Tinga de Pollo
Tinga de Res
Tinga Vegetariana
Papas con Chorizo
Salpicón
Pescado a la Veracruzana
Frijol con Puerco
Cochinita Pibil
Carne en salsa de chile pasilla
Entomatado con carne de res
Chuletas de puerco en salsa roja

TAMALES
Tamales vegetarianos (México Central)
Tamales Oaxaqueños
Tamales de frijol con chicharrón prensado
Tamales de Frijol con salsa c/cacahuate
Tamales Yucatecos
Tamales de elote
Tamales de dulce (Distrito Federal)

CHILES CAPONES
Tradicional capeado con salsa Roja
Tradicional capeado con salsa verde c/ crema
Chile ancho capeado salsa verde
Chile ancho sin capear salsa jitomate
Chile pasilla sin capear salsa verde
Chile poblano relleno de plátano macho sin capear salsa verde.
Chiles en Nogada

EMPANADAS Y PASTES
Picadillo
Mole Rojo
Mole Verde
Relleno Especial (cerdo y res)
Papas con carne de res

POSTRES
Capirotada
Arroz con leche
Flan
Empanadas de Pina o dulce de arroz

Agua de Chocolate

Cacao was most commonly drunk as xocolatl ("bitter water", the origin of the word chocolate) and was the beverage of warriors and nobles. It was considered a potent intoxicant and something that was drunk with great solemnity and gravity which was described as something "not drunk unthinkingly" by the Spanish chronicler Sahagún. Chocolate could be prepared in a huge variety of ways and most of them involved mixing hot or tepid water with toasted and ground cacao beans, maize and any number of flavorers such as chili, honey, vanilla and a wide variety of spices. The ingredients were mixed and beaten with a beating stick or aerated by pouring the chocolate from one vessel to another. If the cacao was of high quality, this produced a rich head of foam. The head could be set aside, the drink further aerated to produce another head, which was also set aside and then placed on top of the drink along with the rest of the foam before serving

Cacao-chocolate=Mole

Cacao

Cacao had immense symbolic value. It was a rare luxury and an import that could not be grown within the boundaries of the Aztec Empire. There are no detailed descriptions of how cacao solids were prepared, but there are a number of allusions to the fact that it was eaten in some form. Cacao beans were among the most valuable commodities and could be used as a form of payment, although of somewhat low value; 80-100 beans could be used to buy a small mantle or a canoe-full of fresh water if one lived on the salty part of the lakes around Tenochtitlan. Nevertheless beans were frequently counterfeited by filling empty cacao shells with dirt or mud.

Atolli- Atole

Atolli,

maiz gruel, accounted for a considerable amount of the daily calorie intake. The basic recipe for atolli was eight parts water and six parts maize with lime that was cooked until it softened and then ground. The mixture was then boiled until it thickened. There were many variations of atolli: a mixture of 1/10th maguey syrup made nequatolli; adding chili ground with salt and tomato would make iztac atolli; letting maize dough sour for 4–5 days and then adding more fresh dough with chili and salt would make xocoatolli. Beans, baked tortillas with the crust cut off, toasted maize, chia, amaranth and honey could also be added and there was pinolli, ground toasted maize that was carried by travelers in sacks which could be mixed with water on the road for an instant meal.

One special beverages

Drink

Many different alcoholic beverages were made from fermented maize, honey, pineapple, cactus fruit and other plants. The most common was octli which was made from maguey sap. It is today known as pulque, an Antillean term. It was drunk by all social classes, though some nobles made a point of not downing such a humble beverage. Drinking was tolerated, even for children at some occasions, but getting drunk was not. The penalties could be very stiff, and were stricter for the elite. The first transgression of a commoner would be punished by tearing his house down and sending him off to live in the field like an animal. A noble would generally not get a second chance and could be executed for overindulging in alcohol. Getting drunk appeared to have been more tolerated for elderly people, though the sources diverge as to the exact age

Spices, spices. We love flavor not only hot also sweet.

Spices

A great number of herbs and spices were available to the Aztecs in seasoning food. Among the most important, chili peppers come in a wide variety of species and cultivars, some domesticated and many of them wild. These included a great range of heat intensity depending on the amount of capsaicin present, with some being mild and others being very piquant. The chilis were often dried and ground for storage and use in cooking, some roasted beforehand to impart different tastes. Flavors varied significantly from one type to another, including sweet, fruity, earthy, smokey, and fiery hot.
Native species of plants used as seasonings produced flavors similar to Old World spices that often proved to be more easily accessible in cooking after the Spanish conquest. Culantro or Mexican coriander provides a much stronger flavor than its Old World parallel, cilantro, and its leaves can be easier to dry. Mexican oregano and Mexican anise likewise produce flavors reminiscent of their Mediterranean counterparts, while allspice has an aroma somewhere in between nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. The bark of canella or white cinnamon has a soft, delicate flavor that might have eased the acceptance of the more pungent cinnamon of Ceylon into modern Mexican cuisine. Before the arrival of onions and garlic, subtler but similar wild plants such as Kunth's onion and other southern-ranging species of the genus Allium, as well as the fragrant leaves of garlic vine may have been appropriated. Other flavorings available included mesquite, vanilla, achiote, epazote, hoja santa, popcorn flower, avocado leaf, and a large array of other indigenous plants.

This may be a good reason to explain our AZTECA CATERING concept.

Foods

Spirulina could be harvested off the surface of lakes with nets or shovels and was then dried as cakes which could be eaten with tortilla or as a condiment.
The Aztec staple foods included maiz, beans and squash to which were often added chilis and tomatoes, all prominent parts of the Mexican diet to this day. They harvested acocils, a small and abundant shrimp of Lake Texcoco, as well as Spirulina algae, which was made into a sort of cake rich in flavonoids. Although the Aztecs' diet was mostly vegetarian, the Aztecs consumed insects such as crickets (chapulines), maguey worm, ants, larvae, etc. Insects have a higher protein content than meat, and even now they are considered a delicacy in some parts of Mexico.

Comida Azteca

Food preparation

The main method of preparation was boiling or steaming in two-handled clay pots or jars called xoctli in Nahuatl and translated into Spanish as olla ("pot"). The olla was filled with food and heated over a fire. It could also be used to steam food by pouring a little water into the olla and then placing tamales wrapped in maize husks on a light structure of twigs in the middle of the pot. There are several references to frying in the accounts of Spanish chroniclers, but the only specification of the Aztec type of frying appears to be some kind of cooking that was done with syrup, not cooking fat. This is corroborated by the fact that no evidence for large-scale extraction of vegetable oils exist and that no cooking vessels suited for frying have been found by archeologists.
Tortillas, tamales, casseroles and the sauces that went with them were the most common dishes. Chili and salt were both ubiquitous and the most basic meal was usually just tortillas that were dipped in chilis that had been ground in a mortar with a little water. Dough could be used to encase meat, sometimes even whole turkeys, before cooking. In major Aztec towns and cities there were vendors that sold street food of all kinds, catering to both the rich and poor. Other than ingredients and prepared food every imaginable type of atolli could be bought, either to quench one's thirst or as an instant meal in liquid form.

Aztec feasts and banquets

Feasts

Many accounts exist of Aztec feasts and banquets and the ceremony that surrounded them. Before a meal, servants presented fragrant tobacco tubes and sometimes also flowers with which the guests could rub their head, hands and neck. Before the meal would start each guest would drop a little food on the ground as an offering to the god Tlaltecuhtli. As military prowess was highly praised among the Aztecs, table manners imitated the movement of warriors. The smoking tubes and flowers went from the left hand of the servant to the right hand of the guest and the plate accompanying the smoking tube went from the right hand to the left hand. This was an imitation of how a warrior received his atlatl darts and shield. The flowers passed out bore different names depending on how they were handed out; "sword flowers" went from left hand to right and "shield flowers" went from right hand to left. When eating, guests would hold their individual bowls filled with dipping sauce in the center of the right hand and then dip tortillas or tamales (which were served from baskets) with the left. The meal was concluded by serving chocolate, often served in a calabash cup along with a stirring stick.
Men and women were separated at banquets and, though it is not entirely clear from the sources, it seems as if only men drank chocolate. The women would more likely have drunk posolli (maize gruel from finely ground maize) or some type of pulque. Rich hosts could often received guests sitting in rooms around an open courtyard similar to Middle Eastern caravanserai (or han in Turkish) and senior military men would perform dances. Festivities would begin at midnight and some would drink chocolate and eat hallucinogenic mushrooms so that they could tell about their experiences and visions to the other guests. Right before dawn, singing commenced and offerings were burned and buries in the courtyard to ensure the fortune of the children of the hosts. At dawn the remaining flowers, smoking tubes and food was given to the old and poor that had been invited, or to the servants. As with all other aspects of life, the Aztecs stressed the dual nature of all things, and toward the end of the banquet the host would be sternly reminded by his elders of his own mortality and that he should not be overcome with pride.

Aztec Cuisine

Aztec cuisine
The most important staple of Aztec cuisine was Maiz (corn), a crop that was so important to Aztec society that it played a central part in their mythology. Just like wheat in Europe or rice in most of East Asia, it was the food without which a meal was not a meal. It came in an inestimable number of varieties varying in color, texture, size and prestige and was eaten as tortillas, tamales or atolli, maize gruel. The other constants of Aztec food were salt and chili peppers and the basic definition of Aztec fasting was to abstain from these two flavorers. The other major foods were beans and New World varieties of the grains amaranth (or pigweed), and chia. The combination of maize and these basic foods would have provided the average Aztec with a very well-rounded diet without any significant deficiencies in vitamins or minerals. The processing of maize called nixtamalization, the cooking of maize grains in alkaline solutions, also drastically increased the nutritional value of the common staple.
Water, maize gruels and pulque, the fermented juice of the century plant, were the most common drinks, and there were many different fermented alcoholic beverages made from honey, cacti and various fruits. The elite took pride in not drinking pulque, a drink of commoners, and preferred drinks made from cacao. It was one of the most prestigious luxuries available; it was the drink of rulers, warriors and nobles and was flavored with chili peppers, honey and a seemingly endless list of spices and herbs.
The Aztec diet included an impressive variety of animals; turkeys and various fowl, pocket gophers, Green iguanas, axolotls (a type of water salamander), shrimp, fish and a great variety of insects, larvae and insect eggs. They ate various mushrooms and fungi, including the parasitic corn smut, which grows on ears of corn. Squash was very popular and came in many different varieties. Squash seed, fresh, dried or roasted, were especially popular. Tomatoes, though different from the varieties common today, was often mixed with chili in sauces or as filling for tamales. (wikipedia source)

Azteca Catering Vision

The idea of opening a Mexican Restaurant has been in my mind for a long time, Leticia Vazquez said. I wanted to share the authentic cuisine of Central and South Mexico and wanted to do it in a special way of not only offering food dishes but also offering the opportunity to experience the Culture of Mexico through its unique cuisine. Therefore, what else would be a better way to start my dream than with a catering business, where I can show unique food plates but at the same time offer tortillas, salsas and nachos on the top of our special Guacamole which will tell you that yes, it is Mexican cuisine. I would like to present very authentic dishes that have been on Mexican tables for hundreds of years. Most of these dishes are common dishes for Mexican people of the Central and South Mexico and they have kept their original names. Many of these names are from the indigenous language of Nahuatl or a mix of Spanish and Nahuatl. Although these dishes may not be familiar to our customers, it will be easy for them to identify the natural ingredients that they have seen in other Mexican dishes. We expect to educate our customers in new ways that will take them to a wonderful experience of a mix of many different flavors. My vision is to develop a singular presentation for my customers, offering a Menu that they can choose from to build their events or we can set a special Menu for each occasion based on our main Menu. With this, Azteca catering will make our customers’ experience unique.

"Our delicious Cholate water" Bebida de Chocolate

The word "chocolate" originates in Mexico's Aztec cuisine, derived from the Nahuatl word xocolatl.

La bebida de chocolate se pensaba como una bebida afrodisiaca y refrescante. Se tomaba como agua de chocolate. Xocolatl.

Aqui una fotografia de nuestra deliciosa agua de chocolate!

Here you can see our delicious chocolate water!!

Chocolate (pronounced /ˈtʃɒklət/ ) produced from the seed of the tropical cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America, with its earliest documented use around 1100 BC. The majority of the Mesoamerican peoples made chocolate beverages, including the Aztecs and the Maya, who made it into a beverage known as xocolātl, a Nahuatl word meaning "bitter water". The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste, and must be fermented to develop the flavor.

Mexican cuisine

When conquistadores arrived in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), they found that the people's diet consisted largely of corn-based dishes with chiles and herbs, usually complemented with beans and tomatoes or nopales. The conquistadores eventually combined their imported diet of rice, beef, pork, chicken, wine, garlic and onions with the native indigenous foods of pre-Columbian Mexico, including chocolate, maize, huitlacoche, tomato, vanilla, avocado, guava, papaya, sapote, mamey, pineapple, soursop, jicama, chile pepper, beans, squash, sweet potato, peanut, achiote, turkey and a local variety of fish.
Corn is its traditional staple grain, but today, rice is equally important and Mexico's rice harvest is abundant. According to food writer Karen Hursh Graber, the initial introduction of rice to Spain from North Africa in the 4th Century led to the Spanish introduction of rice into Mexico at the port of Veracruz in the 1520s. This, Graber says, created one of the earliest instances of the world's greatest fusion cuisines.
In Pueblos or villages, there are also more exotic dishes, cooked in the Aztec or Mayan style (known as comida prehispánica) with ingredients ranging from iguana to rattlesnake, deer, spider monkey, grasshoppers, ant eggs, and other kinds of insects. (source-wikipedia)

Our Logo "Ozomantli"- Mono.

I would like to share with you a little background information about the creation of the "Azteca Catering" logo. I had an image in my mind of something that represented the Aztec Culture, while also being fun, happy and a good representation of prosperity. I was traveling though different places in the South of Mexico after being in Mexico City and visited the exhibition “Teotihuacan. Ciudad de los Dioses” (Teotihuacan, City of Gods) in the National Museum of Anthropology.

I realize that the Ozomantli was the best representation. The meaning of the Ozomantli- monkey from the Aztec Culture; it is a great representation of prosperity, the abundance of fruits and vegetables for the animal kingdom. It also represents the 15Th month in the Aztec Calendar. The beginning of Fall season. It is happy and fun. I also think he brings good vibes to anyone that seems it. Ozomantli can be found in the Mayan culture too.

MONO -OZOMANTLI: 17 de septiembre – 04 de octubre
Entra la estación de otoño, comienza a caer de los árboles las hojas; nuevamente la gente se prepara para recibir el helado invierno. El mono se encuentra en reproducción para preservar la especie, favorecido por la abundancia de frutales. Ozomantli representa prosperidad, ademas de ser alegre y traer una buena vibra..

I knew I wanted to have the Ozomantli as my logo.

I knew I had to find the right designer that could understand what the Ozomantli meant to me. I met several people and spoke with many, but it wasn't until I arrived to my sacred place in Zipolite, Oaxaca, Mexico that I found the person who would help me create my symbol. I met this special woman, Yolanda Paramio, who is originally from Madrid, and my idea took its shape after we talked about the concept for hours. I found that she was the perfect person to develop my idea. I gave her a picture and we started gathering information about Aztec & Mayan symbols and their meanings. She understood that my love for my heritage and folklore was the key to driving my energy to create the "Azteca Catering" Logo-TM

This is the Logo-TM which goes on the napkins and on the stickers to close the box lunches, and I believe that it represents the service that people receive from "Azteca Catering." It is a circle with Aztec and Mayan symbols. The circle is on Ozomantli's hand when you see the "Azteca Catering" Logo-TM and you will notice that the circle is almost out of its hand, meaning we are providing the service to our guests. Once the circle logo-TM is in your napkin and/or box lunch-sticker, it means we have provided you with the service.

As the Director of Azteca Catering, I look forward to providing you and your family with a standing service, food dishes and also the opportunity to experience the culture of Mexico through its unique cuisine.

"Arroz Primavera"

"Tamal de Frijol" Bean tamal

Pico de gallo, Guacamole, Salsa Yucateca.

"Guacamole"

"Pico de Gallo"