Cover image: In Chiapas I had alegría made with cashews from a street vendor. delightful.

Alegría is a Mexican sweet treat made with amaranth seeds and honey.  Amaranth was, and still is, popular throughout Mexico for a number of drinks and foods and treats.    Amaranth grains are popped much like popcorn and mixed with honey, molasses or other syrup to make a sweet treat called alegría, which means joy in Spanish.  It is often seen at Dia de Muertos or Day of the Dead celebrations, because we are supposed to remember our departed loved ones with joy.

Not just Mexico.  Amaranth is famed as one of the staple foodstuffs of the Incas as well.  But it was used by many other people around the globe, including here in the Southwest – especially in Southern Arizona, the area once known as the Pimería Alta.

The best part of this sweet treat is that amaranth is a seed not a grain. Amaranth is not a member of the grass family! Thus the seeds thus bear no gluten what so ever. Not even traces.

Making Alegría

There are two steps to this treat. First is popping the seeds of amaranth, second is making the actual confection.

Popping Amaranth for Alegría

Honestly – easiest is to purchase puffed amaranth cereal otherwise you will have to pop your own.    The trick to popping amaranth seed is a cast iron skillet with a lid or something like a wok with a tight-fitting lid. This pan has to get HOT to pop the seeds.

Heat the lightly oiled pan nice and hot.

When you think the pan is hot enough, add one single tablespoon of amaranth and close the lid immediately.    If it doesn’t start popping, your pan wasn’t hot enough.

Within one minute of adding the tiny amaranth seeds, the popping will slow down.

Swirl the pan a little to pop any unpopped seeds.

Once the popping dies down, quickly shake the puffed amaranth into a bowl, and then make more.

Repeat as needed to get two cups popped seeds. Don’t forget to oil the pan as needed! (Been there and done that. Ugg. Burned seeds!) Also – Don’t be tempted to add too much seed at one time, or you’ll end up with too many unpopped seeds and a confection that can break teeth.

Traditional Alegría

2 cups popped amaranth seeds
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons light molasses or dark corn syrup
(use honey if you are avoiding gluten, and/or GMO’s)

Combine honey, molasses and butter in a large saucepan or skillet.

Over medium heat bring slowly to a boil.

Cook over medium heat three to five minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture turns golden brown and becomes thick and sticky.   This is very similar to making caramel for sticky buns – but you want it to be less stick and more like a hard candy. I have never used a candy thermometer, but I estimate this mixture will be 325 degrees or more.

Remove from heat and add the popped amaranth. Work fast as this will harden quickly!

Stir until amaranth is coated with the syrup.

Transfer to 9 X 9 or 9 X 13 inch pan that has been lined with parchment or waxed paper.

With a spoon or spatula – NOT with your fingers (almost boiling contents here), gently push mixture into corners of pan

Score the mixture for later cutting into bars, otherwise it breaks into uneven chunks.

Let cool, then cut into bars.

Alternatively, pour it out on a cooled marble slab (not wood, it will stick). Once cool just break it into odd sized chunks.

Alegría Skulls

If you want to make the skulls like the image at the start of this post – you need to work quickly between the too hoot and too hard stage.  Keep a big bowl of cool water at hand and keep dipping your fingers.  The decorations can be added later by kids with frosting as “paste.”  Making alegría skulls is not a kid task.  Their skin and hands are too tender.

More about Dia de Muertos on Gardening With Soule.

Our Honey Cookbook

We have this great little cookbook (IMHO) for sale when we are out there making our public appearances.  Since there is already Christmas things in some stores – I will add this – our little cookbook is priced low enough to make a nice stocking stuffer! If you go to the book sale site and want to order more than one copy – just click on the “Special Orders” tab.

Using Honey in New and Savory Ways offers 36 pages of tips for using honey in your cooking, as well as in all manner of dishes. A steal at only $7!

We hope you will help support some local Southwest folks!
From the review:
“Honey is for more than desserts – and this book can help! Using honey in cooking savory dishes helps engage all your taste buds and adds a layer of added flavor to everyday dishes – plus holiday fare.”

Beekeeper?  We offer volume discounts – because if you sell in local markets you might want to offer some of these books as well.

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Disclaimer

The authors of this website have researched the edibility of the materials we discuss, however, humans vary in their ability to tolerate different foods, drinks, and herbs. Individuals consuming flowers, plants, animals or derivatives mentioned in this blog do so entirely at their own risk. The authors on this site cannot be held responsible for any adverse reaction. In case of doubt please consult your medical practitioner.