Every pozole starts with large-kernel maize, traditionally cacahuazintle, treated with lime so the kernels burst open and bloom in the broth. The name comes from the Nahuatl pozolli. Pozole blanco skips added sauce, verde uses green chiles, herbs and pumpkin seeds, and rojo gets its color from dried red chiles like guajillo and ancho.
Garnishes are half the point: cabbage or lettuce, radish, onion, oregano, lime, chile and tostadas. Regional versions run from Guerrero's white and green to Jalisco's red, plus seafood pozoles on the Pacific coast. It is served at New Year's, birthdays and the September Independence holidays.
Its deep past is documented by Spanish chroniclers. Fray Bernardino de Sahagún's sixteenth-century work describes a ceremonial maize dish tied to war and sacrifice. After the conquest, pork brought by the Spanish replaced the ritual meats and pozole became everyday food.