11 Latinx Readers Share Their Favorite Food Memories

"Then they told us we just ate tacos de lengua (cow tongue)."

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community for their favorite food memories, and here are their touching stories:

1. "Every Christmas my mom would make these cookies with guava or cherries or even sprinkles..."

"Every Christmas my mom would make these cookies with guava or cherries or even sprinkles, she used to spend hours in the kitchen making a huge batch for the family Christmas dinner at my great aunt's house and everyone would just gorge on the arroz con gandules, pork, ham, my mom's cookies, etc. My mom died in 2014 from colon cancer, and last year I was going through the old family albums and found her cookie recipe so as a surprise I baked them and brought them to my grandma's house (we weren't doing the usual Christmas gathering because everyone had separate plans) and my abuela cried like a baby because it reminded her of all the times my mom made those cookies for Christmas. I'm so happy I found that recipe and that I get to revive that tradition." —beckichino

2. "My grandma would be making homemade tortillas on the counter..."

"My grandma would be making homemade tortillas on the counter and I would grab a chair because I wasn’t tall enough to reach the counter yet. I would grab a rolling pin and my grandma would grab some dough for me. By the time she would turn back around to give it to me to roll, I would be in my underwear on top of the chair and covered in flour. We would also sit around her kitchen table spreading masa on tamale husks so she could fill them with meat or cheese and chilis every Christmas Eve." —lunauraaa

3. "Weekend mornings with the family were made of this."

"Pan dulce con café! Weekend mornings with the family were made of this. Hot coffee and warm conchas or any pan dulce dipped in coffee for the adults and dipped in Abuelita’s hot chocolate for us kids.❤️" —ram41192

4. "We would sit with my grandma and prepare everything while she told us stories."

"Every Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday, our family would get together at my abuela’s house. My dad and grandpa would build a lechon pit and they would cook the lechon all day, and we would prep everything else throughout the day. We would make the ensalada de papa, the sandwiches de mezcla, jamón con piña, coquito, arroz con gandules. We would sit with my grandma and prepare everything while she told us stories. It was one of my favorite memories growing up, and I definitely miss being in P.R." —wmichift94

5. "It didn’t matter what happened during the weekend, we would always make time to eat pupusas together..."

"I’m from El Salvador, and it’s not necessary to say how much we love to eat pupusas with the family. I remember eating pupusas, pastel de plátano, or empanadas de plátano with hot chocolate every Sunday or Friday night. That was a family tradition — it didn’t matter what happened during the weekend, we would always make time to eat pupusas together on Sunday. Sometimes we had guests and we would eat together, sometimes snack over yuca and chicharrón.

Now I’m not living in SV anymore, and I miss all of the food. But I’m learning how to make the things I like and share them with my friends from other countries! No matter where I am or who I’m with, Salvadoran food means coming together and enjoying each other! <3" —raquelgiacoman

6. "Then they told us we just ate tacos de lengua (cow tongue)."

"My mom and papa were making tacos on the weekend, a pretty normal thing. Normally carne asada, which is just a Mexicano classic. This evening they made the tacos and we all ate so many. Mind you, there’s nine of us kids and we eat a lot of food. When we finished up, our parents asked us if we liked them and we all said yes and we wanted more. Then they told us we just ate tacos de lengua (cow tongue). We were initially shocked and so grossed out, but came to terms with it and asked for more. After that, they were the only kind of tacos we’d want my papa to make. He had to turn us down a lot because lengua was expensive and takes a long process to cook. But they were always there for special occasions." —mitscervantes6

7. "I always knew that regardless of how good or bad the candy haul was, there was always a warm bowl of pozole waiting for me after trick-or-treating."

"For as long as I can remember, it’s been a family tradition to eat pozole on Halloween. My grandma started it and now my Tia continues the tradition. As a kid, I always knew that regardless of how good or bad the candy haul was, there was always a warm bowl of pozole waiting for me after trick-or-treating. Such great family memories. 😍" —pinkey_rose917

8. "It was the only time we would all eat together as a family..."

"Growing up with a single mom and three older siblings, it was hard especially since my mom worked three jobs to make sure we had a roof over our heads. My favorite memory was when she would get a day off from all three workplaces and she would make us our favorite food, which is green chicken enchiladas with rice and beans on the side. It was the only time we would all eat together as a family and we would always have a good time talking and eating good foods. We all grew up and we now make sure my mom doesn’t have to work a full-time job let alone three. We all moved states and every year we get together at mom’s house to eat as a family and it always includes our favorite enchiladas." —kaymaria94

9. "I lost my dad a year tomorrow and one memory I treasure with him is making dulce de leche in the can..."

"I lost my dad a year tomorrow and one memory I treasure with him is making dulce de leche in the can, boiling it. Then when it was done, we would sit down and eat them on Cuban crackers." —sayala029

10. "We all helped make the queso in the middle of the table..."

"I remember being at my grandma's when I was a kid, just sitting in her kitchen with my sister and cousin chowing down on chicken taquitos that my grandma kept making to order. Every time the plate was closer to empty, she added more. We all helped make the queso in the middle of the table that we kept dipping the taquitos into. I couldn't tell you how much I ate that night, but it was a lot." —androidparanoid

11. "I remember on Christmas my abuela and I made delicious chicken and cheese tamales."

"I remember on Christmas my abuela and I made delicious chicken and cheese tamales. It was my first time making them with her. She was the sweetest and helped me with spreading the masa on the husks since for some reason it was especially difficult. It's one of the few memories I have with her since she doesn't come to the States often. The best part was when I took a bite I commented on them being tough to eat and she busted out laughing. I was trying to eat them with the husks still on. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️" —bensgirl1207

Food is the glue in our culture, and it often solidifies those warm moments we share with our loved ones. Savor those moments, and head over to DoorDash to find your family's favorite restaurant.

All images courtesy of Getty Images.