The season of the traditional posadas is in full swing, the Ponche Navideño is being stirred and the piñatas are being broken open; out of them pour Mexican sweets which date back to pre-Hispanic times, including the delightfully named “alegrías”.

The flavour of the Mesoamerican chilli - spicy, piquant, stimulating, decidedly warm if not downright fiery – reminded Columbus of pepper, a spice more valuable than gold in Europe, which led him to christen it “pepper of the Indies”.

5 de Mayo, 5 May, is a date dear to Mexican hearts and a cause for celebrations, fiestas and general jollity, especially in Puebla, where a memorable battle was once fought. No specific dishes are served on 5 de Mayo but fajitas are real fiesta food and an appropriate way to mark the occasion.

Semana Santa, Holy Week, and Pascua, Easter, are marked by widespread celebrations, festivities and rejoicing in Mexico and while this period is in essence a religious festival, it is also tremendous fun, with a decidedly carnival atmosphere. Capirotada is a traditional Lent and Easter dish.

Cajeta is a delectable, fabulously calorific, caramelised goat's milk concoction, as Mexican as you can get, and while it may not benefit the waistline, its intensely deep, comforting sweetness is undoubtedly soothing to the soul!

The “Eggs from Motul” always strike me as a strange dish, featuring some very disparate ingredients – but the end result, although it does look rather messy, is rich and savoury, breakfast or brunch at its best.

The “eggs from the ranch” are to be found in every nook and cranny of Mexico – every cook churns them out regularly for breakfast (and only for breakfast), and of all the egg dishes in the repertoire of traditional Mexican cuisine, they are a classic, perhaps the best known and most widely eaten.

Huevos Divorciados or Divorced Eggs are certainly not a part of historical, traditional Mexican cooking, as the origins of the dish are obviously very present-day!

Huevos del albañil are a typical, traditional breakfast throughout the country, although a popular variation is to toss some stale tortillas into the sauce to make green “chilaquiles” which serve as a bed for the eggs.

Mexicans tend to “break the fast” in the early morning with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee spiked with cinnamon and a “pán dulce”, but as the morning progresses, appetites are kindled and it is time for the “desayuno”.