What Alegría means
Alegría is a Mexican sweet name of Spanish origin meaning "joy". It comes from Spanish alegría (joy, gladness). It is pronounced ah-leh-GREE-ah, and it is most associated with Mexico City.
A bar of popped amaranth, the grain the Mexica called huauhtli. Tradition says friars watched people dance with delight at the popping seed and named the sweet for it; that story is folklore, while the seed's pre-Hispanic ritual use is the documented part.
This is a site about what Mexican words mean, so there is no recipe here. For the name itself: From colonial convent sweets like ate and jamoncillo to the chili-and-tamarind candies of the modern corner shop. Alegría means "joy", borrachito means "little drunk one", and muégano's name is a mystery even to Mexicans.
