Food Related Papers

Foodways Spanish Tapas Event

Foodways Spanish Tapas Meeting

First, I’d like to introduce Foodways, a group that meets once a month to focus on a specific region’s cuisine and traditions in regard to that cuisine. Membership costs $17.00/year and there is usually an extra fee for each meeting. They can be contacted via their website http://www.main.org/foodways/. I attended my first meeting this past Sunday, October 19, 2003.

While at Trish Bales’ home last Sunday we were treated to a presentation and tasty array of Spanish style tapas. Tapas are small, usually salty treats served in throughout Spain at Tapa Bars. This is a very social way to eat and try many different items in one sitting. Authentic tapa bars do not have a set menu, just a display of that day’s fare.

Our buffet consisted of Manchego with quince paste, a very traditional sharp cheese contrasted with a sweet-tart fruit paste. My favorite item from our meeting was Papas Bravas, which are roasted or fried potatoes coated with a spicy tomato sauce topped with aioli. A potato and egg “tortilla” which is similar to an Italian frittata except that it is finished on the stove instead of in the oven was served warm, where typically it would be room temperature or served in a sandwich at the tapa bar. There was also a typical mélange of olives, jamon Serrano, chorizo, sobrasada, seasoned almonds and rustic breads with garlic and tomato toppings. All in all it was a delicious sampling of traditional Spanish food items garnered from places like Phoenicia bakery, Central Market, Whole Foods and Grapevine Market along with some of their own recipes from their travels in Spain.

Dia de los Muertos

Dia De Los Muertos
by Amber O’Connor

While the children in America traditionally dress in costumes and go trick or treating on October 31st every year a different tradition occurs in Mexico. Dia De Los Muertos or Day of the Dead is celebrated November 1st and 2nd every year. This holiday is used to honor the deceased. Offerings of food, candies, flowers and even sometimes tequila are left at the graves of friends and family members. Often, members of the family will hold vigil all night in the cemeteries with lit candles. If a family member is unable to go to the gravesite, altars are made in the home using la calaca, or the skeleton to represent the departed.

While any of the favorite foods of the deceased can be used, in honor of this holiday, here are some traditional Dia De Los Muertos recipes from the Mayan culture. One look at these recipes and it is easy to see the care and love involved in honoring one’s relatives on this holiday.

PIBIWAH – BU’ULIWAH (Bean Tamales)

Masa:
8 Cups Masa Harina
2 t. salt
2 C. lard
1 hot green chili, finely chopped
2 C. chicken broth

Place masa and salt in large mixing bowl
Beat lard until fluffy
Stir in the broth and add to the masa
Blend ingredients well and add chili if desired

Bean Paste:
22 oz. black beans, dried
12 C. water
1 hot green chili, toasted
1 bulb garlic, toasted
½ C. lard
1 onion, toasted and chopped
Salt to taste
4 limes, halved
2 hot green chilies, chopped

Wash beans well, add water, and soak overnight.
Change water and add to cover
Add toasted chili and garlic; simmer 2 hours adding water as needed
Heat lard in skillet, sauté onion until translucent, add to beans.
Cook for an additional hour or until done, add salt if needed
Remove the chili and garlic.
Place beans in blender and blend to puree.

Tamales:
8 – 10 inch banana leaves or parchment paper
Banana leaf ties or string
Favorite chili salsa
1 Recipe Masa Harina (above)
¾ C. pumpkin or squash seeds, toasted
Water as needed
½ C. honey
1 Recipe Black bean puree (above)

Line up the banana leaf pieces, side by side.
Pat out 8 fat tortillas using ¼ C. of masa for each one.
Place each of the tortillas on a leaf.
Mix pumpkin seeds with enough water to make a thin paste. Spread a layer of pumpkin seed paste over the top of each tortilla.
Pat out 8 more fat tortillas and place them on top of the first layer. Spread on a spoonful of honey.
Add a 3rd layer of tortillas. Spread on a heavy layer of the Bean Puree.
Add the fourth layer of tortillas.
Make 4 indentations in the top of each tortilla. This symbolizes the four winds. Spread a layer of pumpkin seeds in each of the indentations.
Fold over the edges of a banana leaf and wrap it as if it were a package.
Tie the tamale with string to secure the contents.
Do this with all the tamales.
Place in steamer and steam for 1 – 1 ½ hours
Unwrap and serve with salsa.

TSAH BI YAX IK (Enriched Green Chili Salsa)

1 small onion, toasted and chopped
2 cloves garlic, toasted and chopped
5 fresh green hot chilies, toasted and chopped
2 T. lard
¼ C. juice from sour oranges or limes
Salt, to taste

Toast the onion, remove skin, and chop
Toast the garlic, remove skin, and chop
Toast chilies and crush them in a molcajete or grind them in a food processor.
Heat lard in heavy skillet and sauté onion and garlic until the onion is translucent.
Add the chilies and sauté for another 2 minutes.
Mix in the sour citrus juice.

X – TANCHUCUA (Porridge of Chocolate and Corn)

2 T. cocoa (unsweetened and preferably the Aztec chocolate)
4 T. sugar
1 T. masa harina
6 C. water
½ t. cinnamon
¼ t. vanilla

Mix the cocoa, sugar and masa together in a clay pitcher or heavy saucepan.
Stir in ½ C. of the water and whip with whisk until all of the lumps have dissolved.
Cook on medium-high heat while adding the remaining water, a little at a time.
When the porridge is steaming and has thickened somewhat, turn off the heat, strain the chocolate and serve.

Recipes from: Mayan Cooking: Recipes From the Sun Kingdoms of Mexico, Hamman, 1998

Psyc Paper Mesoamerican Drug Use

How the Expansionist and Conversionist Mentality of Sixteenth Century Christians Affects Our Understanding of Ancient Mesoamerica Drug Use

When we think of the ancient Mesoamerican cultures such as the Maya, Aztecs and Incas unfortunately most of us only recall the histories left by the Spanish Christian conquerors that destroyed the cultures and traditions of what was a very advanced portion of the world at that time. Mesoamericans had an understanding of astronomy, they had a calendar system, a system of government and transportation, in fact, some of the first roads in history were made by the Maya Indians. What these cultures had going against them were the facts that they had access to large sources of gold and they were not of the Christian faith. These cultures were all polytheistic versus the strict Catholic doctrine of the Spaniards. It was these Spaniards who were given a strong sense of entitlement from the Catholic Church to convert or destroy all cultures who were not Christians. It was these Christians who wrote the final history of the Mesoamerican culture. According to those documents, the Aztec, Maya, and Inca cultures were annihilated due to their immoral choices of drug use, alcoholism and polytheism. In this paper, we’ll explore the fallacies told by the conquerors and explore the historical use of drugs and alcohol by ancient Mesoamerican cultures.

To put it simply, lies were told and continue to permeate our thoughts in regard to these cultures. The Spanish Friars who were charged with converting the polytheist Mesoamericans to Christianity needed to validate their expenses and time spent in Central America and did so by telling the Church back in Spain that the natives committed drunken crazed acts of orgy and murder. The most well documented of these Friars was in charge of the Yucatan area from 1549 to 1579. His name was Diego de Landa and he is best known for destroying the art, architecture and mostly, the entire written history of the Maya. He in return wrote his own history of the Maya and presented it to his superiors in Spain as the truth about the natives thus validating his return to rule with a promotion to Bishop in the Yucatan. In his book, Yucatan: Before and After the Conquest he outlines explicit acts of orgies, drugs, drinking and murder. This was the basis of all history of the indigenous Central American cultures to the western world until the 1930’s when anthropologists began to uncover some very important contradictions in the Spaniard’s accounts of Central America.

First, let us address drunkenness. Landa’s tales included great details of drunken orgies. They included the following quote regarding his opinion of their behavior at banquets:

‘The Indians are very dissolute in drinking and becoming intoxicated, and many ills follow their excesses in this way. They kill each other; violate their beds, the poor women thinking they are receiving their own husbands; they treat their own fathers and mothers as if they were in the houses of enemies; they set fire to their houses and so destroy themselves in drunkenness…after eating…they help themselves from great jars until they are overcome and their wives have great trouble in getting their drunken husbands home’ (Landa 35)

Years of research by prominent anthropologists have concluded that Central American cultures believed it was acceptable to drink, but never to be drunk, not even during ceremonial times. Their version of alcohol was made from the fermented sap of the maguey plant which they called pulque, so the first fallacy is that tequila was the beverage of choice in ancient times. In fact, Mesoamericans had no method of distilling alcohol until the Europeans brought that knowledge to the new world. Pulque was used primarily as a medicinal treatment for the elders of the tribe to cure their “cold blood”. Pulque was a vitamin-rich milky liquid and was believed to be derived from the milk of the Earth Goddess. (Miller, Taube 138) In fact, pulque was popular liquid in which to stew a snake ragout which was thought to produce a strengthening effect for the elderly. (Coe 99) At banquets, according to one of the first Mesoamerican anthropologists, “…old men and the old women…were the only ones allowed to freely indulge in the weakly alcoholic pulque…” (Coe 78) Coe goes on to state that it was reserved specifically for old women and men over seventy who had children and grandchildren, although it was permissible “for those over fifty, because that was when the blood turned cold, and pulque warmed it and made it easier to sleep”. (Coe 84) Even then, only a few small cups were allowed. “Drinking was acceptable, intoxication was not.” (Coe 84) Drinking pulque was even considered a lowly activity as “…lords, princes and warriors made it a point of honor not to drink it, preferring to drink chocolate, which was the prestige drink.” (Coe 85) Youngsters were discouraged from ever partaking in pulque.

Further evidence that Mesoamericans were against drunkenness can even be found in their folktales such the one called “The Story of the Devil Who was Put Inside a Tecomate.” This tale tells of a woman who married the devil. He ended up being lazy, so his wife imprisoned him in a gourd jar. The only person who would let him out was a drunkard who made a deal to let the devil out in exchange for money to by alcohol. The moral of the folktale is not to be a foolish drunk. (Sexton 38:42) The Aztecs went so far to discourage drunkenness as to say that Quetzalcoatl, the most popular of the Aztec gods was shamed by a night of drinking pulque because while drunk he slept with his own sister and had to leave his holy place of residence. (Miller, Taube 138) Maya history says that the king of the Huastec Maya became drunk and cast off his loincloth, thus having to abandon his kingship and move away in disgrace. (Miller, Taube 138) Even further evidence that pulque was not to be abused are several carvings depicting death gods emerging from pots of pulque. (Pohl 143)

Next we move on to the topic of drug use in ancient Mesoamerica. While used in ancient Central American cultures, drugs were not condoned for recreational use. They were reserved for spiritual services only and typically were only used by priests or those involved with sacrificial rites. Also a myth is the type of drugs used. Peyote was not used in these times. The only solid proof of drug use identifies the psilocybin mushroom, an extract from Morning Glory seeds and excretions from certain species of frog as the hallucinogenic drugs of choice for Central American natives. All of these substances were used for their hallucinogenic properties. Most importantly, none of these were used for recreation, but for communication directly with the gods.

The most widely used drug in ancient Mesoamerican culture was the hallucinogenic, or psilocybin mushroom. We’ll discuss the history, archeological proof and uses of this hallucinogen. According to a historical document rich in pictographic information on the mythological origin of things, called the Vienna Codex, there is an entire page devoted to the original gods teaching Quetzalcoatl to use mushrooms for communicating with them (Powell). The Aztec Na’huatl word for the mushroom teonana’catl translates literally to flesh of god. Even the Inca name for flower is actually used to name the hallucinogenic mushrooms. This mushroom genus can be found growing indigenously from the arctic to the tropics in materials such as humus, dung, rotting wood, peat and mosses (Snow). These mushrooms have been consumed by man as evidenced in history dating back to as early as 1000 BC.

The mushrooms “…ritual role as a potent sacrament was overtly established within the very fabric of ancient Mesoamerican society. That is until it came under the merciless gaze of the Catholic Spanish conquistadores…” (Powell). It was consumed by priests and sacrificial participants to induce a trancelike state where the wishes of gods were made known to the spiritual leaders. In these trances the gods could express their pleasure, displeasure and future desires. The mushrooms were collected in a ceremony intended to shield them from irreverent eyes by wrapping them with banana leaves and then taken to the church to sit on the altar. They were never sold in the market place (Wasson). When mushrooms were eaten, they were consumed with honey and then only chocolate would be drunk throughout the night. No other food or drink was considered royal enough to imbibe while communicating with the gods. The similarities between the mushroom ritual and Christian communion are similar and probably what threatened the Spaniards the most. A notable difference in Christianity versus Mesoamerican culture is that people were not expected to believe without a doubt that God was indeed present in the ritual until after trying the first mushroom (Wasson). According to Coe, the Maya blamed the decline in their numbers on the prohibition the Europeans put on the use of a fermented beverage of psilocybin mushrooms. (Coe 166) The Maya believed that blood sacrifices must be obtained to appease the maize god. Since maize was the main source of food for the Maya, they were willing to go to great lengths to spill blood including their own in honor of this god. Even priests and kings were willing to commit auto sacrifice by killing themselves or piercing themselves to honor the maize god. Before performing this ritual, they would first take the mushrooms so that they could speak directly with the appropriate god so they would know what the sacrifice was for. Without the use of the mushroom the Maya believed the maize god would punish them with a bad crop because the sacrifice would not be properly received without communicating with the gods directly. (Longhena 128:129) Friar Diego Duran also describes the mushroom sacrifice ritual in a letter written back to Spain.

‘The sacrifice finished and the steps of the temple and patio bathed in human blood, they all went to eat raw mushrooms on which food they went out of their minds…killed themselves by their own hand and with the force of those mushrooms they would see visions and have revelations of the future’ (Powell).

The Spanish were so thorough in destroying the mushroom; academic reports from the early twentieth century still stated that there were never any intoxicating mushrooms in Mexico. This view was unchallenged until 1938 when contrary evidence was found (Powell). According to R. Gordon Wasson, who spent time with the last surviving mushroom cult in the mountains surrounding Oaxaca, Mexico circa 1953, the mushrooms are still used and are not thought of as intoxicating but as divine.

As far as archeological evidence, there are several documentations of the use and existence of the mushroom. Over four hundred statues worshiping the mushroom have been found from as far south as Honduras and as far north as Mexico. These statues date back as far as 1000-500 BC (Stone). Some are individual mushrooms with faces of animals, gods and priests carved in the stem and others are large statues dedicated to gods and mushrooms are carved around the gods like vines of flowers. The individual mushrooms were a personal symbol of religion, like the Christians use the cross, and were used to identify the pious. One of the best pieces of evidence of the divinity of the mushroom versus the lack of respect of alcohol is a statue from the sixteenth century of Xochipilli, the Flower Prince (Powell).

‘The statue represents a cross-legged male figure – the god Xochipilli – caught up in an ecstatic trance. The very essence of ecstasy has been captured in stone. The arms, legs and base of this stone-carved ecstatic prince carry stylized engravings of flowers and on each of the four sides of the base of the statue are carved mushroom motifs. These mushroom motifs also appear upon the subject so enraptured.’ (Powell)

The flowers were Nicotiana Tabacum – the common tobacco plant which was considered sacred by all native American cultures, and Turbina Corymbosa, the morning glory plant sacred to the Aztecs. There were no such depictions of less esteemed plants such as those used to ferment pulque (Powell). Here we again see that alcohol is referred to with vulgarity while the mushroom is considered with much respect and piety.

Next, let’s address the morning glory seeds which contain certain LSD compounds (Powell). Today theses seeds are thought to be deadly, however in ancient times, the seeds from the morning glory were taken at night by special practitioners and used to divine sources of illness, track down law breakers and find lost people and objects through visions created by the poisons in the morning glory seeds. The seed itself was believed to be a god called ololiuhqui and was treated with much respect. It was kept in small baskets that were passed down through generations of diviners (Miller, Taube 91). There is much less documentation and archeological evidence of how this was used. It is believed possibly since it was not used for religious practices that it was less important to preserve.

Last in the list of widely used hallucinogens in pre-Colombian times is a substance derived from the excretions of a specific toad. The ability for kings, priests and warriors to change from human form into an animal form was highly revered by ancient Mesoamerican cultures. The ability to make this transformation was considered to be what gave these sects of people their special powers. Anthropologists have gathered from carvings that one of the ways the transformation was made possible was by ingesting hallucinogens found in the glands of Bufo Marinus, a species of toad. By ingesting this hallucinogenic substance, it was believed that shamans and other powerful people could communicate with their animal being as well as with the gods that rule that species of animal. (Pohl 28)

While ancient cultures had a much more accepting attitude toward drug and alcohol use, it was still considered taboo unless it was used by the proper people for the proper reasons. In truth, it was legal however much more highly guarded than use in America today. What right did the conquistadors really have to destroy these cultures? The documented reasons from most sources say things like, they aren’t Christian, and they aren’t moral because they partake in mind altering substances and violently kill people for their gods. Could the conquistadores not see the similarity between bloodshed for their god through war and conquest and the Mesoamerican bloodshed for their gods through sacrifice and auto sacrifice? The Europeans brought with them the technology to distill liquor but destroyed the ability of native Central Americans to speak to the divine in what they considered prayer. The Christian conquerors believed this personal knowledge of the divine was unacceptable as their doctrine restricted communication directly with God to a formally established religious hierarchy, namely the very Bishops who were killing off the Mesoamerican culture (Powell). I believe the Spanish were angered by the fact that the natives were as audacious as to believe they had the right to speak directly to their gods. The Spanish, having what they believed to be the modern, and therefore, correct view of religion felt within their rights to commit genocide.

Works Cited

Coe, Sophie B. America's First Cuisines. 4th ed. Austin: University of Texas P, 2002.

de Landa, Diego. Yucatan: Before and After the Conquest. New York: Dover Publications, 1978.

Ethnomycology. Comp. Snow, Joel. Vers. 2. 2 May 1995. Langston University. 24 Feb. 2004
.

Longhena, Maria. Ancient Mexico: The History and Culture of the Maya, Aztecs and Other Pre-Colombian People. New York: Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 1998.

Miller, Mary and Taube, Karl. An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya. 3rd ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1993.

Pohl, John. Places In Time: Exploring Mesoamerica. New York: Oxford UP, Inc., 1999.

Powell, Simon G. The Psilocybin Solution. 17 Feb. 2004 .

Sexton, James D. Mayan Folktales. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico P, 2002.

Strophariaceae. Comp. Snow, Joel. Vers. 2. 28 Jan. 1996. Langston University. 24 Feb. 2004 .

Wasson, R. Gordon. The Hallucinogenic Fungi of Mexico: An Inquiry Into the Origins of the Religious Idea Among Primitive Peoples. Mycological Society of America. Annual Lecture of the Mycological Society of America. Stillwater, Oklahoma. 1960. 24 Feb. 2004 .

Nebbiolo Article

Nebbiolo - Piedmont

A popular legend explains the origin of Nebbiolo. A monk had a small garden near his hut. He also tended a vineyard that just produced enough wine for his personal consumption. One morning, he found the garden and vineyard were hidden by a thick fog. He thought this was a sign that the Lord was angry with him and ceased cultivating the earth to dedicate himself to prayer. When the harvest time arrived, he was rewarded by the fog dissipating and revealing clusters of ripe grapes that gleamed like gems in the sunlight so he named them after the mists. Nebbiolo translates to “Foggy One”.

Nebbiolo is a member of the triad of Italy’s finest wines the others are Barolo and Barbaresco which are all made from the Nebbiolo grapes.

It is grown in Lombardy and Piedmont Southwest of Alba.

There are only 3000 acres dedicated to Nebbiolo, probably due to how picky it is about its location. It must be grown where there is morning fog and warm sunny days, so it is mainly grown on slopes with Northern and Eastern exposure. It is very hard to grow and is considered the “most labor intensive grape”.

Nebbiolo is typically harvested in October after a long ripening. It is not typically blended with other varietals.

It must be aged a minimum of 24 months and can continue to develop in flavor for decades. It is mostly aged in oak to help mellow its fruit.

The reward for the patience needed to grow this grape is high. Because it is such a magnificent wine, people are willing to pay top dollar for it. Prices are usually upwards of $65.00.

Younger wines made with Nebbiolo tend to have cherry, chocolate, raisin and herb flavors.

Older wines (minimum of 3 years aging) taste more of truffles, earth, licorice and smoke.

Wines made from these grapes pair well with the hearty Northern Italian cuisine, matching the intensity of ragouts, red meats, stews and Sottocenere, a cow’s milk cheese aged with slices of black truffle throughout it.

Recados Speech

“Recados”

Introduction

I. Marinades, seasoning blends, dry rubs, chili pastes…we’ve all used them, but where do they come from? Who’s heard of recados? According to Reed Hearon, author of La Parilla: The Mexican Grill, the word recados literally means “complements”. They are the predecessors of our pre-packaged seasoning mixes.

II. I first became familiar with these flavorful ingredients of Mexican cuisine when I was researching how to re-create the Conchinita Pibil. It was a dish I had several times while visiting the Yucatan peninsula, but had never made at home until recently.

III. Now, I’d like to introduce you to recados by reviewing their history, three of the main types and their availability.

[ First, let’s begin with the history and a basic description of recados.]

Body

I. Recados have been around for a very long time. Just how long seems to vary depending on the author. I’ve read such non-specific dates as “Pre-Colombian” and “prior to the Spaniards arriving in the New World”.

A. Hamman states in her book, Mayan Cooking: Recipes from the Sun Kingdom that recados may have been the first convenience food, a pre-Colombian pre packaged mix.

B. According to the Gerlach’s (a couple who are avid collectors of Mayan recipes and research) state that recados are the most famous seasoning from the Yucatan and that they were developed long before the arrival of the Spaniards in South and Central America.

C. While the traditional method of preparation varies based on the type of recado that is desired, there are ingredients and methods common to each.

1. Basic ingredients include but are not limited to cinnamon, allspice, black pepper, oregano, cumin, annatto seeds, cloves, chilies and garlic. I’ve brought annatto seeds whole and ground into a paste for those of you who have not seen them before.

2. In general, all of the ingredients are coarsely ground by hand, toasted and then re-ground by hand in a mortar and pestle then mixed with water or vinegar to form a fine paste.

a. As you can see, the annatto seeds are very hard. They are difficult to grind into a fine paste even when using a blender or a spice grinder. I would say this is the most difficult part of making a good recado.

b. According to Cherry Hamman, it takes even an experienced recado maker about 45 minutes to completely grind this paste to the right consistency due to the toughness of the annatto.

[ Now I’d like to review the pay off for making the recados at home is worth it, if only for the variety.]

II. There are many types of recados for the home cook to attempt, but the three main ones are Red, Green and Black.

A. We’ll start with my favorite, Recado Rojo, which is also the most popular here in the states.

1. Recado Rojo also known as Achiote or Colorado sauce is the flavor behind Conchinita Pibil whose main ingredient is annatto seeds. I take the recado, and rub it on a pork shoulder, marinate overnight, and then roast until the meat falls apart it is so tender.

B. There is also a green recado known as Recado de Bistec. It is a more vinegar based recado.

1. The name, Recado de Bistec tells us that this paste is typically used for a beef marinade.

2. However, it is also used to pickle vegetables, and results in the side dish, Escabeche, relish that includes pickled peppers, carrots and other vegetables

C. Finally, there is a black recado called Chilmole, it is often confused with mole sauce due to its name as well as its glossy dark appearance.
1. Each of my sources agree that Recado de Chilmole gets its distinctive color and flavor from pouring alcohol over dried chilies and letting them burn. The Mayans started this process and it is still adhered to today.
2. Chilmole is typically used as a sauce poured over turkey.

[ As you can see, this is not a process that fits into our faster paced life. The alternatives are convenient bulk and pre-packaged recados available at Mexican markets. I’d like to address the quality and variety of these options next.]

III. The best quality and variety of recados is found in the markets in the Yucatan or freshly made at home. The pre-packaged pastes are not recommended for authenticity.

A. The Gerlach’s recommend purchasing recados ready made in markets in the Yucatan by the kilo. There they are sold in bulk. For example, Diana Kennedy, today’s foremost writer on Mexican cuisine states that she found these pastes formed into balls for purchase in markets in and around Merida in the Yucatan.

1. While it is not always accessible to travel to Mexico to get these pastes, know that according to Hamman, these can be brought back into the United States without customs difficulties.

B. I have found prepackaged recado pastes in Mexican markets here, such as Fiesta Mart, however, I do not feel that these pastes have the full flavor that I look for. They taste muddier and milder than any I’ve had in Mexico.

C. Basically, I’ve found that to replicate the true flavor of the Yucatan, you have to take the time to make recados at home.

1. After trial and error, I recommend using the annatto paste to ease the difficulty of making a recado at home. Combining this paste with my own toasted and crushed spices and fresh ingredients creates an acceptable simile to authentic recados.

2. Also an important consideration for easing home preparation, Hamman states that a properly made recado paste can keep up to one year in the refrigerator, so after finding a recipe that works for you, make it in bulk and all the work is done for the next year.

Conclusion

I. In summary, we’ve learned a little about the history, type and availability of recados. If you are a fanatic about authentic Mexican food, learning how to make recados can greatly influence the quality of your finished product.

II. We have a responsibility as future chefs to really learn the history and traditions of our ingredients, not just mimic what other chefs and recipes have done before. Studying the true origins of recados has definitely given me a greater respect for the indigenous people who created Mexican cuisine as well as given me the drive to seek out the correct ingredients. By taking the time to seek knowledge, we will create better food.

Bibliography

Gerlach, Nancy and Jeffrey. Foods of the Maya: A Taste of the Yucatan.
2nd ed. Albequerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press, 2002.

Hamman, Cherry. Mayan Cooking: Recipes from the Sun Kingdoms of Mexico.
New York, NY: Hippocrene Books, Inc, 1998.

Hearon, Reed. La Parilla: The Mexican Grill. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle
Books, 1996

Kennedy, Diana. From My Mexican Kitchen: Techniques and Ingredients.
New York, NY: Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2003

Shop Locally Speech

“Shop Locally”

Introduction

I. Five thousand, one hundred and sixty-eight dollars. We’d all like to have that much money. What is the significance of that number? It is how much money Austin loses per year per 1000 square feet of chain restaurants.

II. Why do I know this? Well, in the last 10 years of living in Austin I’ve gone from someone who bought clothes at the mall and groceries at HEB to someone who has done the research behind where I spend my money. So should you.

III. In this time of economic strain, we should invest our money locally for many reasons. The three I’ll address today are: first, the return of locally spent money to our community, two, the availability and diversity of local products and finally, the degree of responsibility local merchants hold.

[ But first, let’s stick with that ever important subject sensitive to everyone, money.]
Body

A. Let’s revisit that number I mentioned in the beginning. These numbers come from an economic study presented to the Austin City Council. Civic Economics, who are the economic consultants that researched local companies versus “big box” companies such as Wal-Mart and other chains, conducted the study and how it impacts Austin’s economy.

B. The details are that national chain restaurants, specifically those that are franchised cost Austin, that’s indirectly you and me $5,168 per year per 1,000 square feet. That is every Subway, McDonalds, and Burger King, among others in Austin.

C. What this breaks down to is for every dollar spent at a chain, only 13 cents stays in Austin because basically large chains pay minimum wages and only that labor cost stays in Austin. How can we fix this?

1. For that same dollar spent at a local merchant, at least 50 cents stay local.

2. Another solution proposed by the Austin Independent Business Alliance and supported by News 8 Austin was for everyone in Austin to shop locally for just one day. This would result in fourteen million dollars staying in Austin that would otherwise leave our community.

[ Ok, so we’ve heard the money argument, what about availability and quality? Austin is still a relatively small town right?]

II. I used to think the best way to buy my groceries were from the big retailers since I could get basically everything I needed in one place. Now, I urge you to break this habit and open your eyes to what Austin has to offer.

A. Let’s get real, why is it a good idea to buy raw meat and fresh produce from a place that stores it in the same stockroom as they store Drano? Do we really need things to be that convenient?

B. The Austin Chronicle did a study on the availability of interesting ethnic ingredients in Austin.

1. The food editors purchased a book called The Appetizer Atlas. It had hundreds of recipes from twenty-eight different culinary regions.

2. Every single item for every single recipe was found in Austin at a locally owned merchant.

3. I’ll pass around a listing of some of these merchants for those of you new to Austin and willing to explore.

C. Along with availability, diversity of what is available should be explored.
1. We have all heard the argument that chain restaurants are good because people can visit any city and eat what they eat at home.
a. My first question would be why are you leaving home if you aren’t looking for a new experience?
i. I say go beyond your comfort zone and sample what each new place has to offer.
b. Also, in this day when 40 percent of the money spent at restaurants goes to the top 100 chains, I say demand local availability as well as variety and spread the wealth back into your local communities.

[ So, we’ve tackled money, and availability, what does buying food locally do for you in the short term?]

III. Buying locally means you can hold an individual responsible for their actions.

A. According to Gary Paul Nabhan, a MacArthur Fellowship winning ethno-botanist, “The food we put into our mouths today travels an average of thirteen hundred miles from where it is produced, changing hands at least six times along the way.”

1. Buying locally means eating locally. Not only does the money you spend at a farmer’s market go directly back into the farm, you can actually meet the person who grew it, packed it, and sold it to you.

a. This means you can ask him what was done to it and if it makes you sick, you can contact him about it.

B. Buying locally means supporting local causes.

1. There are several local businesses including the farmer’s markets that donate their left over food to Caritas, the Austin Food Bank, Salvation Army and other soup kitchens.

2. In 1998, a Community Action Network report counted 9,000 low-income Austinites who seek food daily from emergency sources such as food banks.

a. Since then, the Green Corn Project supported by Austin’s Boggy Creek Farm has not merely donated leftover food, they have volunteered with others to start home gardens for people who cannot afford food, but have a plot of land. What national chain based out of another state care enough to do this for our community? None.

Conclusion

I. Summary statement: In summary, we’ve covered how to financially support your community by shopping locally, the diversity and accountability of locally grown food, as well as how the local business helps support our community.

II. Call for Action: Now that you are armed with this information, I urge you once again to challenge your comfort zone. Don’t buy out of convenience; buy using your conscience. Just because Randall’s has all the things you normally buy, where is your money going? Where is the food from? How was it produced? Who is accountable? Until you can answer these questions, you should not support them with your dollar.

Bibliography

Civic Economics. Economic Impact Analysis: A Case Study Local Merchants vs. Chain Retailers Executive Summary. LiveableCity. Austin, TX. December 2002.

Green Corn Project. “Planting the Seed”. http://www.greencornproject.org/history/background.html. 7 November, 2003.

Mitchell, Stacy. “Independent Businesses, Unite”. In Business. July/August 2003. p. 16-18

Nabhan, Gary Paul. Coming Home to Eat. W. W. Norton and Company. New York, NY. 2002.

News 8 Austin. “Local Businesses Push to Unchain Austin”. http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/?secid=278&arid=89598.
17 November 2003.

News 8 Austin. “Farmers’ Market Ends Successful First Year”. http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?arid=90247.
22 November 2003

Public Revenues from Local Business. “Local Stores Create Triple the Economic Activity of Chain Stores”. http://www.sanlorenzoexpress.com/revenue.htm.
23 November 2003.

Vann, Mick. “Around the World…”. The Austin Chronicle. 28 February 2003: Cuisines.

Enduring Mayan Foods and Their Preparations

Enduring Mayan Foods and Their Preparation

In thinking of a lush jungle full of pyramids, high priests, many gods, and conquest, one typically thinks of the Nile river valley and the Egyptians, however, the Maya also held such a place in the world’s history. In fact the Maya are responsible for foods that are a major part of our culture today. Because the Mayan empire was already in decline by A.D. 800-900 and they were not invaded by the Spanish until the 1500’s, there is little recorded history. Most of the early documents from the Spanish invasion were of a strictly military nature, so much has been filled in by bits and pieces found by archeologists and other scholars.

The methods of preparing ancient Mayan meals are the topic of great interest to many archeologists, anthropologists and food experts. One of the main sources of Mayan history is Diego De Landa’s cultural documentation of the Mayans in and around the Yucatan peninsula in 1572 while he was the Bishop of that area (Coe 133). Current research comes from many sources; from people who traveled to live among the Maya as well as scholars of their history. The main staples of the Mayan diet haven’t changed much over the years. Throughout history maize, beans and chilies have been daily fare interspersed with meat for special occasions, ceremonies and some daily consumption.

One item all sources agree upon is that maize was and continues to be the staple of the Maya diet. The story goes “In the beginning the gods made people out of wood. The stick figures did not give satisfaction, and the gods destroyed them. Only when the gods made people out of maize dough were true human beings created” (Coe 9). Maize pollen has been found dating as far back as eighty thousand years ago, but the next oldest maize found was near Oaxaca in Mexico dating to 5000 B. C. (Coe 10-11). Ancient preparations of maize based foods were very difficult and performed solely by women. In fact, women accompanied most military expeditions solely to grind maize. The Maya ruler, Kanek’ of Tayasal, took one woman for each fifteen-man squad to grind the maize, make the dough and form it into tamales or tortillas. These women had raw and festering hands and fingers from this laborious work (Coe 131).

The process to prepare the dough has changed little over the years, but there are modern conveniences that save time and the women’s hands. To this day in most Mayan villages the process begins with trips to the cenotes and wells, the only sources of fresh water in the Yucatan. Ocean water is purified by limestone caverns and the cenotes are like natural wells where the women travel with buckets to obtain water for cooking, cleaning and drinking. After collecting water, the masa preparation begins. The main maize crop is dried and stored to last the Maya until the next harvest. In ancient times, this hard, dry grain was made into a rough dough by using the nixtamal method which is a method that involves first soaking and then cooking the maize with ashes from the hearth or ground limestone. This not only softened the grain to ease grinding, but increased the protein content of the grain (Coe 14-15,147). It was then hand ground on ca’ which is a smooth stone using a k’abka’ – a stone rolling pin, or literally, “hand of the ca’“(Hamman 85). This was all done by women for their families. Today’s Mayan women still rise pre-dawn to grind that day’s maize. Now, if the women live in larger villages, there is a central grinding machine, or molineria, where they carry the nixtamal in bowls on their head to wait in line for their turn using the communal grinder to create masa dough (Hamman 18). In smaller or poorer villages, most families have a small, hand cranked grinder which also eases preparation of the masa for the days tortillas, tamales and posole. The most popular modern food item that comes from the Maya is the tortilla, and was a great staple of their daily menu.

In ancient times, the morning meal was a liquid beverage of masa mixed with water. This was sipped throughout the men’s day at the milpa, or field, where they tended the vegetables and maize. Tortillas, rolled by hand and grilled over the fire on a stone comal, were present at the larger late afternoon meal upon the men’s return and were used to scoop up the vegetable or bean soups and chili rescados present at these meals. Tamales sometimes took the place of tortillas, but had no fat in them; they were basically just steamed tortillas. They had no filling except for on special occasions and were wrapped in maize or banana leaves and put in the coals to cook. The soups were simmered over a fire on top of three stones and the vegetables for the rescados were roasted in the coals under the soup. The evening meal, if anyone was hungry for it, was leftovers of the midday meal (Hamman 11).

Today’s rural Maya consume a similar diet. Breakfast consists of tortillas with a thick soup of masa and chilies, or tortillas with a bean cream which is basically a creamy bean soup. The men still take the masa beverage out to the fields and return for the late afternoon meal of tortillas or tamales and vegetable soup, possibly containing some meat for flavoring. These soups are still prepared at the hearth over a fire and items are still roasted on coals for a meal such as this. The tamales are more likely to have some sort of fat and filling, but some are still prepared more simply than their modern Tex-Mex counterparts (Gerlach 31-35). The traditional wrap is the banana leaf as brooms are now made from dried maize leaves and stalks. The tortillas are now pressed in a tortilla press instead of rolled by hand, but are still grilled on a comal.

The most complex and interesting part of the Mayan diet comes from chilies. Chilies were typically eaten after roasting outdoors over a flame. Chilies were roasted outdoors in order to avoid the acrid smoke given off by the roasting process (Hamman 20). They were then mashed into a rescado with other ingredients such as roasted onions, tomatoes and garlic or ground into a liquid and mixed with masa and water. Both of these were served with tortillas as a meal or alongside a meal. Chilies were also dried and used in the vegetable and bean soups as a flavoring. The most popular chili in ancient times was an xcatic. It is still used today, but is difficult to find outside of the Yucatan. A banana pepper may be substituted in American versions of these recipes. Now, in the Yucatan the habanero is very common. It is used in many ways such as: dried and ground, made into a condiment with lime, salt, garlic and carrots, roasted in rescados, diced into salsa frescas and just plain on the side for the brave eaters. Chilies add the excitement and variety to the otherwise simple Mayan diet. Many varieties are used since chilies grow well in the warm tropical climate of the Yucatan.

Meat has always been a part of the Maya’s diet, but in a very different quanity and aspect. In ancient times, the men would sometimes return from their day at the milpa with wild game such as turkey, boar or deer. Back then, the priests had the first pick of the kill so they could sacrifice the appropriate parts of the meat to the gods. Then, the men were required to share the meat with families whose men could not hunt so that no one in the village went hungry. Meat such as venison, iguana, crabs and turtles were cooked by the men on a very basic grill called a barbacoa. The barbacoa was a framework of sticks over a fire. Meat was typically roasted this way immediately after the hunt in order to preserve it for the long trip back home. To preserve the meat, it was re-roasted daily (Coe 157). Men did all of the outdoor cooking except for roasting chilies. Bones found by archaeologists indicate that poultry was steamed or stewed, but never cooked with direct heat. The assumption is that the wild pheasants, turkeys and chickens were too tough to cook without slow moisture (Coe 155). After cooking the meat, it tended to be used as flavorings to soups, or fillings for tortillas and tamales. Having an abundance of meat was rare and when it was available, it was typically used for sacrifices to the gods. Fat was unappealing to the ancient Maya and was typically used to rub on the body as a sort of primitive lotion so that no part of the animal went to waste. In no way was lard used for their tamales.

In modern times, turkeys are domesticated as are chicken, but turkey seems to still be the poultry of choice. Venison and boar are now rarer in the wild. The favorite dish of the Yucatan Maya is Pibil, made of turkey, chicken or pork (Gerlach 20). This preparation would be an extravagance reserved for special occasions to the ancient Maya since entire pieces of the meat are used. They are seasoned with achiote, “a red coloring and flavoring derived from the greasy coating on the seeds of Bixa orellana” (Coe 59) wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in the hearthstones or a Pibil, an underground oven, until very tender and consumed alongside vegetable and bean dishes with corn tortillas. Seafood is widely available and prepared in a multitude of ways. One of the most popular being ceviche, whose preparation includes cooking the fish in an acid, typically lime juice. Refrigeration is still not prevalent in smaller outlying villages, so meat is eaten quickly or preserved in a process similar to making jerky. It is then hung and used for soup flavorings. Today there is a thriving beef industry in the Yucatan, but it has not become a part of the Mayan diet in any prevalent way. The beef is mainly raised for the tourists to the peninsula.

While today’s Mayan diet varies little from that of their ancestors, the additions of interesting sauces, spiced meats and the modern machines have improved upon what came before them. Preserving the ancient methods of cooking is important so modern culinarians can respect and learn from their history, however today’s embellishments have made the ancient foods more palatable to the masses. Ancient Maya are the grandfathers of food mistakenly labeled as “Mexican”; the tamale and the corn tortilla. Without them traditional Mexican fare would be sorely lacking in these staples. The Mayans were a proud and advanced society destroyed by the fervor of the Christians during the 1500’s who felt the need to transform the ancient heritages into that of their own. With that genocide, much of Mayan history was lost. The least that can be done is acknowledge the Mayans for what we know they have contributed to our modern lives, their cuisine.

Bibliography

Coe, Sophie D. America's First Cuisines. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1994.

Gerlach, Jeffrey, and Nancy Gerlach. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1994.

Hamman, Cherry. Mayan Cooking: Recipes from the Sun Kingdoms of Mexico. New York: Hippocrene Books, Inc., 1998.