Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-07-21
IN CENTRAL AMERICA.
A TRAVELLERS TROUBLES IN THE
CULINARY DEPARTMENT.

The Cook and Her 'GiN'--Hashes With
out Number ct the Hotels-"san Juans.
InnumersbIe--A Guatemala Kitchen.
CofSsc and Chocolate.
Il is said that he who comes TO Central
America and relishes the ''tortilla" will
remain In the country, and he who does
not will leave. From my own experience
with the corn cake, have concluded that
the emigrsnts who settled must have
been very hungry. The Central Ameri-
can cook Is usually an Indian woman, who
can boil eggs and cook rico. She has
heard Of such things as sauces, and II
she has her own way (and she generally
has) she never let's any meat 60 to the
table unless swimming In lardy gravy.
All the meat left from today which she
does not give to her own family she cuts
into meat balls for tomorrow. At FIRST
one can stand them once q week, but
would like to wager with any professional
Quail eater that he couldn't meat ball Il"
once day for twenty days. Cinnamon
is used TO season OF flavor nearly every
dish. and the natives like It. Next to
whisky think they like cinnamon.
When you wish to engage cook there
is always one who Is ready to come IL you
will advance her 4i5 or &20. This Is
we'll be called gift. She describes her
self as an accomplished artistic" and
according TO her own statement there
Is nothing that she can't cook-untn she
tries. She brings you an excellent refer
ence from Sonora Dona So and So, who Is
probably anxious to get rid of her. She
surprises you the first morning with cof-
fee made with lukewarm water, and eggs
as hard rs rocks, but with a plate Of
smoking ''tortillas," which she likes her
self. The dinner is poorer, and having
by that time got fair start on meat, she
commences on meat balls. Many times q
day you think you will change cooks. but
the thought of that twenty dollar "habil
itacion" restrains you. As time rolls on
you see but two courses open to you,
let her 20 with the money, and any sane
man would let her 60. 1t Is lottery, In
which you pay for the chance of drawing
o cook. The prizes are even fewer than
in ordinary lotteries; so avoid the specu-
lation, and have a little less worry at
hotel. The proprietor then shoulders the
trouble and he is fortunate man II II
be the excellence Of his table that assures
him guests, for too often the guests
choice is one between evils.
This of course does not apply to the
hotels of the largest cities. such as Qua.
temala. which are excellent, but it does
refer to some, which are not specified, as
may want to return to them some day.
A roast is never seen except In some of
the newer and larger hotels. There are
fries and stews and hashes without mum.
ber. The 'olla podrida" is a dish made
of everything eatable that might other
wise spoil. A Spanish dictionary says 1t
is "a dish composed Of different sorts of
meats and vegetables boiled together"
but stick to my definition. Meat, fish,
sausage, prunes, raisins, onions, cabbage
and every other vegetable that may be on
hand is put into the pot to boil, and the
result is not SO bad as when the cooks
attention is centered on one particular
article, and in the "podrida' the different
constituents may be said to "get off easy"
with only share of her attention.
What would New England house
keeper say If she saw one Of these
coal fire, and on this stand the pots and
kettles. The light enters only at one
door; there is no outlet for smoke, and
the accumulation Of years has formed
layers of SCOT on the rafters and walls,
and cannot find II in my heart to blame
the poor cooks il hies do form \ constitu.
cnt Of every dish.
sSSWhen the traveller is directed to 60 TO
the town of San Juan he cannot always
be sure that he will reach the right one.
In radius Of fifty miles one may find
three or four San Juans, and so numerous
are they that these towns are given sur
names, such as San Juan dc los Leprosos,
San Juan Ostuncalco, San Juan do Sacate-
pequez, etc. So 1t is with the narne Don
Juan. Leaving home, where Don Juan"
may be prohibited reading, one may re-
tain q remembrance of the name inspiring
him with an avoidance of it, but this feel
ing soon wears away In o country where
there are mora Don Juans than there ere
colonels south of Mason and Dixon's line.
How much more attractive Bryon's title
than had he used its equal, the plain
English "John"
Strangers visiting the coffee growing
country soon perceive that they drink
more coffee than the natives. There is
an unusually delicious flavor and aroma
to the Guatemala coffee, which is not due
alone to its preparation, because the
French or drip" coffee is universally
used Il is not made for each meal as In
private residences in the United States,
but an intensely strong essence is OBJ
tanned by pouring little boiling water
through large quantity Of ground cof
| fee. About ne-half of an inch of the es
sence is poured into the bottom of an or
dinary coffee cup, which is then filled
with hot milk, producing better drinA
| than had more water been used, and, In
| deed, it is the custom In some families II
use no water, but to pour boiling
milk through the ground coffee. A
native woman for 81 will manu-
facture from the "cacao' berry ter
pounds Of chocolate in day. The berrJ
is roasted with great care in removing thi
outside shell. because the slightest over
burning ruins the flavor of the chocolate
The meat while warm is ground between
stones with the proper quantities Of sngar,
vanilla and cinnamon. When reduced II
a pulp little "achote" "a red vegetable
is added, which gives brown color x
the almost black "cacao' Of this country
The mixture is then placed In thin layer,
between sheets of ''petate" (natiye mat
ting) and beaten flat with clubs. On cool
ing It acquires the brittleness Of chocolat,
and is then ready to be eaten This is ,
crude way Of making chocolate, and. not
withstanding the superiority Of the Guate
mala "cacao," the French product. due I,
its excellent manipulation, far surpasse
it in richness and deGcaey.
Cor. New York Times.