The morning call., 1890-06-30
MEXICAN COOKERY.
Dishes That Are Appetizing, but
Highly Peppered.

Every yard almost has an oven, built out
of earth and rock, half under and half over
the ground; here they bake their meats and
some kind of cakes, but their own bread is
tortillas. These are made by an interesting
and peculiar process. The Indian corn is
boiled whole in water, into which a little
unslacked lime is thrown. until the grain is
tender. 1t IS then taken out, washed, put
into clear cold water, and allowed to soak
all night. In the morning II is drained dry
and crushed into flour between two stones
the bottom one like three-coruered tray
on legs of uneven height. so that it slopes
downward; tine upper, like a rolllng-pln.
They place the tray upon the floor, and
kneeling, they mash and roll tue grain I'M
til it becomes a beautiful, white, starchy
flour. That is then mixed with water into
paste, next kneaded and fatteEed out be-
tween the hands into broad, very thin cakes.
In the meantime the mesquite fire in the cor
ner of the jacal has burned into grand bed
of Goals; on this Is thrown a fiat sheet OF
iron, which is soon hot. Here tile cakes
are placed and brown instantaneously;
they are turned and in minute are ready
to be eaten. They are good, too. but need
salt. for the Mexican mixes none Ill MS
bread. The Mexican OF the lower class
uses neither fork nor spoon, but rolls a
toTtilla into scoop and so eats his chile
con carne frijOles, etc. When too much
softened by the gravy to take up the food
he eats his mprovised spoon, takes another
tortilla and proceeds as before. They SIT
on the floor to eat, putting the dish OF 1000
in the middle of the circle, and not in one
house out OF six of the lower order is there
table. They are hospitable in the ex-
IRENE, welcoming perfect stranger to their
homes and Offering him of their best.
The Mexican cooking, though Americans
have a prejudice against it, is exceedingly
appetiZing, but for most palateS too highly
composition of every dish. Yet 1t is rare
good feast one can have by ordering the
following bill Of fare:
Sopa de Tideo.
Gallina con Chile. 1amales.
FrljOles Mejcaua. EDclllddas.
'' W. salza de Chile
Pastel de LimOn. Granadas de China.
Cafe.
Out in the street, on the sidewalk at
night, one finds here and there about the
town blazing fires, and over them set great
three-cOrnered pieces of iron sheetng sup
ported OH legs. These sheets have round
places cut out of Them and over these holes
are tin cans, their contents boiling merrily.
Tamales are cooking here and the Mexican
woman who is tending them looks like one
of the witches in Macbeth" as she moves
about in her short red skirt, with her black
shawl about her wIinkled brown face,
while the freight falls upon her in ftful
CLEANS, now throwing her fgure into broad
relief, then leaving it in shadow. Behind
her the open door OF the jacal shows blaz-
ing fire within, and on the floor, playing
gravely in the quiyering, dancing light,
many children of different hues; for be 1t
known this people is not moral one. and
a family of Mexican children may vary in
all the shades between black and white.
This is, bien entendu, Of the lowest orders.
From "Texan Types and Contrasts" by
Lee G. Hardy in Harper's Magazine for
,July.