Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-03-23
ANOTHER DIAGNOSIS.
what IL TOmai". TOmalI CT To.
maiiey or TOmai as Discussed by a
chicago PaDer. An


maiiey or TOmal as Discussed by
ChicagO Paper. A...a
Another Chicago paper has entered
into discussion of the tomale subject,
and 1t has still another derivation of the
word from any heretofore given. The
Herald of yesterday says editorially what
will be read with interest in view of the
recent discussion of the subject in Rock
Island. Here is the Herald s article:
The sovereignty of Illinois may be
called In to settle question for whose
disposal supreme court records cont ain
no precedent. What is tamal2 dn what
respect is tamal plus an olive:superier
OF inferior to tamal minus an olive?
The battle of the tamsls may seem at
first onset somewhat irrelevant in this
community when its concentrated intelli-
gence is focused on an investigation of
municipal bribery. But a brief account
OF the true tamal will show that this view
is wholly erroneous. One of the tamal
contestants alleges that the tamal is a
Spanish dish. This is not strictly true,
but it is partially so. The tamal strictly
is Spanish American dish, a creole
among culinary delicacies, a mixture of
native American with imported ingredi-
ents constituting it, when judiciously
prepared, most tempting morsel There
are various tamals and there are spurious
tsmsls. tamsls that do not deserve the
name OF tamal at all. For in the ingen>
ious process by which true tamal is pre-
pared temptation is great to make false
tamal or to make it partially true and
partially false.
That the tamal IS true American arti-
Gle is shown by the fact that its first, chief
and indispensable ingredient is Indian
corn. 1t is, in fact, a dumping made Of
Indian corn meal and is. therefore, the
little brother Of Murphy bread, as bread
made OF corn meal is now coming to be
known throughout the cid world, owing
to the faithful exertions of Col. Murphy,
agent Of the treasury department for the
introduction of American corn in Euro pc
The first ingredient of the true tamsl is
Indian corn cal boiled to exactly the
right consistenc, and favored as only a
Spanish American knows how to flavor
cornmeal. For cornmeal unf1syored is
insipid and tastes as Thoreau said GER
saited. The truly favored Indian corn
meal makes the pastry part of the tamal
Once the outside is ready the inside must
be considered. Now, the inside of true
tamsl may be chopped meat of any kind
- ham, chicken, tongue or all three
minced very fine and seasoned Just to the
flavor of the tamsl, for it is possible to
destroy tsmal if the seasoning of the
meat be not perfectly true to the flavor
ing of the meal
Then comes the supreme test of the
tamal chef When the meal case is lust
! right for the minced meat and the minced
| meat is just right for the meal casing,
how shall the com bination be perfectly
brought together in bite that is more
savorV than any like compound known to
| cocks? II must he firmly rolled and
| gently pisced in liquid in which the
| Lusk of Indian corn is in solution This
Is the secret of the true tamal Boiled
in anything else there is not the due pre-
| cipitation of certain latent fl lvors and
| fl ids that are not to be found in any>
thing else in the world. The husk of
Indian corn contains juices and proper
| ties for fl tvoring that only experts in the
| lower half of this continent fully under
stand.
Thus prepared, the tamsl may be re
commended for every weather, for every
| cline. The tsmalero and tamalera
of Mexico and countries farther
south are far more popular than even
the copper colored itinerants who
mOnoteDUusly drone out "dulthesl'
-dulces, sweets-on the languid air
Of the tropics The tsmal is an
eDerl izer, as the dulce is the promoter of
dreams, and bad ones; the tamsl is
source of health. the 3ulce OF Indigestion
The tamal is far superior to the sandwich
because the sandwich is generally made
of adulterated bakers bread and the mus
tard is often put on butter over the al
legged ham Now, mustard on butter
m y suit T mmsny short-hsir Of the alb
original type. But it won't do in the
refined west. and anybsdy caught put
ting mustard on butter in sandwich in
this community should be sent to saw
wood for "a hours with a bad saw and on
green wood.
In the true tamal mustard plays Us own
part, and that is another secret of the
true tamsl. For in the tamsl countries
batter is almost unknown aud mustard or
one Of its equivalents Is to be had in
abundance. In tamal countries the ma
tives believe the tamsl to have been am
brosia of the real Olympus. Our rival
tGmaleros should not go to the courts or
the police with their competition. Let
them be true democrats and 60 to the
people. They are disputing over vain
thing. Let them permit consumers to
determine whether they will have olives
or not, and it should be remembered that
ali people cannot eat olives. Besides, If
the oil and acid be not just right, the
olive being little too young or q little
too old. it is neither agreeable nor whole
some. A quarter of an olive may be
chopped in with the minced meat. Then
the true tsmai saws to the cook:
Turn the key deity in the oiled wards,
And seal the hushed Casket Of my soul.
Keats DID not write this of the tamal;
in fact. it is from his sonnet on sleep.
But it fits the tamal to perfection.