Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-12-05
st. Louis Globe-Democrat

What the unrivaled doughnut, such as
our grandmothers used to make, is to
good old New England, the tamale,
pronounced tay-mah-lee) is to the
great Southwest. The doughnut is a
sociologic and historical factor in New
England, and the tamale is no less a
similar factor in Southern California.
And the loaf of brown bread and
savory dish of baked beans are no
more characteristic of the down
East" Yankee than is the corn-dodger
of the Georgian and the tamale OF the
Spanish American. Races of people
betray their individuality as surely in
what they eat as in what they do and
say and wear; and the history OF the
Southwest which does not mention the
tamale is no history at all-it is only
the dry bones of history.
It is no easy task for an American
who does not speak the Spanish Ian
guage to learn the rather lengthy pro-
cess of making real, old-time Mexican
tamales, but l obtained the following
recipe from reliable source:
'Take two quarts of yellow, dried
corn and boil in water with one-half tea
cup of lime. Let boil till we'll cooked,
then wash thoroughly and grind on the
metata three times till 1t becomes very
fine. Take two full grown chickens
and boil in water enough to cover
them; season with little salt; let boil
till quite tender, remove and let cool,
then cut in small pieces. Mix with the
corn dough (Which has been rolled on
the metata) enough Of the water in
which the chickens were boiled to make
it soft and add about two cups of lard.
Season with little salt and knead
thoroughly.
After this take three dozen chills
cred peppers), remove seeds, roast in a
moderate oven a few seconds, take out
and place in tepid water, then grind on
the metata several times with head
of garlic, then strain well. In stew
ing pot place some lard; when hot drop
in one onion, cut fine, and about a
spoonful of -four. Let cook little
while, then drop in the chills; let come
to boil, add the cut chicken, a cupful
spoonful Of sugar, a little salt and pep
per and let come to a boil again. then
take away from the fire. Soak in cold
water dry corn husks. When we'll
soaked, shake them. trim the ends and
apply thin layer of the corn dough to
the half of each husk. Put a spoonful
of the stew on prepared husk and
cover with strings made from the same
husks. Place in large pot of boiling
water and boil one hour.
This recipe is for chicken tamales,"
but any other may be used if desired.
The metata mentioned in the recipe
is piece of stone of rectangular shape,
about "a inches long by IA wide and 8
inches thick. 1t is slightly followed
upon the upper surface, and has three
legs to support it, cut from the same
block, the front leg being shorter than
the two rear ones, SO that the metata
stands in an inclined position. The legs
are always short, so that the person
grinding corn has to get upon his
usually herr knees to reach the grind
ing surface. Sometimes, in the old
days, the metata stone had no legs, but
simply rested upon the ground The
mano (mah-no) or hand stone, is a
for handling, and is used to rub the
corn upon the grinding surface.
Metata stones are made from kind
of volcanic rock, which is very hard.
and is filled with small interstices,
which give it surface suitable TO"
grinding. The rock must be very hard,
else particles will break off and get
into the food. The best metatas cost
from IS to $12. They are not made in
Southern California, but come from diff
ferent parts of Old Mexico, notably
Mulejo, town in the southern part
of Mexico.
Corn husks are used to wrap the
tamales, because they are especially
adapted to preserve the nutritious
qualities of the food. They cost from
sc to Csc a pound, according to the
season. The husks of ordinary corn
are used, but only the inside husks,
and only white ones.
Passing along some country road on
forenoon one may frequently come to
the humble home Of Mexican family.
To the unthinking observer it is un-
slightly. There is ragged cypress
hedge in front, and a gate which has
lost all self-respect. There are no
walks but dirty foot-paths that have
known the footballs Of many genera
tions. The old gray house, with its
"dobe" walls and sagging tiled roof,
seems to be seriously considering the
advisability of giving over the efforts
to stand up at all and falling into a
shapeless ruin. But that is deception.
1t has stood that way for many de-
AIDES, in the California sun and rain,
and will stand thus for many more.
There are several dark-skinned bright
eyed little ''muchichis" playing about,
and two or three mongrel dogs. To one
side of the house, under widespread
ing pepper tree, there is motherly-
looking old woman bending over a
metata stone. She is making tamales
preparatory to dinner for elhumbre
when he shall come from his work at
noon time.
She is stout in form, and with a
face which IS the sure index to as kind
a woman's heart as you will find
though you travel the world around.
She has a bright colored rabosa, OF
head shawl, over her head. and she
sings softly as she works. This is an
humble Mexican home spot, but it
may be the abiding place of more Of
the domestic virtues and real happi-
ness than many smart American