Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-12-18
NOW TO MAKE TAwALEs.
4 Receipt Obtained from Trustworthy Source
tn Old Mexico.

(From the St. Louis Globe Democrat
What the unrivalled doughnut. such
as our grandmothers used to make is
to good old New England, the tamaie
pronounced tay-mah-lee) is to the
great Southwest. The doughnut is :,
sociologic and historical factor in New
England, and the tamale is no less :;
similar factor in southern California.
And the loaf of brown bread and saw
DRY dish of baked beans are no more
characteristic of the down East" Yam
kee than is the corn dodger of the
Georgian and the tamale of the Span
ish-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 South
west which does not mention the ta-
male is no history at all-it is only the
dry bones of history. $3.50.
1t 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 I obtained the following
recipe from a reliable source:
Take two quarts of yellow, dried
corn and boil in water with one-haif
tcacup of lime. Let boil till we'll
cooked, then wash thoroughly and
grind on the metata three times till it
becomes very fine. Take two full
grown chickens and boil in water
enough to cover them; season with Il
little salt; let boil till quite tender
remove and let cool, then cut in small
pieces. Mix with the corn dough
HI l. L. A1N
enough Of the water in which the
chickens were boiled to make it soft
and add about two cups of lard. Sea-
son with a little salt and knead thor
oughly.
After this take three dozen chilis Ted
peppers). remove the seeds. roast in a
moderate oven few seconds. take out
and place in tepid water, then grind on
the metata several times with a head of
garlic. then strain we'll. In a stewing pot
place some lard; when hot drop in one
onion. cut fine. and about a spoonful Of
flour. Let il cook little while. and then
drop in the chilis: let 1t come to boil.
add the cut chicken a cupful of olives. a
cupful of raisins, teaspoonful OF sugar.
little salt and pepper. and let 1t come
to il 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 a thin layer of the corn
dough to the half of each husk- Put a
spoonful of the stew on a prepared musk
and cover with prepared husk. Tie the
ends with strings made from the same
husks. Place in large pot of boiling
water and boil one hour
This recipe is for "chcken tamales.
but any other meat may be used if de-
sired.
The metata mentioned in the recipe is a
piece of stone of rectangular shape. about
"a inches long by II wide and 3 thick. 1t
is slightly followed upon the upper sur
face. and has three legs to support it,
cut from the same block the front leg
beig shorter than the two rear ones. Sc
that the metata stands in an inclined po-
sition. 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 tmah-
no). or hand-Stone is Il piece of stone
cut to a size for handling. and is used to
rub the corn upon the grinding surface
Metata stones are made from a kind OF
volcanic rock. which is very hard and IS
filled with sman interstices. which give i,
ii surface suitable for 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 mol
made in southern California. but come
from different parts of old Mexico. nota'
bly, Mule1o. a town in the northern part
of Mexico
Corn husks are used to wrap the la.
males because they are especially adapted
to preserve the nutritious qualities of the
food. They cost from cents to % cents
il pound, according to the season. The
husks Of ordinary field corn are used, bu
only the inside husks and only white
ones
Passing along some country roads or
II forenoon one may frequently come t.
the humble home of a Mexican family
To the unthinking observer it is insight.
ly. There is Il ragged cypress hedge IL
front and a gate which has lost all self.
respects. There are no walks but dust,
paths that have known the footballs Of
many generations. The old gray house
with its 'dobe'' walls and saggging TILED
roof, seems to be seriously considering
the ACCESSIBILITY of giving over the effort.
to stand up at all and falling into I