The Dayton Cityfolk Festival was this past weekend (June
29-July 1), and I had the honor of working in the Latino Culture Tent with
artists and cooks representing a number of countries from Central and South
America (and Texas, which likes to consider itself its own country). Most of
the individuals now live in Ohio, and it is a reminder of the wealth of
cultures we have here as well as the diversity that gets lumped under the terms
“Latino” or “Hispanic.”
A good example was in one of the foodways panels that I
helped moderate. Gloria is Mexican-American from San Antonio, Texas who moved
to northwest Ohio when she was a child. Leticia was born in Mexico City but
came to Columbus, OH when she was 28; and Yasmina, of Croatian heritage, grew
up in Argentina before immigrating to the US to Yellow Springs, Ohio. All three
are considered Latina, but have had very different experiences and very
different thoughts on their ethnicity—and how it is expressed through their
food. And their food is very different.
They all discussed the ways in which their food has evolved.
Some ingredients that used to be regional are now easier to get now: Gloria
remembers her mother not being able to get chili peppers in northwest Ohio, so
having to depend on relatives or friends bringing them back from Texas when
they visited. That gradually changed, but even now, the variety of peppers is
not available in the stores (or they’re expensive). She has friends who grow
different kinds and give them to her. Leticia could get any regional ingredient
she needed in Mexico City, since it’s the hub of commerce for the country.
Columbus offers a lot, but not as much as Mexico City, and chili peppers were
not a problem for Yasmina at all since they are not used in traditional
Argentinean or Croatian cooking. She said the most important food in Argentina
is beef, and grilling meat is the national foodways and pastime. (Sounds like
they have a lot in common with many Anglo-Americans!)
Tortillas are similarly complicated. The corn “flour” for
corn tortillas, the traditional type in Mexico is processed with alkaline
(lime, potash, ashes, lye) in order to soften the hull. This process, known as
nixtamalization, also releases niacin (vitamin b), making the corn healthier to
eat. Hominy (posole) is made this way. The softened corn kernels have to be
rinsed carefully and then are ground to make the dough for the tortillas, which
traditionally accompany every meal. This is usually a daily chore, and a
demanding one. Gloria said that her mother always made flour tortillas since
they couldn’t get the corn flour in northwest Ohio, but she also remembers the
tortillas in Texas being wheat also. Leticia found that strange since corn is
so central to Mexican foodways (and is held sacred in older belief systems). I
wonder if it might reflect the Colonial Anglo-American preference for wheat
flour and wheat bread and the dismissal of corn as being animal feed and the
food of the “savages.” Gloria thinks it was just a matter of what was available,
but the others want to look into that more.
Yasmina’s yerba mate tradition drew a lot of attention,
partly because audiences thought she was smoking something somewhat illegal! It
is a tea that has long been used in Argentina and Paraguay and has numerous
anti-oxidants. It is also a stimulant and can be used in place of coffee.
According to Yasmina, it is drunk all day long in Argentina, and a bowl is
oftentimes shared with friends. The part that caught peoples’ attention was the
way that it is served—in a small gourd with a wooden straw. She also had
variations on that—elaborate silver and decorated bowls and straws. She shared
the tea with anyone willing (which, of course, included me). It was naturally
bitter, so she put sugar in it. She said the leaves were boiled in milk to give
to children. She sent me home with
all the makings for it that I need, so I plan to experiment with it, all in the
name of research, of course!
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| packages of yerba mate |
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| Yasmina explaining yerba mate |
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| Breads and tamales on the Mexican Day of the Dead table. |
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| Gloria telling how to make Mexican bread pudding (cheese, no eggs or milk) |
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| Corn and peanuts at the Mexican Day of the Dead Altar |
 (with her friend/assistant from Peru) |
| Leticia's Mexican Day of the Dead altar |
The experiences I had at the festival affirmed my opinion of
Latin cultures generally being warm and hospitable, eager to share their food,
their knowledge, and their good times. (That was demonstrated on Saturday night
after the festival closed, and the musicians stayed up until 2 a.m.
entertaining the rest of us.) It was fascinating to get to know the artists and
cooks as individuals, though. Like all of us, they each have their own story to
tell and their own take on their cultural identity. Also, for our good fortune,
they each have their own recipes, too!
