Traditional preparation of the delicacies of the Table of the Dead.
Women in Palmar, preparing the traditional Corn Custard. PHOTO: Ramón Zambrano.
The Tradition of the Table of the Dead It is an experience of our people and is made up of a wide range of exquisite dishes made with fruits of the sea and land. Corn custard, bread of the dead, papaya preserves, traditional corn drink, and spicy fish are some of the elements that complete this table and that have been passed down from generation to generation. Below is a brief description of how they are made.
Corn Custard
The women of the family are in charge of preparing the food; they use earthen stoves and corn harvested in their fields.
Corn custard is prepared in the following way: 1. Grate the corn until the kernels are gone. 2. Grind it with water until it turns a dark yellow color. 3. Mash it, that is, mix it with your hands, while adding more water. 4. Sift it and use the liquid. The remainder left in the sieve is called “zurrapa.” 5. Boil the liquid with cloves, allspice and cinnamon until it thickens. The result is a gelatinous corn candy.
Traditional corn drink
It is only prepared for the Day of the Dead. It is prepared in the following way: 1. Peel and remove the kernels from the corn cob. 2. Boil the shelled corn for one hour, until it softens. 3. Remove from the heat and let cool. 4. Grind it. 5. Extract the liquid. 6. Add cinnamon, cloves, and hot pepper to the liquid.
and sugar. 6. Store it for four days to ferment and enjoy.
Papaya preserve
The oldest women in the family are in charge of preparing it. The event takes place in a rural setting, and the ingredients are panela and papaya.
It is prepared as follows: 1. Peel and grate the papaya. 2. Put the papaya in a pot on the stove until it is half cooked. 3. Leave it to rest until it cools. 4. Squeeze the papaya with your hands and collect the liquid that is released. 5. Melt the panela in water. 6. Add the liquid left over from the papaya to the melted panela. 7. Mix the papaya and panela. 8. Put it back on the heat until it is “preserved”, until it dries.
Bread of the Dead
The people in charge of making it are the older and adult men of the families, and the event takes place in a rural setting. To bake the bread they use an earth oven. The ingredients for the bread of the dead are: flour, eggs, lard, yeast, salt, sugar, well water and anise for sweet breads.
It is made in the following way: 1. Preheat the earthen oven for 12 hours with carob or "chila" wood; 2. Place flour, eggs, butter, yeast and sugar in a container. For sweet breads, add more sugar and anise; 3. Mix until you get a homogeneous dough. 4. Take small portions of dough and mix them together.
They form pineapples, fish, humans, etc. 5. They are placed in a tin and put into the oven. 6. The bread is left to bake “until the top is golden”. 7. They are removed from the oven and left to cool.
Spicy Fish
It is prepared by the older women, both adults and young people of the families. This event takes place in a rural context. To prepare the spicy food, an earthen stove is used. The ingredients are: yuca, red onion, pepper, lemon, water and “bonito” fish. Some of these elements are obtained from their own farms.
It is prepared in the following way: 1. Peel the yuca and cut it into squares. 2. Cook the yuca in water until it softens. 3. Cook the “bonita” in well water. 4. Chop the “bonita”. 5. Cut the onion and squeeze lemon juice over it to prepare it.
a sauce 6. Mix the yuca and onion sauce together. 7. Finally, add a little bit of pepper powder. It is called spicy because of the flavor that the pepper gives.
Plum Wine
Its preparation is carried out by men. Ripe plums are collected, transported and stored in a barrel where they remain during the maceration process. During this process, the extract is deposited naturally and the sugars they contain intervene in the fermentation. After 15 days, the solids or "stones" are removed, the juice and the peels are kept for the rest of the time. After three months, the solid residues are removed and the upper serum is extracted, which constitutes the wine or liquor. When served, it is enjoyed pure or mixed with "aguardiente" and enjoyed.
It is an intoxicating drink when there is excess, it is used as a cordial drink within the family group or between neighbors. Currently there is only one person in the community who is an expert in its preparation and from whom they obtain all the liquor. There is a production for the market in labeled bottles ready for sale.
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