364 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I33 



edge of the fireplace where it was constantly rotated to insure even 

 cooking and to keep the skin from scorching. When the top surface of 

 a stone cooled off, it was turned to bring another hot side up. Rhea 

 meat thus prepared was given to a child as one of its first solid foods. 

 "It was nourishing food, too, for old persons." Other fowl were 

 plucked, visceral contents removed, and either cooked with wild vege- 

 tables or roasted on hot stones near the fire. 



Armadillo is prepared today as it was formerly. Its visceral cavity 

 is emptied, filled with hot stones, and the animal placed with back 

 down on a good supply of hot coals within an ellipse made of stones. 

 A lire is built within the ellipse well ahead of time, to supply the 

 hot coals needed. 



Today, to a large extent, mutton, lamb, beef, and pork have replaced 

 the meats of wild animals. Horse meat is an occasional dish. Meat 

 is usually roasted or stewed ; occasionally it is fried in grease. Some- 

 times the fresh underside of an animal is wrapped around vegetables 

 and roasted on stones near the fireplace. Rabbit meat is held in boiling 

 water for a short time and then fried in grease with onions. When a 

 large number of persons must be fed, as at a wake, a pig or cow is 

 barbecued in its hide. 



Fish are prepared today as they were formerly, by emptying the 

 visceral cavity and then either cooking them in a small quantity of 

 water seasoned with salt and chili or baking them on hot stones at the 

 edge of the fireplace. Fish are also fried in grease. 



Formerly, fish not immediately consumed had entrails removed and 

 were dried. Puyen (none is longer than 5 inches) were dried in the 

 sun ; cauque and peladilla were collected on thin colihiie stalks, which 

 were poked through the eyes, and hung over the fireplace. Perca were 

 staked, and also hung over the fireplace to dry. There was no inten- 

 tion of smoking the fish ; nor were they salted. 



Macha (shellfish) were boiled in water until valves sprung apart. 

 The meat was removed, cut into pieces, and mixed with finely cut 

 onions and garHc (ajo). 



Chief traditional seasonings for foods were salt, chili, and garlic ; 

 more recently cilantro and onions have been added to these. Sugar, 

 too, is a recent addition. "In fact, we did not use sugar until we began 

 to drink yerba mate," said a 70-year-old man. "It was brought up 

 here from Bahia Blanca and Buenos Aires." Salt was formerly col- 

 lected early in spring before the first rainfall, for "once it rained upon 

 it, it lost some of its savor." Several men together went in search of 

 it. Kolupan, who had searched for it, said "Look for it in low places; 

 there it will be found in crystal form." "We got our salt from a 



