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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 2 



in deep pork fat. Wheat is used for gordos 

 more often than is maize. 



Nixtamal prepared for tortillas or gordos is 

 the kind used to thicken sauces or soups. 



For posole the maize is cooked with oak wood 

 ashes instead of with lime. When cooked, it is 

 white instead of yellow, as it is when lime is 

 used. The shell is completely removed in this 

 process. The grain is then washed thoroughly 

 and boiled with pork, chile, and chopped onion. 

 Posole is essentially a fiesta dish, served espe- 

 cially with certain birthday celebrations. 



Tamales are made from maize prepared as 

 for posole but ground either at the power mill 

 or on the metate. There are several kinds of 

 tamales. 



Kuriinda is the most frequently made type of 

 tamale. The maize is prepared apart from 

 that intended for tortillas. The dough is mixed 

 with bicarbonate of soda, which is said to pre- 

 vent the tamale from constipating the eater. 

 The nixtamal is then spread on the metate 

 with the aid of the mano or grinding stone and 

 the cook takes a quantity in the palm of the 

 hand, molding it into a flattened ball. It is 

 then tightly wound with several thicknesses of 

 maize leaves (not husks) in such a fashion that 

 the finished kurunda is triangular in shape. 

 The tamale is then boiled for some time in a 

 covered vessel. The dough is thick, compact, 

 and heavy, retaining .something of the taste of 

 the bicarbonate of soda. Usually kurundas 

 are the size of the palm of the hand, but for a 

 person who is "very refined" (muy fino) , they 

 may be made smaller, a delicate way of paying 

 a compliment. 



The kurunda is an essential part of a great 

 many special meals, such as those served at 

 weddings, for entertainment of guests, and at 

 fiestas. It is usually eaten with curipo but may 

 sometimes be eaten with atole. On such occa- 

 sions, when kurundas are served to men the 

 wrappings are always removed but to women 

 they are always served with the wrappings, 

 possibly because the women frequently take 

 them home. Kurundas may also be eaten cold 

 the next day, but usually they are heated on the 

 comal. They are sometimes sold on the streets 

 at 4 to 5 centavos and are always available on 

 market days. The vendors are always women. 



With curipo, the kurunda is one of the most 

 typical of Tarascan dishes."' 



There are various forms of the kurunda, 

 which are eaten on special occasions. The 

 details follow. 



Atdpakwa kurunda. — Atapakwa is a sauce 

 made of any kind of chile, cooked, toasted, or 

 raw. This is ground with green tomatoes, 

 garlic, and onion, and seasoned with salt. 

 Fresh or dried cheese, finely broken up, may 

 be added. The regular kurunda is simply 

 dipped in the sauce as it is eaten. This dish 

 may be served at any time, but it is most fre- 

 quently used when men come home to lunch 

 from the fields or on other occasions in the 

 middle of the day when the family do not 

 ordinarily have a midday meal. 



Agwdkata kurunda. — Beans of any sort are 

 cooked and ground. They are placed in layers 

 alternating with layers of nixtamal until a thick 

 cake is formed. This is wrapped in maize 

 leaves and steamed. Agwakata kurundas are 

 made primarily at the time of the bean harvest 

 (Cheran grows few beans) and are eaten at 

 any of the main meals. They may also be 

 given to children between meals. 



Ndkata)nal. — This is a tamale made with 

 maize dough filled with meat and chile sauce. 

 Beef is commonly used, although pork may also 

 be employed. The meat is boiled in water and 

 cut in small pieces without bones. It is then 

 mixed with a chile sauce made of the dry chile 

 known as pasiija, which is cooked in water and 

 ground with tomatoes, garlic, and onions. 

 These tamales are not wrapped in maize leaves 

 but in dry maize husks soaked in water. A 

 small quantity of dough is spread over the leaf 

 and on this is placed a small quantity of meat 

 and sauce. The leaf is then doubled over and 

 the tamale cooked in boiling water. The 

 nakatamal must be small in size to be properly 

 made. The name and the type suggest it is of 

 Valley of Mexico origin. It is ordinarily made 

 only for the fiestas of the dead on the 1st and 

 2d of November, although it was served to me 

 once on an ordinary occasion. It forms a part 

 of the oflFerings made to the dead and is also 

 eaten in the graveyard by the mourners and 



'" In Paricutin kurunda means "corn husks.' 

 "to wrap tamales in maize leaves." 



Kurundurani means 



