CHERAN: a sierra TARASCAN village — BEALS 



51 



guests. A few are made for sale on the 1st 

 and 2d of November. 



Tamalito. — This is made by mixing dough 

 with lard and salt, forming a small ball, which 

 is wrapped in maize leaves and cooked in boil- 

 ing water. It is usually eaten the following 

 morning for breakfast, commonly with atole 

 bianco. 



Carikurunda. — This tamale is made of black 

 maize, boiled with wood ashes, washed, and 

 milled. The dough is allowed to stand one 

 night, becoming somewhat bitter. Beans are 

 cooked and ground on the metate. A layer of 

 bean paste is laid over a layer of maize dough, 

 covering the metate. This is cut in squares, 

 about three fingers wide, which are then rolled 

 up, wrapped in maize leaves, and cooked in boil- 

 ing water. The carikurunda is about the size 

 of the kurunda. It is made about March, at the 

 period in which the sowing of maize begins. 

 The colored maize is usually set apart out of 

 each harvest for this purpose. A little white 

 maize is often added "to improve the taste." 



Atoles (kamdta) of various kinds are made. 

 The maize dough, prepared as for tortillas, is 

 dissolved in water and cooked with various 

 flavorings. The broth is sometimes fairly thick 

 but ordinarily is drunk from a glass, bowl, or 

 cup. There are also atoles made of other 

 grains. Many are made at special seasons of 

 the year or for special occasions. Atoles are 

 usually eaten for the morning meal. 



Nurite kamdta. — This is the most common 

 form of atole. It is made as is described above 

 but is flavored with an herb called nurite. It is 

 usually eaten for breakfast not less than once a 

 week. Nurite is a wild herb greatly used for 

 flavoring and also for medicinal purposes. It 

 imparts a slightly bitter flavor to atole, some- 

 what like yerba buena. No sugar, salt, or other 

 flavoring is employed. This atole is commonly 

 eaten with tortillas and a little cheese, or 

 squash, or gordos of either dry or green maize. 



Kamdta urdpiti. — This is said to mean "white 

 atole." It is made of dough from either white 

 or yellow maize cooked in water with a little 

 thickening substance (not identified) and either 

 without any seasoning whatever or with laurel 

 (nurukata) . A small bite is taken from a cake 

 of brown sugar, followed by a draft of atole, 

 and then a drink of aguardiente. The atole 



is drunk throughout the day, even by children 

 (including the aguardiente) . It is made in 

 March, April, and May. 



Kdgivas kamdta. — Fresh or dried nurite is 

 ground on the metate with three or four chiles 

 of the type known as cascabel (kawas guajilyo). 

 This is mixed with maize dough before it is 

 dissolved in water and cooked. A little brown 

 sugar and salt are added during the cooking. 

 This atole is eaten in September with green corn 

 on the cob. It is also eaten in December and 

 January for either breakfast or supper; if the 

 day is very cold, it may be taken during the 

 day, for it is very "heating." For this rea.son 

 it is also given to mothers for several days 

 after parturition. 



Tiiripiti kamdta. — This is made with maize 

 dough and brown sugar. A quantity of corn 

 husks is toasted until almost black; this is 

 ground and added to the atole while cooking. 

 The resulting atole is almost black and appears 

 to have ashes in it. The taste is agreeable, 

 however. Turipiti is usually eaten with naka- 

 tamales, but it is also eaten at any other time 

 of the year, being one of the more popular 

 atoles in Chenui. It is also sold daily at the 

 puestos in Uruapan, where it is known as atole 

 de cascara de cacao, "atole of chocolate bean 

 husks," although it has not the slightest choco- 

 late in it. • 



Kamdta nrdpiri. — This is said to mean atole 

 of maguey (or agave) . The unfermented juice 

 of the maguey is used instead of water. The 

 juice is cooked until foam ceases to form on 

 top and it is a little thick. Instead of maize 

 dough, white maize is toasted and ground into 

 flour, then added to the juice. It is made in the 

 period before the rainy season, April, May 

 June. 



Srimba kamdta or teri kamdta {srimba, 

 "cane," or teri, "sweet"). — The sweet juice of 

 mature green cornstalks is extracted by grind- 

 ing the stalks on the metate. The juice is 

 boiled until it no longer forms foam on top. and 

 is a little thick. Green corn is cut from the 

 cob, milled, and added to the liquid and cooked 

 with water added. This atole is eaten only in 

 the period green corn is available. 



luMtini kamdta. — This is a variant of nurite 

 kamata, to which salt and three or four red 



