THE TAJIN TOTONAC PART 1 KELLY AND PALERM 



151 



time and effort to prepare. White corn is used 

 almost exclusively, although occasionally one of 

 the red corns, which turns white when steeped 

 with lime, may be mixed with it. Sound ears must 

 be used; that is, ears not eaten by weevils, not 

 podridas (literally, "rotted - "), and not sprouting. 

 The two former result in poor flavor; the latter 

 ears turn the lime water black and the maize is 

 considered inedible. 



The first step is to shell the corn, an operation often 

 performed by the children, or with their assistance. 76 

 The second is to treat the maize with lime. A large clay 

 pot is half filled with water, and a small quantity is re- 

 moved from it in a bowl. Into the latter is dropped a 

 handful of lime for every ahnud (12 liters) of corn to be 

 treated. The contents are stirred with the hand and the 

 liquid returned to the large vessel. The sediment which 

 remains in the bowl is thrown away or is added to the 

 water which is kept on hand for laundry. 



The large pot containing the lime solution now is placed 

 on the fire. When the liquid reaches the boiling point, 

 the shelled corn is added. Immediately the vessel is re- 

 moved from the fire and the contents allowed to cool; or 

 the coals are raked out and sherds placed beneath the pot, 

 to cut off the heat. Under no circumstances is the maize 

 actually boiled with the lime. Wood ash sometimes is 

 used instead of lime but is considered less desirable." 



In most parts of Mexico, maize steeped with lime is 

 called nixtamal; in Tajin, the more general name is 

 nixcdn (kawit?). The liquid, known as ncjayote, may 

 be used to prepare a couple more batches of corn, after 

 which it is thrown away. Maize steeped in nejayote 

 which has been used more than three times is said to turn 

 yellow and is considered unpalatable. 



Nixtamal sufficient for 3 to 5 days is prepared, and the 

 corn is left in the solution until needed. It is said not 

 to ferment if the correct proportion of lime has been used. 

 Should the maize sour, it is fed to the poultry. In con- 

 trast, the Maya of Quintana Roo deliberately allow the 

 dough to ferment, in the belief that it is more digestible 

 (Villa Kojas, p. 54). The Maya of Yucatan prepare nix- 

 tamal daily (Benedict and Steggerda, pp. 159-1C0), as 

 does every self-respecting housewife in the Huasteca (in- 

 formation from Tornas Martinez) and in western Mexico. 

 These differences might be significant if distribution were 

 better known. 



The third step is to grind the corn. It is removed from 

 the lime solution, rinsed with clear water, and ground; 

 sometimes water is added from time to time during the 

 grinding. The metal hand mill — like our meat-chopper, 



but somewhat larger and stronger — is popular among 

 families who can afford such a luxury. Ordinarily it sits 

 on a small board, fastened to the top of a substantial post 

 set in the kitchen floor. As the ground corn emerges from 

 the mill, it is received in a low clay bowl or shallow gourd 

 receptacle. The chopper effects a considerable saving 

 of time and labor because it takes care of the preliminary 

 grinding ; but, invariably, the maize is further ground 

 on the metate — the tripod milling stone found commonly 

 throughout Mexico. If the family has no metal mill, the 

 corn is ground entirely by hand on the metate; three 

 grindings generally suffice. 



The ground, wet maize forms a sort of paste or dough 

 (masa, skitit), a small amount of which is scooped up with 

 the fingers from the far end of the metate and then is 

 patted between the hands 78 to form a thin, round cake, 

 about the diameter of a hotcake, but much thinner. This 

 is placed to bake on a flat clay plate and, after being turned, 

 is considered ready to eat. Tortillas removed from the 

 baking plate are placed in a gourd with small aperture, 

 in order that they remain warm and flexible ; a cold tortilla 

 becomes stiff and tough and, if possible, is heated before it 

 is eaten. 



Today, the average tortilla is between 12 and 

 15 cm. in diameter (cf. Sahagtin 3 : 130) ; smaller 

 ones may be made as a special gesture for guests 

 or ailing persons. Extra-thick tortillas are pre- 

 pared for animals, and sometimes the cook herself 

 eats them. Under no circumstances are they of- 

 fered to a guest. A child may request one, from 

 preference, but unless he asks specifically, he is 

 served a thin cake. 



Tortillas — plain or embellished — are eaten three 

 times a day, and some men consume close to 50 such 

 cakes daily (p. 166). Sometimes, however, fried 

 plantain is eaten in the morning and evening, in- 

 stead of tortillas ; and occasionally, at noon, roast 

 plantain is substituted. Bread also is an accept- 

 able substitute morning and evening, but not at 

 noon. Even if a maize gruel is served at noon, it is 

 accompanied by tortillas. Modesto Gonzalez says 

 that if he eats a certain kind of maize gruel (atole 

 de holitas), usually prepared for evening con- 

 sumption, he does not care for tortillas. On the 

 whole, the plantain is the only real substitute for 

 the tortilla, and by most it is considered accept- 

 able only at the morning and evening meals. 



,6 One family attributes its poor harvest to tlie fact that, as the 

 children shelled the corn, they inadvertently spilled it and walked 

 on it. "It is not a good idea to step on maize." 



"A tox'tilla prepared with wood ash has 30 percent less calcium 

 and 500 percent more iron (unpublished information from Robert 

 S. Harris). 



78 In Mexico as a whole, including the Huasteca (latter infor- 

 mation from Tomas Martinez), the tortilla is formed thus, by 

 patting between the hands. But some peoples, such as the 

 Popoluca of Veracuz, the Maya of Yucatan, and the Maya of 

 Quintana Koo, mold the tortilla on a banana, leaf (Foster, 1940, 

 p. 10 ; Benedict and Steggerda, p. 160 ; Villa Kojas, p. 54). 





