THE TAJIN TOTONAC PART 1 KELLY AND PALERM 



153 



found in Taj in. For example, (1) the white-corn 

 recipes given above all are based on nixtamal. 

 However, (2) the atole agrio is made of boiled corn 

 which has not been treated with lime. In addition, 

 (3) an atole made of toasted, ground corn is used 

 in Taj in exclusively as a remedy for diarrhea: 



g. Atole de maiz tostado (iStaCucu? kusi). "This atole 

 is taken as a medicine, not for pleasure." The kernels 

 are toasted on the baking plate, then are ground to pow- 

 der. Water is heated, with brown sugar, and the ground 

 maize meal added to it. The whole is allowed to boil, 

 then is drunk. 



Similarly, to treat diarrhea, rice is toasted, ground, 

 and the meal made into a gruel. 



This concludes the Totonac series of maize 

 atoles, but for the sake of convenience, sweetpotato, 

 squash, and rice gruels may be mentioned here. 



h. Atole de cuchara (spoon gruel) ; atole d'e camote 

 (sweetpotato gruel; mantaqkela). Like the atole made 

 from purple corn, this is fermented. 



According to one informant, it is made in the same way 

 as the atole de nixtamal martajado (see c, above), but 

 sweetpotato is added to the broken corn, and the whole 

 is allowed to stand about 3 days, until it sours. This 

 atole is not strained ; it is known as "spoon gruel" because 

 it must be stirred constantly as it cooks. 



Another informant gives a different version of the same 

 receipe. The broken nixtamal is boiled, being stirred con- 

 stantly. Separately, sweetpotato is crushed on the milling 

 stone. Water is added to the raw sweetpotato mash and 

 the mixture allowed to stand. When the liquid is clear, 

 it is poured off and placed in another vessel — not that of 

 the nixtamal. The remaining sweetpotato mash then is 

 added to the cooking maize. After a short while, the water 

 drained from the raw sweetpotato is added and the whole 

 allowed to ferment. The following day, brown sugar is 

 added. 



i. Atole de calaoaza (squash gruel ; sakela nip.si) . Raw, 

 ripe squash is cut in hunks and boiled. When cooked, 



it is toasted, ground, and mixed with water. In neither of these 

 areas is soured atole known. 



However, in the little village of San Francisco, near Taman, 

 San Luis Potosi, atole is made either of nixtamal or of dry, 

 ground maize, to which water is added ; in both cases, the mix- 

 ture is allowed to ferment. In Huastecan villages near Tnncan- 

 huitz, the favorite atole is made from white corn, ground dry, 

 then placed in water to ferment for 24 hours. Atole also is 

 made of white maize dough, sweetened with brown sugar ; this 

 form is not fermented. Soured atole is reported from Tepehua- 

 can, near Molango, Hidalgo. In short, fermented atole may be 

 quite general in eastern Mexico, but without systematic inquiry, 

 we can do no more than guess. 



The Maya share the three basic Totonac recipes for gruel, 

 making it of nixtamal ; of maize "briefly cooked in water without 

 lime" ; or of the toasted, ground kernels. It is interesting to 

 note that one kind of atole is prepared "from maize which has 

 been soaked in water for three or four days." This assuredly 

 suggests soured atole, and it may be noted, furthermore, that 

 the Maya of Quintana Roo make their tortillas of soured dough 

 (Villa Rojas, p. 54). 



it is taken from the vessel and the rind removed. The 

 flesh of the squash then is ground and returned to the hot 

 liquid together with brown sugar and stick cinnamon. It 

 is said that some cooks add nixtamal, which has been 

 well washed but not ground ; others serve squash gruel 

 without the addition of maize. 



/. Atole de arroz (rice gruel; Sakela arroz). Rice is 

 boiled alone, or with either white or brown sugar; some 

 add stick cinnamon. Once cooked, the rice may be 

 ground, but many serve the gruel with the kernels entire. 

 This is drunk at meals instead of coffee. 



Tamales. — In Taj in, tamales are not known as 

 such unless their filling happens to be of meat. 

 Nevertheless, there are numerous maize dishes 

 which basically are tamales, although diverse 

 names cloud the affinity. So also does the fact 

 that tamales with meat filling are wrapped in ba- 

 nana leaves, while other kinds of tamales have a 

 corn-husk covering. In the latter case, the dough 

 and filling are placed in the slight hollow at the 

 butt of the husk; the top of the latter is doubled 

 over and securely tied in place with a narrow strip 

 of husk. 



Both tamales proper and the related forms are 

 steamed. A cribbing of twigs is placed on the 

 floor of the clay cooking pot, and on this bed the 

 tamales are arranged so that they do not come in 

 direct contact with the water. As the tamales are 

 put into the vessel, the mouth of the pot is lined 

 with leaves left over from the wrapping — either 

 banana leaves or corn husks. These are arranged 

 vertically around the inner rim and extend well 

 beyond it. When the vessel is full, the leaves are 

 folded over, to serve as a cover. 



a. Piques (Totonac name not recorded). This is the 

 simplest form of tamal. The nixtamal is ground and 

 salt and lard added. Without additional flavoring and 

 without any filling, the paste is wrapped in dry corn husks 

 and steamed. 



o. Bollitos de elote (tankolo). Several ears of fresh 

 corn are collected and the husks cut from them with great 

 care, since they are to be used as wrapping. With a 

 knife, the kernels are removed from the ear. They are 

 ground on the metate, then reground, with the addition 

 of brown sugar. Unmelted lard and ground cinnamon 

 stick are added and the whole is well mixed. Small 

 amounts are wrapped individually in corn husks and 

 steamed. 



c. Bollitos de anis (fennel roll; saksf wati). The nix- 

 tamal is well ground, then reground with fennel (No. 88). 

 The mixture is moistened with sugarcane juice and brown 

 sugar and lard added. The whole is well mixed and small 

 amounts are wrapped in dry corn husks and steamed. 





