Two treats for the senses: traditional foods and a Chichimecan chorus 
By Jesús Ibarra

The Consejo Sanmiguelense de Arte y Cultura (Sanmiguelense Council for Art and Culture), formed by local professionals such as journalist Adolfo Rubio, writer Maruja González and Marisol Vidargas, leader of the Traditionalist Group, organized a special event at Bellas Artes as a prelude to the Mexican bicentennial celebrations.

The event, attended by almost 400 persons, included the presentation of the bilingual book Cocina Tradicional Guanajuatense, Historias y Recetas (Traditional Guanajuatense Cooking, Stories and Recipes) and a performance by the Chichimeca Children’s Choir from the rural community of Misión de Chichimecas in San Luis de la Paz.

Adolfo Rubio, the council’s president, said the bilingual book is aimed at sharing the cultural wealth of the regional cuisine with expat residents and international tourists. “The book, which includes photographs of traditional dishes, people and landscapes, opens the door to the gastronomic tradition and identity of our state. It includes ancient indigenous recipes made with native plants such as corn and cactus, pulque, soups and other typical meals.”

Rubio said the book is the result of 10 years of research conducted by Karina Jazmín Juárez Ramírez, director of the Centro de las Artes de Guanajuato and supported by the State Institute of Culture of Guanajuato.

During the book presentation, Juárez Ramírez said people in the rural communities still continue with these ancient food traditions.

After the presentation, a tasting of some of the traditional recipes, such as colonche (red prickly pear fruit pulque) and blue tortillas painted with muicle (Mexican honeysuckle), were prepared by 15 cooks from the rural communities

The book is available at La Deriva bookstore, at Fábrica La Aurora, for 180 pesos.

Chichimeca Children’s Choir

After the book presentation, the Chichimeca Children’s Choir performed at Bellas Artes. The choir of 25 children aged 8 to 12 are from the rural community of Misión de Chichimecas. Dressed in costumes made of manta (a coarse muslin-like cloth), they sang songs—including the Mexican national anthem—in Otomí, the language of the Chichimeca. “This is a unique chorus in Mexico,” said Rubio.



Red Prickly Pear Fruit Pulque (Colonche)
Recipe by Guadalupe Rubio Guevara from Cruz de Diego, Santa Catarina

Ingredients

1 liter of pulque (thick white alcoholic beverage from the fermented juice (aguamiel) of any type of maguey

10 red prickly pear fruits

Leave the pulque to fully ferment and then add the prickly pears, mashing them in the liquid until it changes color and let stand. Strain to serve.



Painted Mexican Honeysuckle Tortillas
Recipe by María Félix Álvarez Velázquez, from Peña Blanca de Cieneguilla, Tierra Blanca

Ingredients

1 kg of nixtamal maiz (lime-treated and partially cooked maiz)

Mexican honeysuckle

2 liters of water

Metate, griddle and wooden tortilla press

Cook the maiz and honeysuckle with water in separate pots on the stove. Once cooked, grind the maiz, gradually mix in the water from the honeysuckle. Using this mix, prepare the tortillas on the press and cook on the griddle on low heat. The tortillas are ready when they rise on the griddle.