[Aztlan] pozol(e)

[Hube Smith]

The Yucatecs I work with raise:

    Xnuk Nal or ""long corn"

    Xmehen Nal or "small corn"

    "Hibrido" very occasionally and in small plots because it is "debil" and 
subject to drought and insects.

    They raise nothing we might call "sweet corn", of course. However, they 
will do a 6-day "pib" with fairly soft new corn.     This caramelizes the 
corn and imparts an interesting smoky flavor but the hulls are known to 
remain in the teeth of dzules     for up to 7 years.

    Xnuk Nal is a bigger ear and taller plant and takes well in to September 
to ripen if an early-June planting is achieved.         BTW, South Central 
Yucatan has not yet planted. No rain.

    Xmehen Nal is a smaller ear and will mature in 6 weeks (?) earlier (more 
or less) than the taller plant.

    However, Xnuk Nal is the "ace" variety. It is strong, drought resistant, 
and high-yielding. They double the stalk in the field and let the ear dry 
and then store it. Each day, they shell the dried corn, run it through the 
lime bath overnight, and grind it the next morning at the village mill. 
Voila, nixtamal or whatever the Yucatec word is (note: I don't use the "k" 
because I think it is a smarty-pants affectation).

My cameraman used to remark as we sat down for our third lunch of the day, 
"Oh, boy, corn on corn with corn again."




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nick Hopkins" <nhopkins at mailer.fsu.edu>
To: "Aztlan" <aztlan at lists.famsi.org>
Sent: Friday, July 13, 2007 9:37 AM
Subject: [Aztlan] pozol(e)


>I can't find my notes with all the Maya words, but here is a list of  maize 
>preparations, mostly drawn from Berlin, Breedlove and Raven,  Principles of 
>Tzeltal Plant Classification, Academic Press, 1974  (with some additional 
>notes).  Three distinct stages of development  of the ears  (1-3) are used 
>in different ways (note that these three  growth stages correspond to what 
>is reported for the US Southeast as  three distinct types of maize: 6-weeks 
>corn, hominy corn, and flour  corn).  An outline, with some Tzeltal, Chol, 
>Nahuatl, Mexican  Spanish, etc, terms:
>
> (1)  Tzeltal /hi/, Spanish jilote (< Nahuatl xilotl); baby ears  (kernels 
> not yet fully formed); Chol /jajch/
> a. boiled, husk and all; eaten with husks
> b. braised over coals, husk and all; eaten with husks
> (2) Tzeltal /ahan/, Spanish elote (< Nahuatl elotl); roasting ear 
> (kernels fully formed, but still soft); Chol /wajtan/
> a. boiled, husk and all
> b. braised with husk on or off
> c. braised and then boiled
> d. kernels removed and ground
> i. ground once
> ii. ground twice
> iii. ground three times
> Ground dough can be
> 1. wrapped in husks and boiled/streamed (like tamales)
> 2. patted into cakes and cooked on griddle (like tortillas) 3. mixed with 
> water and made into a gruel (like pozol, but sweeter)
> 4. boiled and fermented to make a thick drink (atole); Chol /'ul/
> I think the latter two are like Seminole sofki, the antecedent of  grits.
> (3) Tzeltal /nal/, Spanish mazorca (ear; kernels are /ixim/), mature  ear 
> (kernels are hard); Chol /ixim/
> a. shucked and braised
> b. shucked and shelled for kernels
> Kernels can be
> i. popped
> ii. browned on griddle
> iii. browned on griddle and ground, made into gruel (Spanish  pinole); 
> Chol /ch'ilom, ch'ilim/
> iv. boiled in lime water to remove seed coats, then ground (Spanish  masa, 
> nixtamal)
> 1. patted into cakes and griddled (tortillas)
> 2. wrapped in husks (or banana leaves, in the lowlands) to make  tamales
> 2a. mixed with beans to make tamales
> 3. mixed with water to make drinks (pozol); Chol /sa'/
> 3a. with sugar
> 3b. with chiles
> 3c. with squash seeds
> 3d. fermented to make Spanish pozol agrio; Chol /paj sa'/
>
> And probably many more; these are the dishes that are just maize with  a 
> little flavoring.  Obviously there are other dishes that have maize  as an 
> ingredient (e.g., soups and stews).  So a diet of maize doesn't  have to 
> be boring!
>
> Nick Hopkins
>
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