Trahana Soup
Tarhana are dried foods based on a fermented mixture of grain and yoghurt or fermented milk, usually consumed as soup. As it is both acid and low-moisture, it preserves milk proteins effectively for long periods. Tarhana is very similar to some kinds of kishk.
The Turkish tarhana consists of cracked wheat (or flour), yoghurt, and vegetables fermented then dried. The Greek cuisine trahana contains only cracked wheat or a cous-cous like pasta and fermented milk. In Cyprus, it is considered a national specialty, and is often flavored with bay leaf, wild thyme, and fennel seed. They are cooked as soup by adding them to stock or water – or to milk (giving them similarity to breakfast cereals).
Trahana may be stored as small cakes or as coarse lumps. Nowadays, tarhana soup is available as a convenience food in the form of dehydrated soup in packets.
Hill and Bryer (1995) argue that tarhana is akin to τρακτον/tractum, a thickener Apicius wrote about in the first century, which most other authors consider to be a sort of cracker crumb. Dalby (1996) connects it to the τραγός/τραγανός described (and condemned) in Galen’s Geoponica 3.8. Weaver (2002) also considers it of western origin.
Perry (1997), on the other hand, argues that the phonetic evolution of τραγανός to tarhana is unlikely, and that it probably comes from Persian tarkhâne. He considers the resemblance to τραγανός and to τραχύς ‘coarse’ coincidental, though he speculates that τραχύς may have influenced the word by folk etymology.
In Persian language sources the name of this food is mentioned in the form of Tarkhana by al-Zamakhshari in his dictionary, in 11th century, and in the form of Tarkhina in Jahangiri encyclopedia (named after Jahangir the Mughal emperor of India), in 13th centruy CE. Tar in Persian means wet or soaked and khan or khwan (both spelled the same and W is not pronounced) means dining place/table, or food, or large wooden bowl. Therefore, in Persian it would mean the watered or soaked food that quite matches the way the soup is made; Tarhana must be soaked in water and other possible ingredients are then added and cooked for some time.
Preparation
Tarhana is prepared by mixing flour, yoghurt or sour milk, and possibly cooked vegetables, salt, and spices (notably tarhana herb); letting the mixture ferment; then drying, grinding, and sieving the result. The fermentation produces lactic acid and other compounds giving tarhana its characteristic taste and keeping properties: the pH is lowered to 3.4-4.2, and the drying step reduces the moisture content to 6-10%, resulting in a medium inhospitable to pathogens and spoilage organisms, while preserving the milk proteins.
Pozole Soup
Pozole is a traditional pre-Columbian soup or stew from Mexico and New Mexico. It is made from hominy, with pork, chile, garbanzo beans and other seasonings and garnish, such as cabbage, lettuce, oregano, radish, cilantro, avocado, lime juice, etc. There are a number of variations on pozole, including blanco (white or clear), verde (green), rojo (red), de frijol (with beans), and elopozole (sweet corn, squash, and meat).
In modern times, pozole has crossed borders and is popular in the southwestern United States, particularly the state of New Mexico, but becoming well known in other parts of the US as well.[citation needed] It (or something like it) has been served for centuries by native cultures in Mexico.
The Mexican cafeteria chain Potzollcalli (“House of Pozole”) serves a variety of pozoles, including red, white, green and seafood. However, pozole coming from a restaurant chain is considered by most Mexicans to be inferior to that which is home made, or sold by small street vendors who make a daily limited amount for selling.
Pozole has been adopted as the local cuisine of the Mexican state of Guerrero and later the US state of New Mexico. In Guerrero, it is often eaten with Tostadas smeared with Mexican cream and hot salsa, and breakfast pozole is often accompanied by a shot of homemade mezcal. Green pozole is typically served on Thursday. In New Mexico, pozole is traditionally served on Christmas Eve to celebrate life’s blessings. In Colorado, onions are typically used as a garnish instead of radishes. A similar Salvadoran soup called Sopa de Pata has cow’s foot in it.
A person who is fond of pozole is known in Mexico as a pozolero, this is also the name of a person who makes respectable pozole.
An episode of Rick Bayless’ PBS television show Mexico: One Plate at a Time was devoted to pozole, and the pozole of Guerrero state in particular, and included visits to Guerreran pozolerías, such as shown in the photo.
In the American Southwest, the spelling “posole” is more common and (outside New Mexico) the word is often used as a synonym for hominy. In parts of northern New Mexico some of the native Hispanic people pronounce it with a silent E, “posol”. In early autumn in New Mexico, a popular variation on posole is made, called chichos. Instead of hominy it uses fresh corn that has been dried and roasted.
Gumbo Recipes
Gumbo is a stew or soup originating in Louisiana, and found across the Gulf Coast of the United States and into the U.S. South. It consists primarily of a strong stock, meat and/or shellfish, a thickener, and the vegetable “holy trinity” of celery, bell peppers and onion. The soup is traditionally served over rice. A traditional lenten variety called gumbo z’herbes (from the French gumbo aux herbes), essentially a gumbo of smothered greens thickened with roux, also exists.
Having originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, gumbo is the result of the melting of cultures in Louisianan history. For example, the dish itself is based on the French soup bouillebasse, but the use of okra is West African in origin. The “Holy Trinity” is of Spanish origin and the use of filé powder (ground sassafras leaves) is Native American. Currently, the dish is very common in Louisiana, Southeast Texas, southern Mississippi and Alabama, and the Lowcountry around Charleston, South Carolina, near Brunswick, Georgia and among Creoles throughout the region. It can also be found in ‘Soul Food’ restaurants in most northern cities. It is eaten year-round, but is usually prepared during the colder months.
The stock is always as rich as possible, made with whatever complements the type of gumbo (seafood stock for seafood gumbo, chicken stock for chicken gumbo, etc.).
A typical gumbo contains one or more kinds of poultry, shellfish, and smoked pork. Poultry used is typically chicken, duck, or quail. Local shellfish such as the freshwater crawfish and crab and shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico are frequently used. Tasso and andouille provide a smoky flavor to the dish.
Gumbos can be broadly divided between the use of okra as a thickener, and recipes using filé powder in that role. Roux may be added to either, and nowadays it is quite common for roux to be the sole thickening agent itself. Mixing okra and filé is uncommon in Louisiana.
Another division in types of gumbo is between Creole and Cajun styles. Creole gumbos generally use a lighter (but still medium-brown) roux and may include tomatoes, while Cajun gumbos are made with a darker roux and never contain tomatoes.
According to some sources, the word gumbo comes from the Bantu (Angolan) word (ki)ngombo, meaning okra. The word came into Caribbean Spanish as guingambó or “qimbombó,” two words now used for okra in Puerto Rico. Other sources claim the word gumbo comes from the Choctaw word kombo, meaning sassafrass.
History of Gumbo
Gumbo has been called the greatest contribution of Louisiana kitchens to American cuisine. The dish has its origins in the meeting of cultures that occurred in Louisiana during the 18th century. French cooking techniques provided the beginning with bouillabaisse. The native Choctaw’s filé powder and local seafood were a major addition to the local cuisine. West African slaves’ imported okra found its way into the Louisiana kitchens, and provided gumbo with its name. Bell peppers, tomatoes and cooked onions were brought to the table by Spanish colonists.
The first written references to gumbo appear in the early 1800s. In 1885, the division between filé and okra-based gumbos was documented in La Cuisine Creole. The cookbook contained many gumbo recipes, some made with filé and some with okra, but none with roux.
Gumbos can be broadly divided into three categories: those thickened with okra, those thickened with filé powder, and those thickened exclusively with roux. Modern recipes of both okra and filé categories generally call for a dark roux that provides additional thickening and flavoring. Okra and filé powder are, at least historically, not used together in the same dish. You may, however, see a lighter roux combined with roped (sautéed plain to remove the ’stringy’ effect) okra and topped with filé after cooking for the sweet flavor.
Filé powder, ground dried sassafras leaves, was in wide use by the native Choctaws when European colonists arrived. In modern recipes, filé gumbos use roux as their primary thickener, with the actual filé powder added as preferred at the table by the eater.
A dark roux as used in a Cajun or Creole gumbo is cooked until extremely dark. Butter will burn if used to make this type of roux, so lard or oil are the fats of choice. If the roux is to be used with okra, a lighter color may be desired, as the flavor of a dark roux is quite overpowering. Most Creole gumbos do not use as dark a roux as the Cajuns, but a medium reddish-brown type roux; the word roux is a french word that means “russet-red.” The “holy trinity” of onion, celery, and bell pepper will often be cooked in the hot roux itself before the stock is added.
The traditional practice of using okra in the summer (in season) and filé in the winter has played a role in defining the kinds of gumbo usually associated with each. These associations are not hard and fast rules, but more of a general guide. For example a purely seafood gumbo is usually not thickened with filé, while one that is purely meat and game would usually not have okra. This reflects traditional practices of fishing and crabbing in warmer weather and hunting and butchering in cooler weather.
The following are some common combinations of ingredients that are included in gumbo:
* Seafood gumbo, with crab, shrimp, crawfish, fish and/or oysters. Often supplemented with tasso or andouille
* File’ Gumbo (Often seafood or Chicken & Sausage)
* Gumbo ya-ya (A gumbo that includes hard-boiled or poached eggs)
* Chicken and sausage gumbo
* Crawfish gumbo
* Beef gumbo, a variant from the Carolinas, rare in Louisiana
* Turkey and sausage gumbo, popular after Thanksgiving
* Duck and Oyster (or Shrimp) Gumbo
* Squirrel Gumbo
* Rabbit Gumbo
* Greens (with or without seafood and/or meat; see Gumbo Z’Herbes below)
While the sausage used is traditionally andouille, other smoked pork sausages can be substituted. The sausage can be removed and replaced with fresh at the end of the cooking period, otherwise it tends to have lost much flavour to the liquid.
Hangover Cure Soup – Menudo
The soup menudo is a traditional Mexican dish; a frequently spicy soup made with tripe. It is often thought of as a cure for a hangover, and is traditionally served on special occasions or with family.
In pre-revolutionary Mexico, poverty among the campesinos was chronic, and little if anything that might be prepared as food was left to waste. Usually, the best cuts of meat would go to the hacienda owners while the offal went to the peasants. These leftovers consisted of organ meats, brains, head, tails, hooves, etc. As cattle and sheep are ruminants that require lengthy intestinal tracts to digest their diet of grasses and raw seeds, the stomach is one of the largest pieces of offal available from these animals.
There are a number of variations on menudo, including blanco (white or clear), verde (green), or rojo (red). Typical condiments added to menudo are dried oregano, epazote, ground chile flakes, lime juice, fresh cilantro and chopped onion. Due to the length of time needed to cook tripe to be tender enough to be edible, menudo is generally cooked in large batches and sold as a special menu item in Mexican restaurants, although it is occasionally prepared at home. In some areas menudo is sold as a weekend-only specialty in regular restaurants (typically announced by signs reading Rico Menudo fines de semana). In other areas, menudo is made daily, but mostly sold in restaurants and market stalls (fondas) that specialize in the dish.
There are a number of regional variations on menudo. In northern Mexico, typically hominy (creation of hominy is one step in the production of tortilla dough) is added, and in northwest states such as Sinaloa and Sonora usually only the blanco, or white, variation is seen. Adding patas (beef or pigs feet) to the stew is popular but not universal. In some areas of central Mexico, “menudo” refers to stew of sheep stomach, “pancitas” stew of beef stomach. The red variation is usually seen in Chihuahua, the northern state adjoining Texas. A similar stew made with more easily cooked meat is pozole.
The popularity of menudo in Mexico is such that Mexico is a major export market for stomach tripe from US and Canadian beef producers. Large frozen blocks of imported menudo meat can frequently be seen in Mexican meat markets.
The word “menudo” in Mexico can mean the raw stomach meat as well as the stew. The word tripas (tripe) normally refers to the small intestines rather than the stomach. Tripas are also eaten, but normally in tacos rather than stews.
In southeast Mexico, menudo is more commonly known as mondongo (the South American version of menudo), and it does not include the traditional grains of corn.
In the last season of the 1970s television series Sanford and Son, Fred Sanford made a reference to menudo in almost every episode. It was thought to be his favorite dish.
Menudo also refers to an entirely different dish made in the Philippines. This dish, in contrast, is made of garlic, onions, diced pork chops, pork liver, diced potato, diced carrots, green bell peppers, soy sauce and tomato sauce, and seasoned with salt and pepper while it is cooked. Filipino menudo will usually contain tripe though common variants will include chickpeas, red peppers and raisins.
Menudo (from Latin minūtus) also means “small, thin, worthless, vulgar, (money) change, tripe, and tithe from small orchards”. It is unknown if the soup came to be known as menudo, since it was made up of tripe, or if any of the other meanings, which are many, have something to do with it.
Menudo is eaten for breakfast and is known as the “Breakfast of Champions” in New Mexico and Texas.