Talking about Traditions
This is a conversation between Sylvia and Nancy, and is a good idea to involve the readers in it:
Sylvia ask me: “Just curious in this season of Lent with Easter coming up, is panocha one of the foods in your culture? Anyway, just curious.
My response: I’m from Colombia, and in my city which is, Barranquilla, people used to make during holly week “Dulces Tipicos”. It is like jelly, we have pineapple, plum, coconut, mango, milk and even potatoes, and beans, it is such a delicious dish, and we share with the neighbors.
Sylvia tells me about this dish: Panocha is one of the foods in our culture. But I think there are very few, here, who continue to make it. I'm not sure where this started but must be from Spain since Native Americans didn't have wheat until the Europeans arrived.
You know the famous Navajo fry bread is the bunuelo from Spain. Growing up my mom used to occasionally make bunuelos. When sopaipillas became popular, my parents said they had never heard of them. But the fried bread we had was bunuelos - round with a hole in the middle. The churro that is popular in Mexico is also from Spain.
And the necklace we call squash blossom that is credited to Native Americans comes from Spanish influence. The horseshoe shape is from the Moors, a protection from evil - who dominated Spain from 8 centuries. The blossoms, of course, symbolize the squash blossoms. Symbols can have different meanings to different cultures or they can be universal. The evil eye is a universal belief but the symbols, or protection, may differ. For us in northern NM it's coral. In Turkey, Egypt, etc. it's the (usually) glass eye - mostly done in blue. Man lives by symbols for protection from karma. If we don't protect ourselves then we deserve our fate. Interesting stuff.
Anyway, we will be making panocha. My mom and I are the only ones in our family who like it. Do you prepare any of the traditional dishes?
RECIPE COURTESY OF SYLVIA PACHECO
From my mother’s mother, Margarita de Luna. Margarita was born in 1902, in Chacon, NM and this recipe was passed on to her from her mother (Isabel Cruz). She cooked and baked on a wood stove, so there is no temperature reading for the oven. My mother sets her oven at 350 degrees F. Total cooking time is about 3 hours. She says it is in the oven for more than 1 hour, so I will cook with her so I can get the recipe written down completely and accurately.
Ingredients
3 ½ cup’s panocha flour
1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour.
12 cups boiling water.
1 lb box brown sugar
5 tablespoons butter
Preparation:
1. Combine in large kettle whole wheat flour and Panocha wheat flour.
2. Add 7 cups boiling water, stir well.
3. Covert, let stand 15 minutes.
4. Add remain 5 cups boiling water, stir well.
5. Add sugar – Stir until it comes to a boil.
6. Boil 2 hours – String occasionally.
7. Add butter and place uncovered in oven 325 degrees for 2 hours or until it is quite thick.