CHARRERIA… THE MEXICAN RODEO

The Charreria… the most Mexican of  sports… had its beginnings many centuries ago, as rural events where the local cowhands could show off their ranching skills.
                              
It has evolved, like bullfighting, into a highly ritualized form of artistic expression.  Today, the Charreria symbolizes the Mexican spirit of independence and liberty.  Only distantly related to American rodeo, the Charreria (now the official sport of Mexico) is a cultural event of great pageantry, as much a ceremonial and highly-refined performance as a contest of strength and ability.  

WACKY FACTS… HECHOS LOCO

During rodeo intermission, charros often allow their horses to dance to the music of Mariachi bands!

  CHARROS:  
COWBOYS WITH 
AN ATTITUDE  
Long before the Lone ranger donned a mask or hi-hoed Silver, some Mexican charro  (the rodeo cowboy) was ropin’ cattle, grabbin’ bull tails, and twirlin’ a lasso.  Heir to the age-old competitions of ranch life, today’s charro (and charra… there are plenty of women involved) is a passionate showman who combines the skills of rodeo with the pomp of the stage, dressing in elaborate, silver-studded  costumes and performing intricate dance steps while excelling in the difficult and dangerous contests involving bulls, broncos, and trained steeds.  

COWBOY CULTURE  
Garth Brooks said, ‘Blame it all on my roots…’  Many of us grew up considering the rootin’ tootin’, bronco-bustin’, gunslingin’ cowboy… Roy Rogers, John Wayne, Gene Autry… as the most American of symbols.  However, centuries before the West was even found (much less won), Jalisco, Mexico was home to the original cowboys, the vaqueros.   The first ‘cowboy’ culture arose with the Spanish conquest of Mexico, which introduced the native Mayan people to an odd European animal… the horse.  Story goes, the Indians were at first so baffled by the sight of men on horseback that they were looking at one single critter… half-man and half-beast.  They soon wised up, of course, and proved themselves to be formidable equestrians… that means horse riders… and it wasn’t until many years afterward than the Wild Wild West imported much of the vaquero lifestyle, adapting it to the harsh conditions of the American frontier and the ring-tailed buckaroos which came to be known as cowboys.

Today, the vaquero is still an honored professional throughout Mexico.  His cousin, the charro, is a hardworking, hard-riding specialist as well… with a bit of the show-off thrown in!  

RECIPE:  FRIJOLES CHARRO….  COWBOY BEANS

(Apologies to Blazing Saddles…  Rent the movie, you’ll know what we mean!)

No charro worth his spurs would have gotten through a day without a dose of these excellent, hearty beans!  * Epazote and Cilantro are lemony herbs which are available at  some (but not all) supermarkets.

What you need:

·         1 lb. dried pinto beans, washed and soaked in water overnight and drained

·         1 medium white onion peeled and chopped

·         4 garlic cloves

·         1 T vegetable oil

·         1 sprig epazote or cilantro * (a hard to find herb, and very optional!)

·         1/4 lb diced bacon

·         2 roma tomatoes, chopped

·         1 chili pepper, chopped

·         salt to taste

What you have to do:

1.       Place beans in a large pot with half the onion, half the garlic, oil and herb (if used).

2.       Add 1 quart water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 1 ½ hour, or until tender.

3.       Add salt to taste

4.       In a large saucepan, cook the bacon until some of the fat is rendered, then add the remaining onion and garlic and saute until onion softens.

5.       Add tomato and chile and continue cooking until tomato release its juice

6.       Add the beans and cook over a low flame for 20 – 30 minutes

7.       Serve as an accompaniment to grilled meat, hamburgers, etc.

8.       Serves 6-8 normal people, or three hungry buckaroos!  

CABALLO COOKIES

Caballo is Spanish for ‘horse’.  Now, we’re not suggesting that a bunch of grouchy cowboys out on the lone prairie were sitting around baking cookies… which is probably why they were so grouchy.

What you need:

·         1 cup brown sugar

·         ¾ cup water

·         1 stick butter

·         1/3 cup granulated sugar

·         2 ½ cup sifted flour

·         3 t baking bowder

·         ½ t salt

·         1 egg

What you have to do:

1.       Boil the brown sugar in water until you have 2/3 cup thick syrip

2.       Remove from the heat and add the butter, allowing it to melt.

3.       Mix well, then add the unbeaten egg

4.       Roll the misture into a ball and place in a clean plasic bag.  Close the bag and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours (or overnight), until it becomes more solid.

5.       Knead the mixture with your hands, and spread it out with a rolling-pin until it is very thin.

6.       Cut a horse shape out of cardboard (you can trace one from a photo), and cut horse shapes out of the dough.

7.       Place the horses on a greased baking tray and bake them for 10 –15 minutes at 175 degrees.  Remove with a spatula.

8.       They may not be as fun as real horses, but they smell better.

JUNK FOOD OF THE GODS

What sort of a debt does the Good Humor man owe to the Aztecs?  Consider that native Mexicans introduced the world to both chocolate and vanilla (blame spumoni on the Italians), without  which the man in the white suit would be selling nothing but  wooden sticks.

VANILLA:  Originally found wild in Huasteca, in the North of Mexico, vanilla was first cultivated by the Olmecs… it’s the fruit of an aromatic orchid, and was used to add flavor to drinks, incense, and tobacco.  When the Aztecs came to town and set up shop, they referred to vanilla as ‘the black flower’, but the word ‘vanilla’ is a corrupt version of the Spanish word for ‘pod’, which is vaina.