This is what was eaten during the Mexican Revolution

6874

While in the high spheres there was a variety of foods, the bulk of the population suffered from famine and shortages, so the ingenuity and knowledge of the cooks was key to subsistence.

The Mexican Revolution was a stage in Mexico of many changes, political turmoil, social and economic instability that left the country in a critical situation. In the case of women, they became soldaderas, fought at the same time as the men but also had the role of taking care of the food of the concentrations of people who were in combat, because while in the high spheres of the porfiriato they tasted Frenchified dishes. , for the bulk of the population, hunger was their daily bread.

But there were no kitchens with structure or furniture, much less tableware and containers to prepare food. The women who were in the revolutionary armies carried some things with them so they could prepare the food in the place where they settled or spend the night, like comales, some pots, metates or stones that would serve for those functions.

They could also collect some things along the way, such as herbs or plants that could be eaten. And in their things they brought spices, some dried chiles, maybe seeds or legumes. What could be transported easily. This was part of the way in which the revolutionaries could be fed, without leaving aside the looting that they did when they could, especially to obtain food. 

This is what was eaten during the Mexican Revolution 1

According to some accounts , in 1915 the corn was very scarce so it was not easy to get it and had to make it yield. It could be obtained through barter but there was so much shortage that even food stores and grocery stores closed due to lack of products.

And then how did the revolutionaries who were moving around different parts of the country manage to survive? Well with the ingenuity of the cooks. They helped with the animals and plants that were in the vicinity. There the tortilla with sauce was reinforced as a complete meal and it was complemented with teporingos, armadillos, jumiles, charales or frogs, quelites and other wild plants, especially in the south zone. 

This is what was eaten during the Mexican Revolution 2

Beans, atoles and broths were also part of the menu of the revolutionaries. The tacos of whatever, the gorditas and the tamales were practical and easy to take to eat while they could cook again. And you could not miss the pulque, so common in the central area of ​​the country and that was part of their diet.

In the north of the country the situation was not different but the dishes were different, because the vegetation was not as prodigious as in the south but the dried meat and seafood were part of the inputs. 

This is what was eaten during the Mexican Revolution 4

One of the dishes that is still preserved and that is known to have its origin in the revolutionary era is the dial. It is so called because it was prepared on the plow disc, a tool used in the field to prepare the soil before planting. This disc served as a saucepan for many dishes but the dial was the one that was repeated to last until today.

This is what was eaten during the Mexican Revolution 5

The plate is a mixture of minced beef, bacon, ham, chorizo, chopped onion, jalapeño pepper and tomato. Everything goes fried and was accompanied with flour tortillas or corn, whatever there was. Currently there are many variations of this dish and it is no longer done on plow discs as such, although they often sell casseroles to make a dial, replicating the shape of the plow disk.

The revolutionaries ate what they found in their path and the cooks showed off their ingenuity and knowledge to create dishes to feed the troops without stopping to think about whether or not they had such an ingredient, but with what they could substitute or improve the flavor, pure style of the great chefs creators of recipes.

Source: Culturacolectiva

The Mazatlan Post