On Apr 27, 1:34?pm, Sonoran Dude > wrote:

> I'm so happy you are ok.. we were getting worried about you GG.

Yo rechazo todo, gringo.

I was looking for "traditional" ways to prepare chicharrones, and I
found a website where Mexicans were trying to describe how they made
tacos with chicharrones, and the South Americans were saying, "Yes, we
have chicharrones, but what the hell is a "taco"?

If a South American wants a *torta de chicharrones*, he first takes a
bollilo (like small French bread), slices it, adds mayonnaise to one
side, and maybe some refried beans to the other side, adds parsley or
some greens or onions or garlic and sprinkles crumbled chicharrones on
it.

A guy from Argentina who'd never heard of a "taco" had never heard of
"guacamole", either.

A Spaniard might make his "torta de chicharrones" with ajiolli (a
mixture of olive oil and garlic) instead of mayonnaise, unless he
wants to waste an egg to make some "mahonesa".

In Spain, 'tortas de pimiento molido' (typical ground pepper
pancakes), 'chicharrones' (pieces of pork) and a caf? con (mucho)
leche make a typical leisurely breakfast.

"Tradition". What the heck is "tradition", anyway? You started off by
*ass-uming* that chicharrones are eaten a certain "traditional" way
along the border.

Well, maybe casual noshing on tacos de chicharrones has become
traditional. If you do something different, that's an experiment, if
you do it twice, it's tradition, in some people's minds. If that's the
way they *have to do it*, because they don't have bread, then that's
the
way things have always been, and always will be and it's probably the
way that gawd wants it...;-)

But the border is not even a good place to raise hogs, it's too hot
and dry. The border is cattle country, and some Mexicans raise goats
and sheep. Pigs have no sweat glands, they need to lay around in the
mud to cool off or they suffer.

If you want to look at traditional methods for preparing and serving
chicharrones *in Mexico*, you should look at areas in the southern
half of the country, like Chiapas or Tabasco, where Spanish
hillbillies still speak an ancient version of pre-Castillian Spanish
and continue to slaughter and process pork just as it was done in
Spain 1500 years ago.

My Celtiberian ancestors were herding pigs in the Pyrenees when the
Phoenicians arrived in Spain. The Visigoths invaded Spain by land, and
brought their pigs from central Europe. They moved pig farming
southwards in Spain in the 5th century AD.

When the Moors conquered Spain in the 7th century, the spread of the
pork eating culture was halted, but, in the 16th century, after
the Catholic Reconquest, public eating of pork became proof that
conversos were faithful to the Roman Catholic church.

Nowadays, if you stop in a Spanish bistro for a beer and a sandwich,
you have your choice between ham and cheese, or cheese and ham. Well-
dressed Spaniards in business suits stand around drinking a beer and
eating their sandwiches and talking politics.

Pigs are probably more important as a meat animal in Spain than
cattle, since pigs can live in the wild, under shady trees and eat
acorns and root for truffles. Spanish butcher shops sell smoked hams
with the hoof still attached. The famous serrano ham has a white hoof,
and that breed has only been in Spain since the French imported it in
the 1800's. Ham from the black-hoofed Spanish pig is more expensive.

An established ritual, which takes place in winter, amongst ranchers
on Spanish estancias is that of the 'matanza del cerdo' (the slaughter
of the pig). This takes place towards the month of November and has
brought about the popular saying 'Para San Andr?s, mata tu res' (Kill
your beast for Saint Andrew). This means that the family larder can be
stocked for the coming winter and all the typical sausage meats can be
prepared. All parts of the pig are used, the blood becomes sausage,
and the skin becomes chicharrones.

Pepe Iglesias is an Asturian magazine writer who has described the
history of Spanish food in great detail on his "Enciclopedia de
Gastronomia" website. Unfortunately, it's all in *Spanish*, and you
gringos won't take the time to learn enough Spanish to understand
the Spanish influence on modern Mexicans and Mexican cooking. Look at
www.enciclopediadegastronomia.es/index.html to get the real story
about Spanish hog butchering and pork processing.