I was born in Taxco, Guerrero, and spent my childhood in Casa Humboldt, a beautiful mansion built by the architect Borda, restored by my father, and transformed into a charming guesthouse.
One of my most vivid memories from those times is the following: Once a week, the woodcutter would show up, herding his old donkey, which carried his usual two loads of firewood for our fireplace.
Very often, his wife would come with him, carrying a basket of blanquillos (eggs), each one carefully woven into a little bit of grass so they would not break. With her other arm, she carried the bundle, wrapped in her rebozo as if it were a baby. She carried two chickens or a chompipe (turkey). The woodcutter’s wife would put on quite a show, patting the animal on its belly. “Look, marchantita, this one is nice and plump and still very tender—we’ve been feeding it lots of corn, Trixi.”
My niece would send for the cook, and she would give her approval. They agreed on the price, adding 20 blanquillos at 2 pesos each.
Preparation:
The cook would take either the chicken or the turkey out to the backyard of our kitchen. We watched as she opened its beak and poured in a small glass of aguardiente. It definitely did not like it. “Why are you torturing it like that?” we would ask. “Look, we have to get it drunk so it won’t feel so bad when we kill it; that way, its meat won’t tighten up and will stay more tender.” Once the poor animal could no longer stand, she would take it by the neck and, using an ax against a stick, cut its throat. Immediately, before the body had a chance to cool, its feathers were quickly plucked, since they come out more easily that way. It was cut into pieces and placed in water with onion, garlic, two carrots, one potato, and a bay leaf, then simmered so the meat would not shrink.
Here I’m sharing the recipe in case you feel like making it!
SAUCE
Green tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 onion. First, roast them lightly on the comal.
The tomatoes are cut into pieces, as are the garlic and onion, and finely ground on the metate with enough sauce to cover the turkey, adding a little of the broth from cooking it, in which cubes of chayote, potato, green beans, and carrot were previously cooked, followed by a pear at the end.
This delicious dish is served with beans and freshly made corn tortillas from the kitchen.
As children, we loved eating it. But we could not help feeling sad about how these charming animals ended up in the pot.
¡ Buen provecho !
Cheki Saldívar / Taxco, Guerrero
