Santo Domingo Xenacoj and a Bonus!

During this week we have visited some other towns that belong to the Sacatepequez Department, and with the remaining visits, this one and the one I am getting ready for tomorrow, we will finish the first chapter of our journey: Guatemala Modern and Colonial.

The "Colonial" official classification is almost entirely dedicated to Antigua Guatemala; however, for what I have seen, every town, even the smallest ones in Sacatepequez, were tremendously impacted during the colonial times, being these, the towns surrounding Antigua, where we can find much more authentic expressions, where we can start to experience the syncretism that has occurred between the ancient Maya beliefs, credences, traditions, and folklore, with the Catholicism as has been practiced since the Spanish colonial times.

Since we already are on our way out from Sacatepequez, before entering the Pan American Highway to continue our journey next Monday to the next chapter: The Living Maya Culture, I want to invite you to make a stop in Santo Domingo Xenacoj. 

The magnificent textiles produced by women in this town, make this one, a valuable visit. The photos I am using today are from Arte Maya Tz'utuhil.

And last but not least, here is the bonus: my very own Black Pepian recipe. Give it a try, it is good!

Black (darkened) Pepian

This is kind of a soupy dish that is a whole meal by itself. The most traditional way to serve it is in a clay bowl with “tamalitos blancos” on the side. The common and modern way to serve it, is with white rice (like rice pilaf) on the side and fresh hot tortillas. Speaking about tortillas, in Guatemala, even in the modern Guatemala City, tortillas are still made by hand in clay comales. For presentation, I like to garnish it with some toasted sesame seeds.

Recado Ingredients (“recado” is the name in Guatemala for almost any thick sauce used in the traditional cuisine)

1 lb of fresh Roma tomatoes

½ lb of fresh miltomatoes (also known as tomatillos)

1 large onion (about 1 cup)

1 fresh bell pepper, seedless

1 dried “guaque” chili (also known as guajillo), seedless

1 dried “pasa” chili (also known as pasilla), seedless

5 garlic cloves

½ teaspoon of whole pepper corns

½ teaspoon of whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

½ cup of sesame seeds

½ cup of pumpkin seeds, peeled

Other Ingredients

2 lbs of meat (chicken, turkey, pork, or beef; my personal choice are boned ribs), cut in pieces about 2 inches

1 lb of new potatoes

2 “güisquiles” (also known as chayotes), cut in long strips (a little bit thicker than a finger)

½ lb of fresh string beans (if possible, tied together in small bunches of 4-5 units)

- culantro (also known as cilantro)

- green onions

- garlic

Preparation

I usually start by cooking the meat in a dutch oven or a pressure cooker (for tenderness) with about two quarts of water, culantro, green onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. Once the meat is cooked, I remove the pieces and set them aside; degrease the resulting broth and separate about 2 cups for the recado.

In a pot with the rest of the degreased broth, I cook the potatoes, the güisquiles, and the string beans bunches, until they are tender but firm. Never overcook the vegetables!

While (or before) the vegetables are being cooked, without adding oil or water, roast  all the recado ingredients (in a non-Teflon pan over the stove, or in a cookie sheet protected with aluminum foil in the oven, turning them occasionally to allow all the ingredients to roast evenly) and blend them together with the reserved broth (I usually grind the roasted ingredients in the food processor without adding the broth to obtain a more homogeneous paste and then finish the recado in the blender with the broth). Roasting the recado ingredients will not just enhance the flavor, but also will make the recado looks dark.

Once the recado is ready, add it to the pot with the vegetables and incorporate the meat. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes to let all the flavors mingle and get the meat hot.
Note: If you think the recado needs to be thickened, toast a couple of tortillas and grind very fine before adding to the recado. You may also use plain breadcrumbs. I would suggest you to avoid the use of flour or corn starch, because you will be adding only extra carbs and modifying the consistency of the recado.

The Journey Continues Through Jocotenango and San Antonio Aguas Calientes

Photos in this page by galasdeguatemala.com, used with authorization.

Since our last stop was Antigua Guatemala, I think that we should travel around it. The closer town is Jocotenango, which was named because of the abundance of jocotes (hog plums) in the region. 

According to some authors, the name comes from the kakchiquel voices "xocotl" and "tenango", being the last one a suffix widely used across Guatemala that means "place with abundance of" and you will be delighted, especially with some jocotes en miel, which is like a jocotes preserve made with panela (a solid piece of boiled and evaporated unrefined sugar cane juice, also known as rapadura and piloncillo, among other names).

If you would like to learn about the whole process involved in coffee production, while in Jocotenango a visit to the Cultural Center La Azotea is a must. The center includes a small coffee plantation, an equestrian club, a museum dedicated to the customs and costumes of the villages nearby, a museum dedicated to the Mayan music and musical instruments, and of course, a museum dedicated to the coffee industry in the region.

In the town of Jocotenango we can also find clay pottery, being the specialty in this field, the reproduction of fruits in big sizes, piggy-banks in the form of owls (for good luck), butterflies and birds. They also make fine wooden fruits.
A few kilometers away from Jocotenango, we will find San Antonio Aguas Calientes, which has a beautiful handicrafts market. The specialty in this town is the textiles, which are acknowledged all over the country for the high quality and beautiful designs.
The central square is lovely. You will see there a public washing fountain, whose circular and silent tanks keep the secrets of the women that come to wash their family's clothes and talk...

The most popular customs are related with religious festivities, which in addition to the usual paraphernalia, includes Pepian, one of the most traditional dishes in this region. Despite the long list of ingredients, the preparation is not complicated, so I promise to translate into English one of my proved and approved recipes to post it here this week.
Once again, my mouth is watering thinking about the gastronomical feast this unique dish means.
And, why not? Let me guide you to Parramos (a small town that doesn't belong to Sacatepequez, but is close enough to be included in our visit) to enjoy a succulent home made meal at La Posada de mi Abuelo, a cozy hostal in the middle of a coffee plantation.