Cecina: Worth Its Salt

[Don Cuevas]

I have just written and posted one more of my erudite, carefully researched blogs on the subject of "La Comida Mexicana."

This time, the theme is "Cecina: Worth Its Salt".

You can read it here: mexkitchen.blogspot.com/2009/06/cecina-worth-its-salt.html

(There are color pictures, too.)

[tillystar]

Nice one!

[bixaorellana]

Nicely done report, DonC, although I've got some quibbles. One is that the pork version of cecina is not semi-dried. As a matter of fact, it's quite common to order it and wait for the butcher to make it from a solid piece of pork right in front of you. And the two versions are cecina blanca -- simply salted, and cecina enchilada. The cecina enchilada is smeared not with chile molida (ground dried chile), but with a paste of ground chile guajillo, garlic, oregano, vinegar, salt & maybe some secret ingredients. Each meat stall has its own recipe.

Ditto the beef tasajo (no accent on the o!). When you ask for tasajo, it's fresh beef, although dried versions are usually hanging over the display area. I need to find out if they're called tasajo as well. It's always simply dressed with salt around here -- no enchilada version.

Mexican food is so very regional, however, (note the disparity between what's cecina here & what's tasajo) that maybe cecina in other parts of the country is always semi-dried.

You are totally correct in your response to the reader who questioned the red flag. That misguided person must think that all the meat he buys in the supermarket is truly "fresh".

[Deleted]

It looks great, but has any progress been made anywhere in creating a healthier version, i.e. less salt? I am not at all a health nut, but I have cut back on my salt intake over the years, and now it doesn't take much salt for my mouth to react: [glow=red,2,300] too salty![/glow]

I have had to abandon various dried hams that I used to love, because they taste way too salty to me now.

[bixaorellana]

Food in Oaxaca is frequently over-salted. When I first moved here, I thought I'd never be able to eat out, as so often the food seemed ruined with too much salt.

Cecina and tasajo don't have to be too salty. Since meat cutters (who are very frequently women around here) are quite willing to make it for you on the spot, you could request it with no salt at all.

If you wanted to try it, you could have your local meat cutter thinly butterfly something like a piece of top sirloin. Take that home & lightly salt it yourself. Let it set at least a half hour, then cook it in a very hot, lightly oiled skillet. For pork, something like boneless loin would do the trick. It's very good with some kind of light salsa added at the table -- try fresh minced chiles, minced or crushed garlic, lime juice and cilantro.

I can't vouch for this recipe as I've not tried it, but it looks like a pretty good guide if you want to try the spiced pork cecina. As I point out above, there's no reason to bother with the drying process.

[Don Cuevas]

Hola a todos, we are in a hotel in Guanajuato, and the internet connection is a bit slow, so I can't tell yet whether any of youy commented directly to my blog our just here.

I do appreciate the comments, esp from Bixa, but I hope that she can copy and paste those observations to the comments on the blog.

I can think of a good reason to at least partially dry the meat: concentration of flavor an longer "shelf life".

And I'm trying to look up whether "tasajO" has an ending accent or not, but just can't pull up another website yet.

Hasta luego,

Saludos,
Don Cuevas

[bixaorellana]

Why would taSAjo have an ending accent? Can't pull up another website? You could just take my word for it.

Incidentally, "corazón" is a masculine noun, and does have an accent over the o.

[mockchoc]

I wish you'd talk in English more often as well as in the local language Don. Then I and many others can appreciate and get to enjoy plus learn what you are saying as I do know you have a lot of knowledge but how can people that do NOT speak the language understand?

I feel I miss out when reading your posts. Please post English as well as it IS your first language and I think many want to learn from all you know. I'm sure it's not just me thinking this. Seen others say it.

[Don Cuevas]

I'll take that into account, Mockchoc, when posting here. I didn't realize that I was loosing my readership. :-)

On my blog, I'll continue as before. In fact, I was thinking of writing a few with Spanish versions optional. It's good exercise for the mind.

Adios, muchachos, err, "Bye, mates!"

[Deleted]

I like the sprinkling of Spanish in the rest of the text, although every now and then the meaning has eluded me. You could keep doing what you've been doing but perhaps add footnotes with the translation for us dummies.

[Don Cuevas]

O.k,; o.k.; it IS "tasajo" no accent on the O.
It's also easier to pronounce.

But if you think for a moment that I'm going back and correcting all that, "en tus sueños."
(In your dreams.)

[bazfaz]

I always look at Don's posts as a free Spanish lesson.