Birthday Food from Around the World

     Celebration without food is like a well without water. (you can quote me on that) My Puertorican family's parties and gatherings would be quite dull, if not nonexistent without plates of arroz con gandules, a variety of pork parts, and tostones (fried plantains) or some other pieces of fried deliciousness. Birthday parties were no exception. The Hernandez household has had it's fair share of shin digs, and the celebration of my 26th birthday this past weekend was no exception. It was a good time.

     My friend Suzy  gave me the idea of finding out about birthday celebrations and food around the world. Most people automatically think of a fancy birthday cake as traditional fare, but that has only been instilled  into US culture the past 100 years. Cakes were actually traditional in Roman times, especially significant for the 50th birthday. Birthday food fare differ vastly from country to country, yet the basis is the same: delightful dishes that not only taste good, but symbolize celebration, togetherness and blessings to come. In some cultures, a birthday food is an important cultural symbol recognized by the entire community. Birthdays of powerful and wealthy individuals have been celebrated for thousands of years. The Bible's book of Genesis (ch. 40:20) indicates that Egyptian pharaohs would organize feasts around their birthdays. After the1400s, birthdays would be celebrated by others who had politcal power and wealth. In the United States, post civil war citizens copied the traditions of their wealthy counterparts in celebrating their birthday. Although there are a number of cultures in which birthdays are not observed, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, usually a birthday is regarded as a rite of passage marking an individual's progress through the life cycle. Here are some ways my friends celebrate getting older:


     " In Guangodong province, China, where I was born, right after the first month of my birth, there was a huge banquet for all the friends and relatives with 60 people attending and hard- boiled eggs painted red, symbolizing new birth were given out to everyone. After this major celebration, all the remaining birthdays were celebrated with just a nice family dinner and long noodles, symbolizing longevity, were eaten on each birthday. However, when one reaches the age of 61, 71, 81, 91 etc., each of these 10 year milestones will be celebrated with banquets again with friends and relatives (usually 100 or more guests). These banquets are usually very elaborate consisting of more than 11 courses. Again long noodles symbolizing longevity are eaten. At these banquets, the birthday person gives out red envelopes with money to each of his or her guest at the banquet. Culturally, the above summarizes what people living in China do for birthdays and food." -Merlin Leong, China

     " For us a big birthday celebration you would always make either tamales veracruzanos ( with the banana leaves instead of corn husk) or pozole!...very Mexican dishes, affordable and feeds many!... hmmm I miss those days!! However, my mami would always wake me up with mananitas and pancakes around 4am or so..." - Alicia Euyoque Herold, Mexico

    "Almond cake! Since I was a kids most of the times had one...now I like carrot too....I think it's a matter of what spices and flavor combination (you) can do in your brain....(what's my)favorite icing?....cream cheese!"
 -Jose Enrique Cruz, Puerto Rico   


     Since moving to Saint Louis in 1999, our family has lovingly woven other traditional Latin American cultures into our own island roots, readily adopting cuisine into our frequent gatherings. Birthday cake has of late been ordered from Mexican Bakeries specializing in a Pastel Tres Leches or "three milk cake". It consists of a sponge or almond cake soaked in three types of milk- evaporated, condensed, and heavy cream then topped with fruit and whipped cream- a real decadence! You can make it yourself, but if your looking for a local bakery that makes it try Diana's Bakery, off of the historic Cherokee street. Also featured at my birthday dinner included other traditional Latin American dishes, including two Peruvian staples; Shrimp Ceviche and Papa a la huancaina. Homemade salsa verde complimented the pork carnitas, and Columbian arepas, whom my friend Benjamin described as a cross between "a Latino biscuit and a hot pocket..." Well said Ben, well said.

 For more information on how different places around the world celebrate birthdays, try:

Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, "Birthday Foods"

Atole

History of Atole

Corn was the sacred staple of mesoamerican diet. First domesticated around 6000 years ago, it was harvested and used in many fashions that have influenced latin american cuisine today. Maize was eaten in a variety of forms. The Maize was prepared by boiling or soaking it in lime water and then draining it in a gourd colander. While it was still wet, it was ground on a metate--as small stone table--with a mano, a cylindrical handstone. The resulting paste was most commonly mixed with water to make pozole, a thin gruel

Most common were the tortillas and tamales which many Amercican are familiar with; but Atole, a thin gruel of fine maiz flour in water, is a ancient latino staple that is less commonly known. Atole first appeared in mayan cuisine, but continued in Aztec civilization where flavorings were added. The most common was teunacaztli...the Aztec spice of choice when combined with chocolate. This was beaten with a wooden whisk until foamy and flavored with vanilla orchid pods or sweetened with honey. This was the sacred drink, the beverage of choice for the elite of Mesoamerica.

Atole Today

Atole today is usually sweetened with raw sugar or mexican piloncillo (a dark sugar bar) and flavored with  fruit, chocolate, or other sweets.  The base is usually spiced with anise or cinnamon and milk can be added to it.  Pineapple or strawberries usually pair well with Atole. Ancient Aztec and Mayan cultures highly valued cacao and chocolate, and used it to make Chocolate Atole. They consumed it, in beverage form, for religious ceremonies and medicinal purposes. Drinking chocolate without adding flavorings, spices and other additions was almost unheard of. One of the most popular additions was powdered chilli (Capsicum annum). Flowers were popular flavorings. There were were several, including chili! Chocolate was generally consumed cool, not hot like we Americans do today.

Atole can be served as a filling breakfast accompanied by traditional fried sugar coated pastries, or churros. In the Catholic Church itself, atole is served to the congregation by the women after the novenas.  Chocolate atole, or as it is know Champurrado, is common during the Christmas holidays.

 I created my own version of Chocolate Atole, that can be served with pastries (I served it with vanilla meringues)and  it pairs wonderfully with fresh berries. To create the decadent foam, that is so prized when one drinks champurrado, I used a traditional tool called a mollinillo. You can find this for a very reasonable price at your local Mexican Market. If the texture of the masa harina is too grainy for your taste, I have heard some people substitute a few tablespoons of cornstarch. This creates a texture similar to creme anglaise, perfect to dip fruit or churros in.

Recipe

Salted caramel Champurrado
 
 2 1/2  cups warm water
 2 cup milk
 1 cinnamon stick
 1/4 cup masa harina (or 1/3 cup nixtamal)
 1 disk Mexican chocolate, chopped
 1 piloncillo cones, large, (one ounce each) chopped
 1 pinch of anise seed or ground cloves, ground (optional)
 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
 1 cup canned Nestle La Lechera dulce de leche ( or make your own)
 flake  salt

                  Directions

 1. In a medium saucepan, pour the 2 cups of milk and the cinnamon stick over medium-low heat. In a separate bowl, whisk the masa harina into the 2 1/2 cups of warm water so it become incorporated.
 2. Pour the harina mixture into the saucepan, whisking so no lumps form.
 3. Add the chopped piloncillo, cayenne, anise or cloves. Slowly add the chopped chocolate
 4. Stir constantly while it begins to bubble. Lower the heat and stir until it becomes slightly thick.
 5. If you are using the molinillo to create foam, this is the time to use it. Place the larger end in the Atole, and holding the end between both of your palms, rub them back and forth until the drink becomes foamy.
 6. Serve in a mug. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the dulce de leche (warm it in the microwave to melt it a bit) the champurrado and sprinkle with a bit of flake salt.

     If you are interested in learning more about Mayan and Aztec traditional foods, check out:
    
            America's First Cuisines, Sophie D. Coe 1994


  "There was not only street food in quantity but street drink as well...Hernanadez...gives descriptions of a number of variants of atolli, many of which mush have served as instant meals. Basic atolli involved taking eight parts of water, six parts of maize, and lime and cooking them together until the maize softened. This is the standard process of nixtamalization, the way to prepare maize for the manufacture of dough for tortillas and tamales, and it tremendously enhances the nutritive value of the maize."