Carron
Sep 4, 2003, 11:28 AM
Post #10 of 17
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Re: [jennifer rose] Unmentionable Cuisine
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Well, I grew up in deep southern Louisiana, just outside New Orleans, where it is said anything which "crawls, creeps, swims, slinks, slithers, flies, flutters, runs, limps, or walks" across the yard is game for the supper pot. That always included things like alligator tail, possum, nutria with sweet potatoes, squirrel, pigs' feet, pigs' head (great when baked with New Year's black-eyed peas inside), boiled crawfish (with head-sucking), and other glorious examples of Creole/Cajun cuisine. My husband remembers that as a small boy he was often sent out in the early spring by his grandmother to shoot robins with his BB gun for her to cook.
That said, there is not much I don't at least try. MIght miss out on something good!
When we lived in Chiapas, one of the favorites was "nucus" (pronounced NEW-COO). Nucus are like a cross between a termite and an inch-long flying ant. In season they are sold in the markets and also prepared at home. I was aware of them but had never tried any. One Sunday afternoon my neighbor from across the street came over with a large bowl of them as a gift for my family. I tried to thank her and dismiss the offering, but she insisted I try at least one in front of her. I bit into one, incorrectly, and she graciously showed me how to eat only the fat, round, butt part and discard the head, thorax, and wings. (My cocker spaniel loved the discards!) One simply cannot barf up a gift of nucus at the feet of a generous neighbor, can one?
Actually, they aren't so bad. The taste, texture, and size is almost exactly like the unpopped kernels of popcorn at the bottom of the pot. The only real problem is that they exude a black stain which stays on your teeth for about two weeks. At least I didn't have to brag to my neighbors that, yes, I ate nucus. They all knew.
My Zoque comadre explained that until the Spaniards arrived (she almost spat at the mention), there was little native animal protein available. Nucus have a very high concentration of proteins in their cute little butts, and are therefore highly prized as a gift from the gods.
One morning during the height of nucu season, my husband went into the kitchen to make coffee. Our house was very open air because the climate was so moderate. The walls and floor of the kitchen were covered with a solid mass of live, swarming, undulating nucus. One of our neighbors was at the well getting water. I called her in and her eyes lit up as though we had been especially blessed. She, my husband, and I used a broom and dust pan to scoop them all into a large plastic container and she took them home to prepare, since I did not know how to cook them. (Actually, they are simply dropped alive into hot lard/oil, removed quickly, and salted. Lime juice optional.)
Within less than an hour she returned. We divided out the goods for some of our closest neighbors, and saved some for ourselves (it was expected). Not my personal favorite snack, but peer pressure requires a semblance of acceptance!
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