Recipe book of Traditional Totonac Cuisine

FOOD IS IMPORTANT and in our daily lives, we care for it. In the communities, we highly respect the task of cooking, which starts with cleaning the space and blessing the stove so that our work is good. Everything is blessed and permission is asked. For that reason, the food we consume is a ritual food, because everyday an offering is made at the altar and we cook with respect. Later, we consume what we prepare.

In general, the blessing is done in the morning. Very early, we say good morning, thank God and the elements of nature for giving us the opportunity to wake up and see the light of the sunrise. Then we bless the stove so that the food we will consume is well cooked and so that it isn't just enough for us, but also for the people who visit us—so that we can share it. 

BOLLITOS DE ANIS (ANISE BREAD)<br>Mix the dough mixture, honey, lard, baking powder and anise. Beat frequently. Wash the corn husk and form the bollitos in the shape of small buns: shape them with your hands and place them in the tamalera. Bake for 20 minutes

Bollitos de Anís

BOCOLES (CORN MASA CAKES) Mix the masa with lard and salt. Put the comal over the fire. Once hot, make the bocoles. They can be filled with cheese, chorizo, potato or beans.

RECIPE: Pescado a la Vainilla (Vanilla fish). Clean the fish well, add salt and lemon to taste: chop and mix the green onion, chiltepín, cilantro, vanilla and tomato (seeds removed). On a banana leaf, place a layer of the chopped vegetables, then a piece of fish and, finally, another layer of vegetables. Tie up the leaf. Place directly on the stove and cover with hot ash for 10 minutes.

RECIPE:
Purple corn atole.
Soak the corn for 12 to 24 hours. Grind it in the metate or mill until it is half ground. Allow it to rest for one day or one night. Once it is tart, pass it through the metate again until is is finely ground. Pour it into a container. Mix well and cook. Empty it into a clay pot. Place it over a fire and stir constantly. When it is about to boil, add the panela and let cook.

Atole can be made with pumpkin, coconut, pineapple, tart, tamarind, mango, banana, cinnamon lemon, orange, vanilla, Northern-style, etc.

The All Saints offering, which is given on November 1 and 2, in honor of the dead. After four days, tamales are offered, and after eight days (which is called "la octava" meaning "the eighth"), mole is offered. We believe that after eight days, the dead take their belongings. They start to pack their itacate (knapsack) to take it along with them on their journey.

RECIPE: CANDIED PUMPKIN.
Steam the pumpkin or put it in a casserole dish or pan, if you want to keep it simple, or boil with piloncillo and water. Cover with a banana leaf.
Piloncillo is also called panela and is obtained by evaporating sugar cane juice, which crystallizes. In our country, it is used to prepare beverages, sauces for stews, canned fruits and vegetables, and pastries, among other things. It is also used to relieve stomach ailments caused by the common cold.

Giant yucca flower soup
Trim the yucca flower, removing its center. Only use the petals for cooking: boil four times, then cook in the water used for the last boiling session. When it is about to boil, add the tomato and chili. Remove the oil from the pumpkin seeds and make little ear shapes. Add them when the broth is fully boiling. Add the cilantro and epazote. Season with salt.