"... it's a hilarious scene to see them enjoying their frugal meal of tortillas and chili." The foreign opinion of one of the essential elements of the national diet is interesting.
“He who is a chili dealer, which is the pepper of this land, sells chili of all the genres that are mentioned here, such as those that are long or wide, and those that are not such, large and small, green and dry ; and those that are from summer, and those of summer, and all those that are made on different feet, and those that are caught after being touched by ice. He who is a bad dealer in this merchandise sells those that are damaged and smelly, and the redruejos and those that are not well seasoned, but very green and small ”.
Fray Bernardino de Sahagún
General history of the things of New Spain
"Tortillas, a common food of the town, and which are nothing more than simple corn cakes mixed with a little lime, and with the same shape and size of our scones, I find them quite good when they are served hot and just done but insipid in themselves. They are considered particularly tasty with chili, which to support it in the quantities in which they eat it here, it seems to me that it would be necessary to have the throat lined with tin ”.
Madame Calderón de la Barca
Life in mexico
"And how good it has seemed that their ill will and betrayals, that they could not cover it up, that they still did not give us food, that they brought water and firewood to cheat and said that there was no corn, and that it is well known that they have near there, in some ravines, many captaincies of warriors waiting for us, believing that we had to go that way to Mexico. Well, as in payment that we come to have them as brothers and tell them what God our Lord and King commands, they wanted to kill us and eat our meat that the pots already had, with salt, chili pepper and tomatoes, that if this they wanted to do, what it would be better if they gave us war as hard-working and good warriors, in the fields, as the Talxcalans did their neighbors ... "
Bernal Diaz del Castillo
True story of the conquest of New Spain
“In addition to the articles to supply the table, many Indians sell wool, cotton, coarse cotton cloth, tanned hides, earthenware, baskets, etc. in the market. and it is a hilarious scene to see them gathered in large groups, with their children sitting on the ground, enjoying their frugal meal of tortillas and chili ”.
William bullock
Six months of residence and travel in Mexico
