CHILTEPINIT : A lovely Tradition
By Virgilio Alegria
harvested pods ,we notice how much care they put on setting the red mature pods to dry or preparing the green ones in "Salmuera" (salt laden boiled water with garlic and spices) and washing and sterilizing emptied glass containers or jars for packaging them,at this point we hear them talking about sending or saving this "Frasco de chiltepines" (container with chiltepins) to or for an aunt or uncle , brother or sister or out of town friends or relatives.
Giving or receiving a "Frasco de chiltepines" is an honour and a highly valued gift ,it's a personalized one , even before the season starts they have the recipients of this presents in mind they know beforehand how many frascos they will need , by having their loved ones in mind during the whole process of harvesting , preparing ,packing and saving the "frascos" for many days ,even months until being able to give them personally to the intended recipients they do transfer that love to the final product and that's what makes it valuable as a gift , add to that the magic of family reunions where they enjoy a homade Menudo (Hominy) , Pozole , Gallina Pinta or any other soup or dish , and the first comments are about the Chiltepins:
- "where is the chiltepins?"
- "nothing compares to a homade menudo laden with chiltepins"
- "these are some hot/great chiltepins"
- " who gave them to you?".
This last cuestion sets a long conversation and remembrances of the loved one that sent the chiltepins and about the little town in the mountains where these chiltepins were picked.
Chiltepinit, is a way of life , it's a state of mind , it's a love affair , it's tradition , it's culture , it's folklore, it's sharing , it's our identity, Since we are born , we get immersed in this Chiltepins Magic affair , we see our elders preparing for the harvesting trips to the mountains , we hear them talking about it , we see them coming back loaded with tiny round green or red freshly