Pura Vida Costa Rica Newsletter by Jan Yatsko - Costa Rican Observations, People, Culture, Art, Life

Jan Yatsko, Artist email: jan@janyatsko.com

Take a monthly peek into artist Jan Yatsko’s daily life in Costa Rica. Humor, reflection and inspiration are woven into her experiences that revolve around her passion for art, nature, culture and food.

May 2008

“If you want your campfire under control, throw some tortillas on the coal.”

Latin American proverb

In Latin America, tortillas are served with your meal like bread is served in a typical North American restaurant. Food statistics in the US show that tortilla’s popularity has surpassed the bagel and the muffin to come in second behind bread. In Costa Rica, tortillas that are served in restaurants are produced commercially, but occasionally you will find a place or a friend’s home that serves them freshly made. Yum! Those are the places you keep going back to.

I am lucky to have a Costa Rican friend who makes them fresh daily. Hortensia, who is like my mom away from home, has many years of experience making tortillas. She will turn 83 in August and more than 40 years ago, she supported herself and her children by making tortillas.

Hortensia in her Atenas, Costa Rica kitchen making tortillas

Hortensia in her Atenas, Costa Rica kitchen forming a tortilla with her hands

She would rise at 4:00 AM each day to have her corn ground into flour and return home to begin the task. Hortensia would form a corn dough ball larger than the size of a golf ball, flatten it on a piece of plastic and begin to twirl the plastic on the table top as she expertly created a perfect 6” circle, 1/8” thick. Next the tortilla was placed on a hot griddle (comal) and browned on both sides for 20 seconds. Her hot tortillas stayed warm in a banana leaf lined basket as they were quickly delivered to her customers by her young children. Hortensia’s technique has not changed in 40 years, except her corn flour is now purchased at the neighborhood store and her homemade tortillas are reserved only for her grandchildren and close friends.

Hortensia in her Atenas, Costa Rica kitchen browning a tortilla on a hot griddle (comal)

Corn supplied the energy source (starch) and protein for the early Indians and was an integral part of their lore. According to many Indian legends (including the Bri Bri of Costa Rica), corn was considered the “seed of life” and that humans were made of corn by the Gods. The Aztecs served flat corn breads to the Spanish conqueror Hernando Cortez when he arrived in the New World in 1519. He wrote about it in his letter to King Charles of Spain giving the bread the name “tortilla”.

A “gallo” is the most popular way to eat tortillas in Costa Rica and can be found on many typical restaurant menus. It is a palm-sized sandwich. Place the tortilla in the palm of your hand and fill it with chicken, fish, meat, egg, beans, cheese or picadillo (a traditional meat and vegetable mixture) and fold in half. Delish!!! A gallo on a restaurant menu is often a lighter version of a main entrée. I remember our early bicycling vacations in Costa Rica when Tom and I would pass up the gallos listed on the menus for something else. Our ignorance was a big mistake. Now you know what a gallo is so go ahead and try one!

Summer Vacation

Try making your own tortillas. Latin food markets and major grocery stores will carry the Maseca brand of corn flour (masa harina). Follow the directions on the bag. Invent your own fillings or cut the tortillas into triangles, place them on a baking sheet and toast in the oven. Salt lightly. There is nothing like your own fresh tortilla chips.

As usual I will be taking a couple of months off from writing Pura Vida in Costa Rica. I will be working on a couple of art projects, teaching classes on art journaling and altered books and revising my Web site for my 2009 (my 7th year!) Explore & Create in Costa Rica workshop tours. Thank you for the opportunity to share my passion for Costa Rica with you. Have a great summer and look for my next e-newsletter in November.

************************

To receive this monthly newsletter (November to May) directly to your email address or to send one to someone who has an interest in Costa Rica, click on jan@janyatsko.com . Indicate in the subject box the following: “subscribe to Pura Vida” or “subscribe my friend to Pura Vida”. In both cases, please indicate the email address and the person’s full name. You may discontinue receiving “Pura Vida in Costa Rica” at any time.