History of Coffee

An Aztec Wedding

Aztec society was very structured and established rules that regulated almost all aspects of life. Regarding marriage, a young Aztec boy was able to get married only after he reached the age of 20. Most of them got married between the ages of 20 and 22.

Marriage was arranged between families, which meant that the young couple had little say in the matter, as it was in most ancient societies. Of course there were some exceptions, and sometimes a young couple fell in love, and with the authorization of both families got married. The first requirement to fulfill, in order to celebrate the matrimony, was that the young man had to complete his education and obtain permission from his teachers to leave school.

His family would have to offer a banquet for the teachers, in which they would ask for the necessary permission. They would have to prepare many dishes for this occasion including tamales and cacao or chocolate.

Afterwards, the old relatives of the groom, his father and the men of the neighborhood spoke to the educators while showing them an ax “that symbolizes the desire of this young man to cut the ties that bind him to you, since he wants in his heart to get married; take this ax and permit our son to be liberated.”

The teachers proceeded to accept the ax as a symbol of their consent and after delivering a sermon in which they admonished the young man to always obey the gods, to be honorable, to be a good provider for his wife and family and a brave warrior when at war, they left the house. ¡Obviously without any hard feelings!

The Young Bride

The parents of the groom carefully selected the bride for their son, requesting the advice of the most respected fortunetellers. The wizards would study the signs under which each of the chosen girls was born, and then suggest the ideal bride for him.

A couple of old women from the neighborhood called cihuatlanque, requested on behalf of the groom’s parents permission from the girl’s family for the marriage to take place. Traditionally the first time they visited the family, the parents denied their consent. On the second visit, a couple of days later, and after a family council, their authorization was granted. Once again they feasted for several days, happy to have the two families joined by their children’s wedding.

The date for the ceremony was selected, once again by the fortunetellers, so the couple would have the best possible future together!

The Wedding Ceremony

On that special date, selected with so much love and faith in the promising future, the wedding was celebrated at night at the groom’s home. On that day, but in the afternoon, the bride participated in a ritual bath, washed her hair. Then she had her arms and legs decorated with red feathers, and her face was painted with a yellow pigment.

The boy’s family arrived and after telling her that they were very happy to have her be a part of their family, and showering her with presents, they all guided the girl to her new home. They walked through the streets, carrying torches, and singing all the way.

When they arrived, the girl was handed an incensory. The boy welcomed his bride at the door holding another incense burner. They exchanged this incense as a symbol of respect to one another.

They entered singing and dancing to their new home, where the old women, the cihuatlanque, would tie their blouses together.

Then they were formally declared man and wife, and of course, another bountiful feast was given to celebrate such a fortunate event.

Strawberry Flan

INGREDIENTS

1 pint fresh, ripe strawberries 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 can (14 oz) can condensed milk 6 eggs 6 ramekins

CARAMELIZED SUGAR TOPPING

1/2 cup granulated Sugar mint leaves - optional garnish

1. Reserve about 4-5 diced fresh strawberries for garnish.

2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. put a heavy skillet or saucepan over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar. With the back of a wooden spoon, keep sugar moving constantly in skillet until sugar is completely melted, and of a rich medium brown color (caramelized). Pour caramelized sugar into each of the ramekins. Set aside.

3. Wash the strawberries and remove the stem. Place the strawberries, sugar, eggs and condensed milk in to a food processor or blender and blend until strawberries are minced and all ingredients are mixed thoroughly. Ladle the strawberry mixture into each ramekin. Cover each ramekin with aluminum foil. 4. Place each ramekin into a large open, ovenproof pan, such as a broiler pan. Add very hot water to the pan. The ramekins should be submerged approximately 3/4 in the water. In Spanish, a “water bath” is called a “baño Maria.”

5. Carefully place the pan on to the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, carefully remove each ramekin from the water, uncover and to allow to cool.

6. Once it is cool, place in refrigerator to chill. When you are ready to serve, run a paring knife around the outside of each ramekin to loosen the flan. Then, place the serving plate on top of each one and flip it over. It may be necessary to tap the ramekin to force the flan to fall out onto the plate. Garnish with fresh strawberries and mint.