We say Pasty, they say Paste…
Cornish influences stretch far and wide as we know but one of our Trewithen Dairy customers and friend of the Clarke family, Stephen Lay, is something of an enthusiast for promoting the little-known but very strong connection between Cornwall and….Mexico. He has even appeared on the ‘The Great British Bake Off’ talking about the historical and culinary links!
In 2013 Stephen and his family were staying with friends, of Cornish descent, at Real del Monte, Mexico. Much to their surprise, their host Maru Ludlow announced that she would be serving up a “traditional Cornish breakfast”.
As the meal was prepared, they expected some variation on a traditional English breakfast.
As it happened, the family were served with yesterday’s leftover pasty (also very popular in this part of Mexico) crumbled up and cooked with scrambled egg.
The Cornish breakfast recipe had been handed down to Maru by her husband’s grandmother and seems to have survived within the Ludlow family since the first Ludlow travelled from Redruth to Mexico in the 1860’s.
Real del Monte and Pachuca, just north of Mexico City, are known as ‘Mexico’s Little Cornwall’ and have been heavily influenced by Cornish culture since Cornish families moved to Pachuca and Real del Monte from the 1820s for a new life working in silver mines that had fallen into disrepair during the War Of Independence with Spain.
The tin mines in Cornwall had fallen into decline and around 350 Cornish miners, with wives and children, sailed to Mexico on three ships in search of work and a new life, with the first arriving in 1824. It took them 14 months to haul their equipment 250 miles from the coast to the inland Pachuca and Real del Monte in what is remembered as the “Great Trek” in Mexican folklore. They not only brought mining expertise and equipment to revitalise the area, but also Cornish culture, including football and, of course, the Cornish Pasty, the ideal miner’s meal.
Stephen says “It’s uncanny, the Cornish influence is abundantly clear even today – pasties are probably even more popular and widely produced than in Cornwall itself.”
The ‘paste’ as it came to be known in Mexico, was adopted as a local delicacy. Real del Monte’s streets are lined with bakeries that exude the aroma of freshly baked pasties. There is even a Museo del Paste, which features a steel oven and rusty mining tools. Real del Monte also annually hosts the International Paste Festival which attracts many visitors from abroad.
The paste’s filling sets the Mexican paste apart from its Cornish cousin. A genuine Cornish Pasty is made from beef skirt, diced onion, swede and potatoes. The Mexican version favours alternative fillings including pineapple, tinga (shredded meat marinated with tomatoes and chipotle chillies) and mole (a green or red chilli and chocolate sauce).
Sounds delicious, if a bit spicy for some tastes!
For the authentic Cornish Pasty, look no further than the Cornish Pasty Association’s official recipe, which will make six ‘ansome Cornish Pasties.
www.cornishpastyassociation.co.uk/about-the-pasty/make-your-own-genuine-cornish-pasty
