MEXICO: The Cornish pasty, a legacy from English miners, has become a food staple for Mexicans in the mining town of Real del Monte

In a small mining town in central Mexico, strains of English culture have woven their way into the local history, architecture and even the cuisine. Real del Monte, located some 100 kilometres north of Mexico City, was once a base for some English mining companies that left their mark on this part of the world. Founded in 1531, it boasted the richest vein of silver in all of Mexico, and in the mid-sixteenth century, feverish mining activity began. The English later abandoned the area and the mines were handed over to Mexican companies. But the English legacy remains in the picturesque red-roofed houses, the church, an "English cemetery." This is where the English who died in this town far from their homeland were buried. All the graves face the UK in this burial ground, with the exception of the famous clown Richard Bell, who asked to be buried facing the opposite way before his death in 1875 to show how he felt about his native country. But the English left more than just their dead and their love of football in this mining town. They also left the tasty legacy of the Cornish pasties, which English miners traditionally brought to the mines for lunch. The Cornish pasty is a type of pie traditionally filled with beef, potato, onion and garlic, which takes its name from Cornwall, in southern England. But in Real del Monte they take on a Latin America edge, renamed 'pastes' and seasoned with local Mexican flavours. 'Pastes' restaurants abound in Real del Monte, where local cooks have become experts in this English fare. But according to Ciro Peralta, who owns a restaurant specialising in Cornish pasties, called 'El Portal Pastes', the original recipe has been modified by locals to incorporate a more Mexican taste. "The recipe from the English, that they brought here to Real del Monte, had to be totally modified because when they were in Real del Monte, they didn't eat chilli peppers, but we here in Mexico, in Real del Monte, modified it and put in parsley, onion and chilli to give it another, more Mexican flavour," he explained. In fact, the craze for Cornish pastries has caught on so much in this town, that their English origins have been long-forgotten by many, according to one pasty fan, Goyo Cruz. "They are very tasty, very good. Really people don't know that this is English. Really, very few people know about its English origin," he said. Although traditionally prepared with beef and potatoes, locals have been known to add chicken, spicy sauces and plenty of chilli to add some zing to this traditionally English fare.

ITN Source | November 17, 2005

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