Feliz Nochebuena, Feliz Navidad by Maricel E. Presilla

Author:Maricel E. Presilla [Presilla, Maricel E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Published: 2014-10-06T00:00:00+00:00

Before long my aunt’s table, covered with a starched linen tablecloth, bowed under the weight of the traditional foods of the Christmas season. My uncle Oscar carved the roasted pork. We also had congrí—the traditional rice dish of my hometown; platanitos maduros (pla-ta-nee-tohs mah-doo-rohs)—sweet, ripe fried plantains; and tostones (tos-toh-nehs)—green plantains fried golden. Large platters of boiled yuca and sliced ñame smothered in a tangy mojo sauce and casabe—my father’s favorite bread—drizzled with olive oil rounded out the main course.

Generous helpings of all these foods were served on a single plate, accompanied by a refreshing salad of watercress, avocado, tomatoes, and radishes. We all drank ice-cold Asturian cider. It was sweet and delicious, and it tickled my nose every time I drank it.

For the children of the family, the end of the meal brought all the sweet, special treats I have told you about and more: turrones; mazapán; nueces (noo-ay-sehs)—walnuts; avellanas (ah-vay-yah-nahs)—hazelnuts; and slices of candied Seville orange served with queso blanco (kay-so blahn-coh)—a salty white cheese made with fresh cow’s milk. People from western Cuba also ate buñuelos (boo-nyoo-ay-lohs), delicious figure-eight fritters made with yuca and yellow malanga (mah-Iahn-gah) dough swimming in anise-flavored sugarcane syrup.

With our desserts we were allowed to take small sips of a potent homemade drink called crema de vie (cray-mah day vyay). All through the Christmas season, guests at our house were offered tiny glasses of this very sweet but delicious eggnog. From time to time throughout the meal, we would stop eating and sing villancicos.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.