Talo (gastronomy)

The talo is a typical dish from the Basque Country, Navarra and the French Basque Country similar to the arepa from Colombia and Venezuela or a large corn tortilla from Mexico, but with the fundamental difference that the corn has not been previously nixtamalized, so the paste from which it is made does not achieve the same cohesion (its texture is brittle and sandy) and is less nutritious. The dough is made with toasted cornmeal, salt and water, and is grilled. Wheat flour can also be added.

Elaboration of mass of talo at the fair of Santo Tomás de Bilbao.

Customs and history

Starting in the XVI century, there was a large emigration to America, especially in Guipúzcoa, since the wavy of the land and the high rainfall prevented sowing rainfed agriculture such as wheat or barley. Therefore, the elaboration of corn in the form of stalks began. The thallus used to be used as bread in the Basque farmhouses (originally in Guipúzcoa and northern Navarra) and the excess was eaten dipped in milk for dinner, in a kind of soup. The non-incorporation of nixtamalization in its preparation caused epidemics of diseases such as pellagra[1], caused by nutritional deficiencies from the use of corn without nixtamalization as a staple food, which together with the generalization of wheat bread throughout the century XX virtually ended the consumption of thallus in popular culture. The thallus went from being a common, basic and little considered food, to being prepared and consumed only on certain special occasions of the year, gaining in prestige. Even today in the European popular sphere there is almost total ignorance of the reason for the failure of corn as human food.

Currently, it is typical to eat it wrapped in chistorra, a kind of fine fresh chorizo; and accompanying it with wine, chacolí or cider. Nowadays they are also eaten with cheese or even with chocolate. The talo is an essential element of the Santo Tomás fair, which is held every December 21st. In Álava it is customary to eat it on the festival of the province, San Prudencio. In Éibar they eat at the San Andrés Fair on November 30. In Navarra it is typical to eat it before Christmas Eve dinner, before or during the Olentzero procession. In the French Basque Country it is generally eaten at parties or other events (ball games, school parties...) with "xingar" (bacon) (talo ta xingar) or with sheep cheese (AOC Ossau-Iraty).

Tails on the plate in Lejona (Vizcaya).

In Cantabria and#34;talon#34; It is called a brass or similar container used to make the borona cake, made from cornmeal, water and salt.

Crafting

To make the thallus, a certain amount of cornmeal is needed, which is soaked in warm water with a small amount of salt. Mix the flour and salt, and gradually add the water in the center while kneading, until a dough with the appropriate texture is formed. The result is left to rest for a certain time and small balls are formed that spread from the center outwards to form a kind of thin wafer that is lightly toasted on a griddle on both sides. It is served with txistorra, fried chorizo, black pudding, bacon, loin, tortilla.