A small Victoria

Sometimes I spot a little pamphlet that seems to have fallen out of a larger cookbook when I'm in second-hand bookstores. If the store sells books only-- and I don't see any attempt to sell pamphlets on their own-- the pamphlet will often somehow find its way into a book I'm buying anyway. I figure it would have been free in the original book if it hadn't fallen out, so no loss if it hitches a ride out in a different book. That's how I ended up with La Victoria Authentic Mexican Recipes (undated, but my guess is mid-1960s since this looks '60s-ish and the address has a zip code).

I love the bright colors on this cover! (Also appreciate having a floating, disembodied head by the bottom half of the title, but that's just because I'm weird.) Plus, the faint stamp on the cover suggests this specific pamphlet was originally distributed from Casa Moneo in New York, a Spanish and Latin food hub. I'm always excited to catch glimpses of history from objects that most people would just throw away when grandma (or perhaps abuela in this case) died.

The booklet includes a lot of dishes that seem very familiar now, but the pronunciations following the recipe names suggest that they were not so familiar back when this was distributed.

And then when I look at the pronunciation guide for burritos (Boo-ree'-toes), I wonder how familiar I am with the concept. I always say the word like they're chilly (Brrr-ree'-toes)! At least I could accurately assume that the tortilla wrapped up beans (or meat) and sauces.

I get a similar concern with the Enchiladas. Am I really as familiar with the concept as I think if I can't even pronounce it right?

En-chee-lah'-dah? I always say it like these are cold too-- En-chill'-ah-dah. Maybe the fact that I get cold so easily subconsciously influences my pronunciation? (More likely, it's just that I'm from the Midwest and never took a Spanish class.) In any case, the audience for this pamphlet must have been pretty big, considering the little recipe collections were distributed in Casa Moneo, where the shoppers seem unlikely to need this type of instruction, and to people who did need this type of instruction.

The pamphlet also offered some dishes that might still be somewhat unfamiliar to white Midwesterners, like Nopalitos Tiernos.

This offers a few mini-recipes and suggestions for the diced jarred cactus, but my favorite is the very last paragraph, which suggests, "For a unique salad, chill cactus, rinse and drain, put on lettuce and cover with your favorite salad dressing. Use as a filler for meat loaf." I assume those two ideas were meant to be separate, but they ran out of room to put the meat loaf suggestion on a new line, so it looks like cooks are supposed to fully assemble the salad, then give up and stuff the whole thing into a meat loaf.

I'm glad this little guy hitched a ride home with me. Maybe I should celebrate by making some Bean Boo-ree'-toes. Now that I know the pronunciation is supposed to be scary (Boo!) rather than chilly (Brr!), I like them just a tiny bit more than I already did.