Paste (food)

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A Paste is a small pastry produced in the state of Hidalgo in central Mexico and available in the surrounding area. Pastes are stuffed with a variety of fillings including potates and ground beef, apples, pineapple, sweetened rice, or other typical Mexican ingredients, such as tinga and mole. Pastes are considered typical local cuisine.

[edit] History

The Paste has its roots in the Cornish Pasty, introduced by miners and builders from Cornwall, United Kingdom who were contracted in the towns of Mineral del Monte and Pachuca in Hidalgo, from 1824. For centuries the Cornish pasties have been filled with virtually every possible ingredient, and almost everyone agrees as well that in a proper pasty the filling ingredients must never be cooked before they are wrapped in the pastry casing; that is the main difference between a pasty and an empanada.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] The "tinga" and "mole sauce" preparations are then better classified as empanadas because the filling ingredients are cooked before they are wrapped in the pastry.

The 1st International Paste Festival, Real del Monte, Hidalgo, Mexico In October 2009 the town of Real del Monte (twinned with Redruth, Cornwall) held the first International Paste Festival. Organised by the Municipality of Real del Monte, the paste producers and the Cornish Mexican Cultural Society Chapter Mexico, the Festival was a great success drawing an estimated 8,000 visitors to the town for the three day event. A coach of visitors travelled from Cuernavaca, some four hours away, and another from Mexico City. The Festival was opened by the President Municipal of Real del Monte, Ing. Omar Mariano Skewes. During the opening speeches it was stated that ‘Cornish people rebuilt our shattered mining industry giving us work and now again, when we have lost that industry, the Cornish have given us pastes and a new source of income’. As is usual on festival days in this picturesque town, the programme commenced with a visit to the Cornish Cemetery and a guided tour by Bridget Galsworthy of the British Society, followed by wreath-laying at the Miner's Monument. The main street was transformed with a long line of tented stands where ‘pastes’ of all descriptions were produced and a large stage next to the Miner's Memorial provided dance and other entertainments throughout the Festival. Pam Melville from Poldark Mine, Cornwall gave demonstrations of traditional pasty making producing numerous pasties which were eagerly devoured. Real del Monte is without doubt the home of the pasty in Mexico with 30 ‘paste’ producers in the town. A number have developed into national chains with shops in towns and cities across Mexico. An example is Pastes Real de Plateros with two shops in Real del Monte, twelve in the neighbouring city of Pachuca and two in Mexico City, demonstrating just how popular pasties are in Mexico. The Mexicans produce a wide variety of pasties including: meat and potato, black bean, shredded chicken, and sausage, all heavily laced with chillies plus a range of sweet pasties including: pineapple, apple, strawberry, and blackberry.^{[citation needed]}