Guåhån food means so much to us, and when we talk about
“CHamoru” food in particular, some have a tendency to get serious about “that’s
not CHamoru.” CHamoru food has changed from ancient times through when the
Spaniards claimed Guåhån, and even within the last 50 years. What you remember
eating as a kid on Guåhån in 1971 is somewhat different from what a child is
eating in 2021. For instance, I’ve
always had corn soup with chicken. And when there was only a tiny piece of
chicken in my styrofoam cup at a rosary, I was like, where’s the chicken? Since
I started posting videos on YouTube in 2008, I’ve learned that the CHamoru foods
of my younger years were different from the CHamoru foods of decades prior. I
was unnerved, upset, and at the same time, intrigued. As a CHamoru food
connoisseur at the glorious age of seven on Guåhån, why did I never see sweet
tamåles mendioka wrapped in banana leaves? Champulådo used to be a drink made
with corn instead of the thick rice pudding I’ve always known? There is a
different kind of red rice? And the corn soup I’ve been eating for 40 odd years
used to never have chicken?
A Spanish naturalist visiting Guåhån in 1792 wrote that he
was served “atele,” a concoction of flour and starch. In 1899, an American
naturalist adds that he had a chocolate drink thickened with flour or
arrowroot. In the “Recipes of Guam” cookbook published in 1954, there is
a recipe for “Atule” in which ground corn is used to make a thick mixture. The
book also has a recipe for “Atulen Ilotes” which includes fresh corn kernels in
the final dish. The cookbook, “Lepblon Fina’tinas Para Guam,” published in
1974, contains two similar recipes: “Kadon Elotes (Stewed Corn)” incorporates
not only raw corn and coconut milk, but also pork fat, salt, and pepper;
“Guamanian Corn Chowder” uses frozen corn, creamed corn, canned cream of
chicken or celery, coconut milk, salt, and pepper. We see how a simple corn
drink transformed into the modern-day corn soup most of us are familiar with.
What would you say (to yourself, of course) if your auntie told you, “Neni, get
some corn soup on the stove,” and there was no chicken?
In the CHamoru dictionary by Topping et al., 1975, “atuli” is
defined as a broth or mush made of ground corn that is boiled and seasoned with
coconut milk. Atele, atuli, and atule stem from the Aztec Nahuatl word, atole,
or a traditional hot corn and masa drink. The chocolate version of this beverage
is chocolate atole or champurrado.
The marvel of our food and our language, in times when Guåhån
was isolated, is that dishes and words introduced to us were woven into the
existing culture. You see this in the spelling of atuli versus atole, and in
the use of coconut milk.
I’ve got two recipes for you. The first is my adaptation of the
atuli drink; if you love coconut milk as much as I do, you will delight in this
rendition. If you like it chunky, the second recipe is atulen ilotes, or a thick
corn soup made without chicken.
If you can get your hands on homemade måsa, fresh ears of
sweet corn from Mr. Ernest Sablan Wusstig on Guåhån, and freshly squeezed
coconut milk, both recipes will taste...I can’t even. If you’re stateside, it’s
nearing corn season so be sure to make good use of the harvest. The
heaven-in-your-mouth experience hinges on the goodness of your corn.
Many Latin American grocers carry freshly prepared måsa
harina if grinding corn isn’t your thing; be sure to get the one made only with
corn, and perhaps a touch of salt. As a last resort, try the commercially sold
måsa harina flour in your local grocery store.
I am hoping to be home mid-July to mid-August. If you happen
to see me around the island, don’t be afraid to stop and say hello!
Atuli corn måsa drink
Ingredients
Set 1
3 cups water
½ cup coarse to finely ground fresh måsa (This is
lime-treated boiled corn that is ground. If using store-bought måsa from the
shelf, start with 1/3 cup).
Set 2
1 cup canned coconut milk (Fresh coconut milk would be more mouthwatering
and will be thinner.)
1 ½ teaspoons salt
Tools: medium pot, whisk
Directions
Pour 3 cups
water into a pot. Add måsa, whisk, then reduce to a gentle boil. Use the whisk
to break up any large pieces that may swell together; this happens if you use a
doughy type of måsa. Cook until mixture has thickened.
Once mixture
is thick, add coconut milk and salt. Stir and taste, adding more salt if
needed.
Continue to
whisk and cook until the drink is at the consistency you like.
Pour into mugs
to serve. Sip cautiously as this will be hotter than you expect.
Atulen
ilotes corn soup
Makes about
12 cups of corn soup
Ingredients
Set 1
10 medium
ears of fresh sweet corn with husk (makes 7 to 8 cups of kernels)
1 cup water
1 ½
tablespoons salt
Set 2
10 to 12 cups
water
Set 3
1 cup fresh
måsa
1 can + 1
cup thick coconut milk
1 teaspoon
ground black pepper, optional
Tools:
large bowl, tiny bowl, knife, large pot, colander, medium bowl, whisk, rubber
spatula
Directions
Cut about a
half inch off the hairy end of the corn. Peel the husk off, leaving some hairs,
and leaving the stem attached to the cob. Repeat for all cobs.
Place the
tiny bowl upside down in the large bowl. Hold one cob by the stem and place the
other end of the cob on top of the tiny bowl. Use a knife to cut the kernels
away from the cob, cutting as close to the cob as possible. Use the back of the
knife to scrape the cob. Add the scrapings to the bowl. Repeat for all cobs. Cut
the stem off the cobs then set the cobs aside.
Pour 10 cups
of water into the large pot and bring to a boil.
In the
meantime, remove the tiny bowl from the pile of corn kernels. Add the salt and
1 cup of water. Squeeze the mixture with both hands to make corn milk. Squeeze
about 5 to 10 minutes. You should see a decent amount of milk. Place the medium
bowl in the colander and strain. Set aside.
Once the
water comes to a boil, add the måsa to the pot, using a whisk to incorporate. Bring
to a simmer then simmer for 5 minutes. If you don’t add the måsa, the soup will
be quite thin.
Add the corn milk and the coconut
milk. Simmer for 5 minutes to heat through. If the atulen ilotes is too thick
or too sweet for your liking, add the remaining cups of water, 1 cup at a time.
Taste and add more salt if needed. And black pepper if you like. Remove the cobs if desired.
Here’s a
link to my video on how to make homemade måsa harina:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=831wORrmx8s&t=66s
Here’s a
link to the printable recipe for atuli corn måsa drink:
https://www.paulaq.com/chamorro-atuli-corn-drink.html
Here’s a
link to the printable recipe for atulen ilotes corn soup:
https://www.paulaq.com/guam-atulen-ilotes-soup.html
*First appeared in the Guam PDN June 2021
Paula Lujan Quinene
Enjoying CHamoru food in a fasting lifestyle.
Reach out to Paula at pquinene@gmail.com
Paula’s home on the web is – www.PaulaQ.com
“Guam Mama Cooks” on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok
Author of A Taste of Guam, Remember Guam, Conquered,
and Stormed
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