Monday 12/13/2010
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by David Cecelski
The house specialty at Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant,
in Four Oaks, is lamb broth, consomé de borrego. This casual little eatery’s
proprietors moved to this little agricultural town in Johnston
County from Veracruz,
on the Gulf of Mexico, and in that part of central Mexico this wonderful dish is
traditionally made with the drippings from pit-cooking lamb or mutton.
The Spanish word for that pit-cooked lamb and mutton
is barbacoa, and it comes from a Taíno word that is also the origin of our own
word “barbecue.” The traditional way of making barbacoa and its broth also goes
back to the Taíno, Arawak, and other indigenous peoples who lived on the
Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico long before
the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 16th century.
The recipe is mouth-watering. Traditionally, central
Mexico’s
cooks prepare barbacoa by seasoning the lamb and wrapping it in maguey or
banana leaves. Then they place the wrapped-up meat pieces on a grill over a
cauldron of water inside an oven (called an hoyo) dug in the ground and lined
with hot coals.
They cover the pit with earth and the meat cooks
slowly in the smoke and steam, ending up singularly tender, moist, and
delicious.
The broth—the consomé, in Spanish—is prepared in
that cauldron of water. The pot collects the drippings and Mexican cooks add
carrots, onions, potatoes, beans or other vegetables, as well as herbs and
spices. The broth cooks in the earthen oven and makes a deliriously rich,
fragrant dish that is typically served on the side of the barbacoa.
Even if they don’t prepare their broth in a pit
oven, Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant’s cooks certainly capture the essence of the
traditional recipe. They take the drippings from barbecued lamb or mutton,
simmer them with vegetables and add rice and garbanzo beans. They season the
broth with marjoram and thyme, two herbs very typical in Veracruzan cookery,
and I think a little cinnamon and cloves, too.
Then they let you add diced onion, lime, dried
cayenne peppers, and sliced jalapeño peppers to the broth al gusto, to your
liking.
The result is just beautiful: a rich, savory broth
in which the flavor of the drippings, the heat of the peppers, and the
fragrance of the herbs all stand out. The broth is the perfect comfort food on
a cold winter day like today, and an unforgettable introduction to an ancient
and fantastically rich culinary tradition from central Mexico.
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Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant is located at 5833 US 301-South in
a little strip mall on the I-95 side of Four Oaks. It’s open 7 days a week. You
won’t find much English spoken there, but the staff are helpful and most of the
menu is in both Spanish and English. Other regional specials on the day I was
there—a Tuesday—included mole verde, caldo de mariscos, lamb birria, pozole,
chilaquiles, and cecina con guacamole.
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NCFOOD is the North Carolina Folklife Institute’s blog exploring our state’s traditional cooking and foodways. Every highway and byway in the state is a potential jumping off point for a food adventure, whether discovering the Restaurante Rosa de Saron in Sampson County or the Pakse Café in Greensboro.
You’ll find stories and personal experiences about farmers and food artisans, local recipes, and great traditional eateries -- a celebration of the rich and diverse food traditions of North Carolina. Celebrate the magic that happens when many cultures come together around a common table.
Title photo of Altapass Orchard by Cedric N. Chatterley
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