Tucson, AZ

The first thing that actually attracted me to the Native Foods Demonstration at Bookman’s was the chance to learn some local history – to maybe learn it in a hands-on way, or even a tastebuds-on way, was an added bonus. But then it occurred to me – at food demonstration, there might be free food! And at that, I was completely sold.
And as it turned out, plenty of free food there was – Celebrando el Pueblo de Tucson offered a great mix of history, hand-on, and food in the fun and laid-back Bookman’s setting.

Unfortunately, the event wasn’t at the Bookman’s closer to where I centrally live, but that said, the only thing that made the straight shot down East Speedway Boulevard longer than ten minutes was the Saturday traffic then around 2:00 p.m. (the demonstration continued through to 4:00 p.m.). The shopping center where the bookstore is located, at East Speedway Boulevard and North Wilmot Road, continued that busy-weekend theme, with the parking lot seeming almost entirely full, but there seemed to be enough turnover that we found a space quickly.

Inside, we easily found the demonstration near the front door as our eyes and ears were quickly drawn to a gentleman in obvious historical costume, and an attentive crowd. I hadn’t been sure whether to expect a lecture or simply a tasting, but as it turned out, there was both and even a little more.

That gentleman was Tony Urias, and as he recounted with a storyteller’s voice anecdotes of how various native plants had been used in the Tucson area by both Native Americans and Spanish inhabitants of the local region, Lynn Urias dispensed both samples of the food and additional interesting comments about both its history and preparation.

The two things I found really interesting about this event were its informal nature and the chance to participate. In the first, there were tables with bowls of all the varieties of food set up at the back of the demonstration area. We found the mesquite bean tortilla chips (which are interestingly made from the husk, not the beans themselves) a bit too dry for our taste, but the fruit and pads of prickly pear cacti were pleasantly sweet, and the squash and cactus stew had just the right amount of spicy heat to it.

Most interesting to me were the roasted agave, also known as maguey, and purslane, an edible weed – not just because they were delicious, but also because I realized how unique an experience it was to get to taste them. I will note, though, that the roasted agave was almost a little too delicious – or perhaps, too rich in flavor, would be a better way to say it.

The participation side of it took place in the middle of the demonstration area. Audience members could wander on down to the floor to try their hand at crushing mesquite beans, grinding corn, or learning how to process the spiny leaf of a century plant for its several uses.

A big thanks should be given to Celebrando el Pueblo de Tucson for putting on such an interesting (and tasty) demonstration, and to Bookman’s for hosting it. Not only did it provide the perfect laid-back environment for the event, but there couldn’t be a better place for finding books to continue learning about native foods on one’s own.