Historical Foods

Joseph
My mother used to make a dish called "Cuachala" that she described as having its origins in Tamazula de Gordiano, Jal. It is a thick broth made primarily from gallina and masa. I remember a healthy amount of dried chile flakes as well. Although she was originally from Sinaloa and immigrated to San Francisco, CA with my widowed grandmother, she met my father there. After they married and had two daughters, he moved his family back to his hometown of Tamazula. My mother integrated herself to life in that small town. When she returned (after my sister's and my births), she came back to S.F. with many friends there and a mastery of cuachala making. She left the recipe but only my older sister, Carmen, has attempted to make it.