Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Guests Ate Well in Presidio

Beginnings of San Diego regional cuisine

Artist's rendering of Presidio, 1874
Artist's rendering of Presidio, 1874
  • “Families of the California Presidios: 1769-1834”
  • JUDITH URBAN CAMPBELL, MASTER’S THESIS, USD, 1998

LIFE AT THE PRESIDIO, PART II

Before a meal, the families of Alta California said grace:“Give us, my God, your Holy Blessing So many poor people are hungry, but me. Lord, you feed with such abundance. And give me such good gifts of food. Ave Maria.”

What struck visitors to the region was how freely families shared their plenty. Campbell writes,“Housewives felt that food should not be sold to neighbors or those in need and gave of their abundances anyone who was hungry. Lavish feasts were always prepared at presidios and missions for any traveler or visitor to the country.” Walter Colton, who spent three years in Alta California, noted this communal spirit: “Generous forbearing people.... There is more true hospitality in one throb of (their) heart than circulates for years through the courts and capitals of kings.” In 1780, 125 people lived “on the hill” at the Presidio. That their generosity became renowned is striking because they had so little. “Procurement of food,” Campbell writes, “was the most important problem to the Main Meal at Noon— “Typically, chapel bells would ring the‘Ave Maria,’ and all would kneel and pray or recite the Angelus. The meal was taken after.” People ate pozole (barley or other grain boiled with beans — and sometimes, stewlike, including maize, pig’s feet, pumpkin, and peppers) and puchero soups, made from available meats and vegetables (especially cabbage and squash). Another staple: potatoes mixed with chili and cheese. “Nearly all dishes were seasoned with peppers and garlic.”

They ate a lot of beef, often cut in strips, roasted on the open fire, and placed in tamales or enchiladas with beans.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“Alta Californians used their native fruit and vegetables to create a regional Mexican cuisine. Examples are: grapes (chicken with grapes), blackberries, black walnuts, pigweed, pine nuts, acorns, wild majoram, and anise (corn dough fritters flavored with anise), prickly pears (as a paste), and of course chilies, which went in everything. Even the flavor of their clay cooking pot would be conveyed to their frijoles.

The soldiers got rations of hard tack—“a rocklike biscuit edible only by soaking in drink.— but preferred pinole (cereal) bread.

“Evening Meal — served around 8:30 p.m. or 9:00 p.m. — consisted of beef, fat, and vegetables, much like the Noon Meal.”

Less affluent families ate less well. Breakfast: boiled cereal with milk; Noon Meal: a meat, beans, tortillas, and maybe a hard cheese; Supper: a meat, beans, gruel, or fried cornmeal crumbs. The to-die-for treats, for all Presidio families, were panocha (brown sugar loaves) or bits of chocolate. And a cup of hot chocolate was a “delight” for all.

For most meals, families drank water. Wine or brandy was rare, as was " milk, because dairy items required refrigeration.

Campbell notes that “women basically ran the activities of the home even though they lacked space, privacy, and many basic household items. Their life was far more arduous than the men’s.” Each day they hauled food from the pantry or storage cellar to the kitchen. “With three, sometimes four meals a day, food preparation over metates [a curved stone, resting on three feet, used for grinding maize for tortillas] and wood fires took much of their time.

“Similar to the problems the men faced when building the Presidio buildings, women’s chores were complicated because everything they did had many stages.” Meat had to be pickled or salted (then soaked, before serving, to remove the salt). “Chiles, used daily, first had to be roasted, steamed, peeled, and kneaded for a variety of sauces. Tamales took a long time to flavor, wrap, and steam.”

In 1828, Juan Bandini said the presidiarias (women of the Presidio) “are without doubt more active and industrious than the men...(they were) virtuous...and constantly devoted to the needs of their families, which they never neglected.”

MASTER'S THESIS EXCERPTS:

  1. Water was supplied by streams and wells the Presidio soldiers dug. It seems the families were often content to live with brackish water from inadequate wells, when much better water might have been obtained by digging deeper wells.
  2. Tableware was scarce in the very early days of the frontier. If cajetas de barro (clay dishes) were not available, rolled-up tortillas made excellent substitutes.

The barren terrain offered few indigenous foods and no domestic animals (cattle, horses) for the settlers. Also, “The tools for farming required by Europeans were unobtainable. Everything had to be brought from without.”

Spain sent rations from Mexico City, via San Bias. In 1774, each soldier received one almud (13.6 lbs) of corn per week, a half almud of beans, one-eighth almud of chili, and three and a half pounds of dried beef. Married men got an extra almud of corn and a half pound of meat. Children got half an adult ration. Women made corn tortillas, often giving them to single men for extra rations for their families. “By 1778 the ration was slightly larger and garbanzos, flour, lard, and rice were added.

“The lieutenants gave their men extra powder and shot to supplement their limited rations.” They hunted quail, crow, domestic fowl, bobcat, ground squirrel. Families raised chickens and domestic pigs inside the fortress. “In keeping with their Catholic doctrine, there was fresh or dried fish on Fridays. Although the presidio was near the ocean, fish was not usually part of the daily diet.”

Breakfast — served at daybreak, after morning prayers: tortillas, or perhaps atole (“salted cornmeal gruel with an occasional touch of brown sugar and a pinch of chocolate”).

Breakfast II — served around 9:00 a.m.: roast beef and chili sauce and frijoles fried in fat.

  1. Excavations show that despite Spain’s discouragement of trade with other countries, the presidial families had tableware, porcelain dishes, bowls, cups, and saucers reflecting trade with Italy, France, England, Mexico, and the Orient.... Despite their humble furnishings, heirloom silver service was used in many of the officers’ homes.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Navy solves San Diego homeless crisis by retiring four locally moored ships

Decommision Accomplished
Artist's rendering of Presidio, 1874
Artist's rendering of Presidio, 1874
  • “Families of the California Presidios: 1769-1834”
  • JUDITH URBAN CAMPBELL, MASTER’S THESIS, USD, 1998

LIFE AT THE PRESIDIO, PART II

Before a meal, the families of Alta California said grace:“Give us, my God, your Holy Blessing So many poor people are hungry, but me. Lord, you feed with such abundance. And give me such good gifts of food. Ave Maria.”

What struck visitors to the region was how freely families shared their plenty. Campbell writes,“Housewives felt that food should not be sold to neighbors or those in need and gave of their abundances anyone who was hungry. Lavish feasts were always prepared at presidios and missions for any traveler or visitor to the country.” Walter Colton, who spent three years in Alta California, noted this communal spirit: “Generous forbearing people.... There is more true hospitality in one throb of (their) heart than circulates for years through the courts and capitals of kings.” In 1780, 125 people lived “on the hill” at the Presidio. That their generosity became renowned is striking because they had so little. “Procurement of food,” Campbell writes, “was the most important problem to the Main Meal at Noon— “Typically, chapel bells would ring the‘Ave Maria,’ and all would kneel and pray or recite the Angelus. The meal was taken after.” People ate pozole (barley or other grain boiled with beans — and sometimes, stewlike, including maize, pig’s feet, pumpkin, and peppers) and puchero soups, made from available meats and vegetables (especially cabbage and squash). Another staple: potatoes mixed with chili and cheese. “Nearly all dishes were seasoned with peppers and garlic.”

They ate a lot of beef, often cut in strips, roasted on the open fire, and placed in tamales or enchiladas with beans.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“Alta Californians used their native fruit and vegetables to create a regional Mexican cuisine. Examples are: grapes (chicken with grapes), blackberries, black walnuts, pigweed, pine nuts, acorns, wild majoram, and anise (corn dough fritters flavored with anise), prickly pears (as a paste), and of course chilies, which went in everything. Even the flavor of their clay cooking pot would be conveyed to their frijoles.

The soldiers got rations of hard tack—“a rocklike biscuit edible only by soaking in drink.— but preferred pinole (cereal) bread.

“Evening Meal — served around 8:30 p.m. or 9:00 p.m. — consisted of beef, fat, and vegetables, much like the Noon Meal.”

Less affluent families ate less well. Breakfast: boiled cereal with milk; Noon Meal: a meat, beans, tortillas, and maybe a hard cheese; Supper: a meat, beans, gruel, or fried cornmeal crumbs. The to-die-for treats, for all Presidio families, were panocha (brown sugar loaves) or bits of chocolate. And a cup of hot chocolate was a “delight” for all.

For most meals, families drank water. Wine or brandy was rare, as was " milk, because dairy items required refrigeration.

Campbell notes that “women basically ran the activities of the home even though they lacked space, privacy, and many basic household items. Their life was far more arduous than the men’s.” Each day they hauled food from the pantry or storage cellar to the kitchen. “With three, sometimes four meals a day, food preparation over metates [a curved stone, resting on three feet, used for grinding maize for tortillas] and wood fires took much of their time.

“Similar to the problems the men faced when building the Presidio buildings, women’s chores were complicated because everything they did had many stages.” Meat had to be pickled or salted (then soaked, before serving, to remove the salt). “Chiles, used daily, first had to be roasted, steamed, peeled, and kneaded for a variety of sauces. Tamales took a long time to flavor, wrap, and steam.”

In 1828, Juan Bandini said the presidiarias (women of the Presidio) “are without doubt more active and industrious than the men...(they were) virtuous...and constantly devoted to the needs of their families, which they never neglected.”

MASTER'S THESIS EXCERPTS:

  1. Water was supplied by streams and wells the Presidio soldiers dug. It seems the families were often content to live with brackish water from inadequate wells, when much better water might have been obtained by digging deeper wells.
  2. Tableware was scarce in the very early days of the frontier. If cajetas de barro (clay dishes) were not available, rolled-up tortillas made excellent substitutes.

The barren terrain offered few indigenous foods and no domestic animals (cattle, horses) for the settlers. Also, “The tools for farming required by Europeans were unobtainable. Everything had to be brought from without.”

Spain sent rations from Mexico City, via San Bias. In 1774, each soldier received one almud (13.6 lbs) of corn per week, a half almud of beans, one-eighth almud of chili, and three and a half pounds of dried beef. Married men got an extra almud of corn and a half pound of meat. Children got half an adult ration. Women made corn tortillas, often giving them to single men for extra rations for their families. “By 1778 the ration was slightly larger and garbanzos, flour, lard, and rice were added.

“The lieutenants gave their men extra powder and shot to supplement their limited rations.” They hunted quail, crow, domestic fowl, bobcat, ground squirrel. Families raised chickens and domestic pigs inside the fortress. “In keeping with their Catholic doctrine, there was fresh or dried fish on Fridays. Although the presidio was near the ocean, fish was not usually part of the daily diet.”

Breakfast — served at daybreak, after morning prayers: tortillas, or perhaps atole (“salted cornmeal gruel with an occasional touch of brown sugar and a pinch of chocolate”).

Breakfast II — served around 9:00 a.m.: roast beef and chili sauce and frijoles fried in fat.

  1. Excavations show that despite Spain’s discouragement of trade with other countries, the presidial families had tableware, porcelain dishes, bowls, cups, and saucers reflecting trade with Italy, France, England, Mexico, and the Orient.... Despite their humble furnishings, heirloom silver service was used in many of the officers’ homes.
Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

SDSU pres gets highest pay raise in state over last 15 years

Union-Tribune still stiffing downtown San Diego landlord?
Next Article

Didja know I did the first American feature on Jimi Hendrix?

Richard Meltzer goes through the Germs, Blue Oyster Cult, Ray Charles, Elvis, Lavender Hill Mob
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.