Nagy Gyula: Parasztélet a vásárhelyi pusztán (A Békés Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei 4. Békéscsaba, 1975)

Idegennyelvű kivonatok, képaláírások, képek

yards early in the morning. Usually some people are called to help. Generally there was somebody in the neighbourhood who had an especially good knowledge of pig-killing so he was called to make the killing and to cut the pig into pieces and also to prepare the sausages of chitterlings and of meat. Formerly the pig was laid prone and opened at the back. In this case the spinal column was lifted out as a whole. Lately they hang it up and open its belly. Anyhow they take off the lard that is left in two pieces and smoked. This bacon with bread was their main food. The most of the meats were smoked too and kept till summer when they ate it during the hard summer works. The tripes and the stomach were stuffed with mushes, liver, meat and lard pieces and blood. These were consumed in some days after the killing. Smaller pieces of the lard and some of the bacon were rendered. As they liked greasy meals to have a lot of greas and bacon was a symbol of prosperity. They killed a sheep for a birthday or some other greater feasts but this was not such a significant event as pig-killing. The farmer made this alone as its meat was not smoked and only a part of the chitterlings was consumed. After the skinning the animal was hanged on a hook and cut into pieces. They usually made it seasoned with paprika. If a whole animal was too much for the family to eat it up in one or two days they had sold out half of the meat. They boiled soap of less useful animal fat gathered at the household usually once a year. They were washing with this home-made soap — in older times with beetling-stick — by washing days they had mostly every week in summer and per two monthes in winter. Holding 5 or 6 milk-sheep it was useful and possible to make ewe-cheese since the day of Saint George (the 24

th of April) till the end of August. They made rennet from pig stomach which they put into ewe-milk. The milk became gelatinous by 15—20 minutes. They heated it afterwards filtered through cloth and pressed out the moist. The cheese made by this method was consumed instead of bacon with bread mostly in summer for breakfast. They made plum marmalade the most frequently and ate it usually with boiled or baked noodles and cakes. They destillated brandy at home also constantly mostly of fruit and corn. The author shows us the making of the spun streap-lash with the same meticulous care as other periodical works in every part. At the closing of the chapter, between the so called prohibited things, the volume talks about how the peasants got tobacco-leaves free of tax and how they used it. At the same place he talks about animal epidemics, how could they fake the epidemic blockade and sale their animals. The author dodges the topic of lover-keeping by quoting the opinioun of the local population that it is not allowed to talk about such a theme. But he says at least that it is not held to be a great sin at all. The main title of chapter 6

th is: "What We Worked For...". It talks about meals, foods and dressing. It enumerates the most important foods describing the way of making. The list begins with the bread and its baking because of its importance. The baked wheaten bread was a well respected daily food raised high with leaven made of bran. They know and make a great number of empty or filled leavened cakes which are dishes of dinner or supper. From corn-flour they baked pie and boiled dumplings. It was a delicacy by winter days the sweet pie baked of sprouted grain. The greasy Strudel filled with poppy-seeds, cheese or cabbage was a dignified food. An indespensable part of the wedding rite was the peculiar shaped spun pretzel made of leavened paste. The cakes fried in fat are prefered but more prefered are in everydays' nourisment the batters kneade without leaven and boiled in water. After stretching the paste to 1 or 2 milimeters thick they cut it up into small ribbons or quadratic shape, boil it in water and afterwards put it into fat and savour it with cheese, cabbage, poppy-seeds or marmalade. They consume it mostly two times a week at main meals. They make the same paste in great quantity by summer drying it on sun and keeping it for later consumation when won't have time enough for bigger 637