Merken Especial

The Mapuche have a very interesting history, and, until very recently, it was one about which I knew very little. While I have been going out of my way to learn more about indigenous cultures, both generally and through this blog, I have to admit that my focus has largely been trained on North America, only occasionally diverting itself into Central America or the Caribbean. I had never really spent any time focused upon the indigenous people of South America. And, now I realize, that has left me with an incomplete picture of history before colonization and exploitation. 

The Mapuche have lived in a region in the central part of present day central Chile, as well as part of western Argentina, for centuries. They are a proud people, who resisted colonization by the Spanish, even to the point of having their own independent society until well into the nineteenth century. That ended when the Chilean army, as well as the Argentinian army, invaded and occupied the Mapuche lands. While improvements seemed to be on the horizon during the Salvador Allende administration, which passed the Indigenous Law recognizing the Mapuche people, all of that came to a screeching halt under the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. A once-independent proud people were reduced to what most indigenous nations face today: severe poverty, rampant discrimination, and a threatened identity. 

Yet, the culture continues, both within the Mapuche themselves and those who want to learn more about them. I fall in the latter category, as I was looking for recipes for a rather sizeable cut of picanha or top sirloin cap. My search led me down well trodden pathways, usually ending with recipes that involved the preparation of a chimichurri. Those pathways are well trodden for a reason: chimichurri is the go-to condiment for grilled meats in Brazil, Argentina and Chile. I wanted to do something different, and I wanted to take a path less taken. That led me to the Mapuche and to Merken.

Merken is a ground chile mix prepared by the Mapuche. The traditional preparation involves a particular chile: the goat horn chile or cacho de cabra. The chiles are first smoked and then dried. Thereafter, they are ground to a powder, producing one of two spice mixes. There is Merken Natural, which consists of the ground chiles and salt. Then there is Merken Especial, which includes not only the ground chiles and salt, but also toasted, ground coriander seeds. The preparation of the especial is rather exact in its proportions: 70% ground chile, 20% ground salt and 10% ground toasted coriander seed. 

Both preparations have an important role in Mapuche cuisine. They are used not only in rubs or marinades for grilled meats (which is my intended use), but also for soups and stews. Merken is basically that spice mix or condiment that is used much in the way cooks would use black pepper or cayenne pepper to season a dish. 

Finally, cacho de cabra may not be available everywhere. (It certainly was not available where I live.) I looked for suitable alternatives, which may include the aji pepper from Peru or even the Hatch chile from New Mexico. However, the key to merken is that the chile is smoked. That step is important because it imparts particular aromatic and taste elements. Not any dried chile can recreate those elements completely. For that reason, I went with an ancho chile pepper. Ancho chiles are sometimes dried with the use of smoke and are known for contributing smoke elements to dishes. If you have dried chipotle peppers, those would work well too. If you wanted to balance out the smoke, perhaps use a mix of dried ancho (or chipotle peppers) and dried guajillo or hatch chiles. 

In the end, I can say that this particular chile spice mix is incredible; and, I can only imagine what it would be like if I actually had cacho de cabra chiles on hand.  This recipe - and this post - represent a first step in learning more about the Mapuche, both their culture and their cuisine. Who knows where the next step will take me.

MERKEN ESPECIAL

Recipe from The Food Dictator

Ingredients:

• 8.5 teaspoons dried seeded cacho de cabra pepper flakes
• 2.5 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

Directions:

1. Prepare the ingredients. If the peppers are leathery, they will need to be crisped. Place them on a baking sheet and put them in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven. Immediately turn off the heat and let the peppers sit in the oven a few minutes. Remove the peppers from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet. Toast the coriander seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant.

2. Prepare the mixture. Grind the salt and coriander seed together in a spice mill or coffee grinder until fairly finely textured. Crumble the peppers into the mill and grind the mixture to whatever consistency you desire. 

PEACE.