Pampa mesa

In indigenous communities of the Ecuadorian highlands, a pampa mesa or pamba mesa is a communal meal of food laid directly on a cloth spread on the ground.[2][3] The meal is seen as an act of social solidarity; it also has mythological connotations.

Pampa mesa during Carnival (Carnaval)[1] in Parcoloma, Ecuador

Etymology

The name "pampa mesa" comes from the Kichwa pampa, meaning "ground"[4] or "plain",[5] and Spanish mesa, meaning "table".[6]

Description

The origins of the pampa mesa tradition are unknown.[7] Pampa mesas often are used at festivals, at family celebrations, or after mingas (gatherings for communal work).[2][7][8]

For a pampa mesa, a long, typically white cloth is spread on the ground.[7][9] Traditionally, participants in a pampa mesa bring the food they are able to share, and each spreads the food he or she brought along the cloth for all to eat.[2][7][9][10] Once the food is spread along the cloth, participants sit along the cloth and use their hands to eat, rather than using utensils and dishes.[2][7][8] Before eating, a community leader may give thanks for the food, and a portion of the food may be buried as an offering to the earth mother.[8]

The food on a pampa mesa tends to be largely staple items such as mote, potatoes, quinoa, oca, carrots, and fava beans.[2][7][10][11] Sometimes, cuy (guinea pig) and other meats are present.[7] Flowers and fruits may be used to decorate the pampa mesa.[8] The spicy condiment ají frequently is served alongside the pampa mesa.[12] The fermented beverage chicha de jora sometimes accompanies a pampa mesa.[8]

Interpretation

Pampa mesas are a form of social solidarity: all contribute as they are able, and partake as they wish.[2][8][10][11] Some believe that sitting on the earth and eating from a pampa mesa is a form of connection with Pachamama (earth mother), a goddess in Inca mythology who continues to be an object of reverence in Ecuador.[2][8][12] A pampa mesa also may be seen as an act of thanksgiving for the harvest.[12]

Similar practices

A similar tradition in Peru and Bolivia is called apthapi.[13]

References
  1. Drake, Angie. "Celebrating Carnival in Ecuador". Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  2. Marín, Jaime (June 26, 2017). "La pampamesa, antiguo ritual con significado espiritual" [The pampamesa, ancient ritual with spiritual significance]. Diario Expreso (in Spanish). Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  3. "Tradición ancestral con la pampamesa" [Ancestral tradition with the pampamesa]. Diario El Norte (in Spanish). March 20, 2019. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  4. Sandoval, Angel Herbas (1998). Diccionario quichua a castellano (in Quechua and Spanish). Tunturi Qañiywa. p. 313.
  5. Markham, Sir Clements Robert (1972). Contributions Towards a Grammar and Dictionary of Quichua: The Language of the Incas of Peru. Biblio Verlag. p. 210.
  6. Carvajal, Carol Styles; Horwood, Jane; Rollin, Nicholas (2004). Concise Oxford Spanish Dictionary: Spanish-English/English-Spanish (in Spanish). Oxford University Press. pp. 424. ISBN 9780198609773. mesa table spanish dictionary.
  7. Glosario del Patrimonio Inmaterial del Azuay [Glossary of Immaterial Patrimony of Azuay] (in Spanish). Cuenca, Ecuador: Instituto Nacional del Patrimonio Inmaterial. 2010. p. 202. Archived from the original on 2019-07-05. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
  8. Márquez, Cristina (May 6, 2015). "La pambamesa es el refrigerio de moda en Riobamba" [The pambamesa is the trendy catered meal in Riobamba]. El Comercio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  9. "La Pampa Mesa sobre un mantel azul (primera parte)" [The Pampa Mesa on a blue tablecloth (first part)]. La Tarde (in Spanish). September 27, 2016. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  10. "La pamba mesa, un verdadero ritual" [The pamba mesa, a true ritual]. La Hora (in Spanish). January 13, 2017. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  11. "La pamba mesa: Tradición para compartir en comunidad" [The pamba mesa: Tradition to share in community]. La Hora (in Spanish). September 27, 2015. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  12. "Alimentos que se comparten en la Pampa mesa" [Foods that are shared in the Pampa mesa]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). June 23, 2016. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  13. Matute García, Segundo Patricio; Parra Contreras, Adriana Cristina; Parra Parra, Jorge Leonidas (December 2018). "Alimentos ancestrales que sanan" [Ancestral foods that heal]. Revista de la Facultad de Ciéncias Medicas de la Universidad de Cuenca (in Spanish). 36 (3): 52–58. ISSN 2661-6777. Archived from the original on 2019-07-05. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
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