Hello Everyone!
The last few days have been full with exciting news. In the last post I shared some of those news and there’s already more to share! but I will share those news later, because after all, this is a place to eat and enjoy recipes!
The famous “pick and shovel” (pico y pala) is one of those foods that became popular due to the economy (Besides how flavorful it is) It helped Dominicans to cope with their always challenging economic situation. But Dominicans are tough people that laugh in the face of misfortune and make a joke in the face of calamity. (really!) We’re happy, simple, good people that enjoy to eat!
"pick and shovel" (Pico y Pala)
The history of the “pick and shovel” (Composed of the chicken feet and necks) is associated with the popular dining rooms and cafeterias, very common in low income neighborhoods, in which they usually had a “day special” or day dish, considerably cheaper than asking for something from the menu.
Even so, many didn’t have enough money even for the “day special”, so they would request a “half service”, many times consistent of concón, (burned rice from the bottom of the pot) with meat sauce and some stewed beans sauce.
Because meat was out of the question, the option would be “pick and shovel”, something they wouldn’t dare offer to paying customers or common clients.
As almost all these elements (the concón, the pick and shovel, etc.) were considered as waste or leftovers, this service was generally either extremely cheap or free. I remember the experience once of requesting some concón with stewed bean sauce, of which I’m a fan, and when asking for the bill they said: “no my son, how can we charge you for concón?” Another time they said: “just pay 5 pesos” (about US$0.10 cents at current exchange)
He he he…Those were the times!…
Receta Pick and shovel
Dominican