Frontier Cooking: Adaptation and Adjustment

Others adapted to the new foods of the new terrain, and regional preferences held sway. Southwestern settlers used the ubiquitous jalapeño to spice barbecued meat, red beans, and agarita jam, pressed from the pungent berry of the sharp-tipped agarita bush. They embraced the Spanish legacy of savory carne seca, spicy jerked beef, a form of preserving meat that originated in South America and was quickly adopted by the new Anglo-Californians. Barbecued meat, spit-roasted over an open fire, was popular, as was colache, or vegetable succotash, spiced with garlic, olive oil, and green chilies. Favorite of all were tortillas, tamales, and chile con carne.