Festival Internacional del Paste
| International Pasty Festival Festival Internacional del Paste |
|
|---|---|
| Status | active |
| Genre | Food festival |
| Date(s) | October, 3 days |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Location(s) | Real del Monte, Hidalgo |
| Coordinates | 20°08′18″N 98°40′23″W / 20.138216°N 98.673163°WCoordinates: 20°08′18″N 98°40′23″W / 20.138216°N 98.673163°W |
| Country | Mexico |
| Inaugurated | 2009 |
The International Pasty Festival (Spanish: Festival Internacional del Paste) is an annual festival celebrating the pasty that has been held in Real del Monte, Hidalgo, Mexico since 2009. Pasties (known locally as pastes), were introduced to the region by Cornish miners in the 19th century and are still made by their descendants. Traditional recipes may be followed, but often the ingredients today reflect local preferences. The annual festival attracts thousands of visitors, who may also visit the Cornish Pasty Museum and attend other cultural events.
The municipality of Pachuca has a long history of gold and silver mining, but during the Mexican War of Independence (1810–21) much of the infrastructure was destroyed and many of the mines became flooded. A group named the Real del Monte Company was formed in 1824 and arranged to bring mining equipment and experienced miners from Cornwall. After landing on Mocambo beach, south of Veracruz, the miners took 14 months to struggle 250 miles (400 km) through swamps and rain forests to Real del Monte.
The Cornish brought cultural traditions that included football, wrestling and baking pasties. Although the Cornish community shrank after the 1911 revolution, some Cornish names survive. There are buildings and houses with European architecture, including Francis Rule's Methodist Church. In 2008 the Cornish Mexican Cultural Society helped arrange for Real del Monte and Redruth in Cornwall to be twinned.
Today many establishments in Pachuca bake pasties. The growth of shops selling pasties coincided with the decline in mining as residents looked for other ways to make a living. A paste may have "classic" meat, potato and turnip filling, perhaps with additional herbs and jalapeño, and may also be filled with red or green mole, pineapple, shredded pork or chicken in chilli or even fish. Sweet fruit pastes may contain pineapple, strawberry and blackberry.
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