Page:Vol 6 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/588

568 Of other grains, wheat ranks next in quantity; grown chiefly in Jalisco, Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Querétaro, and Coahuila. It is only raised for home consumption, as also barley, which is grown in the immediate neighborhood of towns, highways, and mining places, and is principally used as fodder. Owing to the favorable conditions for the cultivation of rice in the moist and swampy regions of the coast, the production of this cereal has gradually exceeded the home demand, and of late years some rice has been exported.

Second to wheat in value, and maize in quantity, is the production of frijoles, or beans, which, with the tortillas of maize, and the chile pepper, form the national dishes of the Mexicans from ancient times. The consumption of frijoles has greatly decreased, however, during the last twenty years. The pepper just mentioned is of great importance in the Mexican household, and its consumption is almost incredible. This condiment is of inestimable benefit to the poor, supplying in a measure the absence of meat and bread; without it their tortilla would be quite insipid. It is a powerful stimulant, and its pungency so great that it will produce excoriation of the tongue, gums, and palate of a person unaccustomed to its use.