Venerating The "Concha"...It's Long Overdue...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | Every now and then, I get into discussions about what makes the Rio Grande Valley the Rio Grande Valley. By that my friends mean what makes it special, or different, or a jewel. You could say it's the beef fajitas, although, no, not for me. And no on the cheap tacos or Sunday barbacoa. Those are all staples, yes. But. . .

You have to reach for a Concha (see graphic drawing above) at the local panaderia to grab at the soul of this part of the Mexican border. Yes, San Antonio and East Austin and parts of Dallas/Fort Worth also serve pan dulce as if to not do it would be to lose much of our culture. On that, I mean, Texas culture, not solely Mexican-American.

Conchas go back in time much, much farther back than fajitas and barbacoa, rivaling perhaps only tacos as culinary treats to a similar time in history. The literature says the Concha may have been initially brought to neighboring Mexico by the French, and we know the French are big on pastry. Eclair anyone? 

Few Valleyites think twice about pulling into a stand-alone bakery or into the bakery department at the Big Box grocery store, where Conchas also live, often in chocolate flavoring, although the yellow Concha and the pink ones are always there. Always.

Travel through all of Mexico and be treated to the best of Conchas. They're here in the Valley, but munching on a warm Concha with a cup of hot coffee in Mexico City is heavenly.

Who knows if anyone important has ever honored or wanted to honor Mexican pan dulce? Someone should. I've had it in all three major RGV cities and find those venues worthy of my time and my money. San Antonio's fabled Mi Tierra restaurant in the downtown mercado is no slouch, but it does have a variety of other breads and mainly cookies, all tasty but never quite matching the excellence of the Concha.

I always stand in front of the bakery's glass displays. Like a kid, sure. That's from my first memories of eating the pan dulce my dear mother would buy at La Estrella Bakery off south 17th Street and bring it home. Conchas were the attraction in the bag for me. 

And I still grab one or two at H-E-B when I'm there for my weekly grocery supplies.

Perhaps someday someone will push for honoring Mexican pan dulce as a Rio Grande Valley cultural jewel, as something distinctly Mexican-American, as something every Mexican grew up with and thoroughly enjoyed.

A statue of some young kid munching on a Concha would do.

Here in The City of Palms, or in Harlingen, or in Brownsville, yes.

Today's Rio Grande Valley cities don't do enough in the way of honoring anything or anyone. Statues are rare. And maybe that's because there are few men or women worthy of such community or regional honor. Politicians always let you down. Good public servants, like a hard-working, honest chief of police, rarely get the needed press.

But we do know this: Conchas have done so much for the Valley. In every city and every town, from Los Fresnos to Edcouch-Elsa, to Edinburg, to Mission, too. In every neighborhood and every big and small grocery store. It's been a bigger contribution than we could ever imagine, only, well, who's going to stop and think about making the effort and doling public applause?

Venerating the Concha would be a spectacular gesture.

It's long been time...

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