It was prepared during times when food reserves had diminished because there was no harvest to gather and the animals were very lean.
For this reason, on October 1st, this dish made of beans, pumpkin, corn, broth, salt, onion, vegetables, etc., is prepared to symbolize abundance and to ask the tiny beings of abundance to bring a good harvest and ensure that there is always bread on their table.
And above all, to ward off the elf of misery (kara’i October) that roams homes during this time, where if it finds no abundance, it brings misery and misfortunes for the rest of the year.
To prevent misery, people hold large family meals because it is said that the elf of misery comes out of the forest to spread poverty and misfortune, but when it sees families happy and full of abundance, it keeps on going without leaving its plague.
Many people claim to have seen kara’i; they describe it as a strong little person with a belly full of hair and a huge hat, with characteristics very similar to the famous "pomberito".
Since it is a dish brought by the Guarani, it is a very ancient recipe. The oldest records of this recipe mentioned ingredients like:
Dried meat in the sun, locro with red and black beans, manioc or sweet potato.
Would you prepare the dish of abundance?
