"My Grandmother, on my mother’s side , was from Extremadura. When she married my Grandfather, who lived in Barco de Avila, she moved to live there with him. She had six children, three sons and three daughters. When the eldest was eighteen, and the youngest was six, her husband died and she was left a widow. In order to secure the best possible future for her children, she didn’t have any other option but to take over command of the family businesses, which consisted of an ironmongers and a gift shop. To increase the family income she came up with the idea of opening a factory, producing jam and fruits in syrup. The recipes were all made from her own personal yield, and all sold in the province of Avila. These were sold as the brand “la Flor de la Vega” (the flower of the valley), and the most outstanding products being “el dulce de calabaza” (sweet pumpkin) and “el cabello de angel” (angel’s hair)."
After the war our grandparents
had a lot of problems, the main one was the lack of food, there were
even people forced to steal food to survive; poor food conditions and
the lack of hygiene were the cause of several diseases: hypothyroidism,
exanthemata typhus (spotted fever), scurvy… On the other hand,
as they did not have enough money to live on, they used to exchange
their surplus goods for the goods they needed, bartering was very common.
Another important problem was the shortage of energy resources as coal
and wood gasifiers, called Gasogene, were used to power motor vehicles
in Spain during fuel shortages.
To know what the living conditions were like at those times we asked
our grandparents if they suffered from hunger, if they carried out the
annual matanza (pig slaugter) and if anybody in the family died from
starvation.
As the graph shows, most of our grand-parents, nearly 60%, suffered a lack of food and la matanza was the most common and economical way to ensure families had a supply of meat throughout the year; however, food supply wasn't as bad as we thought and only a quarter could recall either a close relative or an acquaintance who were died by starvation.
"My
father’s family had poor economical resources. They rented a posada
(inn), everybody in the family had to work and it was rare that the children
were able to go to school. My grandfather made charcoal and he sold it
door to door. Every so often he traded in the black market, exchanging
white bread, oil and country fruits for other products. To avoid problems
he pacified the authorities by frequently giving them white bread. However,
as he was denounced by someone (probably a family member); the authorities
sent him to Vitoria to a labour camp.
- How sad was to see him chained and how slowly did those three years
pass!- says my mother-
- Life in the labour camps was hard, the roadwork was extenuating. Additionally
there was never enough food. Hygiene was precarious. I still remember
summer nights when the bedbugs crawled in our nostrils and ears and sucked
out buckets of blood.-replies the grandpa.
"
ESTRAPERLO:
Black markets flourished in most countries after the war as a consequence of the imposed restrictions on domestic use of critical resources which were in short supply. The rationing and price controls encouraged widespread black market activity; estraperlo, the Spanish name for black market, took advantage of Franco’s government decrees from1936 to 1952, this activity brought out the appearance of new fortunes gained with the illegal sale of first necessity goods.
MENDICITY:
Begging was often the sole resource available for the poorer classes to survive, the wives and children of many were often obliged to beg; but they did so reluctantly and with shame, and often went great distances from their homes so that the would not be known. To deal this large scale problem that was increasing dramatically, a mayor’s decree was proclaimed:
1-
It is forbidden the beggarliness in the street, pubs cinemas or churches
and door to door.
2- All beggars will be taken away of the street
to be inspected.
3- Beggars who are not inhabitants of the city
will be transported home.
4- Fathers who forced their sons to beg will be
punished with a fine from 5 to 100 pesetas.
5- Fines for those who give alms will be from
5 to 25.
6- The waiters who allow begging will be punished.
GASOGEN CARS:
The gasogen was a consequence of the economical panorama
of the later civil war and the scarce resources of oil. The gasogen was
an artefact that permitted the burning of wood or coal, producing gases
that explode in the motor like actual cars although less powerful.
The disadvantages were that, as well as the gasogen artefact they had
to carry wood or coal. The main public transport was the tram, Bilbao
was the first Spanish city having one.
LA MATANZA
Steeped in tradition la matanza, the pig slaughter, was the main way to provide food for the families, mainly in the rural areas. The matanza was usually carried out during the months of November/December to take advantage of the cold weather to ensure that the meat products were conserved as best as possible, it also meant families were prepared for the coming winter months. The matanza allowed families and neighbours to gather together for the occasion, which involved a lot of hard work. The process was often thought of a fiesta in itself as everyone was together at home enjoying each other’s company while they work. Of course, much eating and drinking took place along the way.
The pig rearing started in February/March. Then the pig was fatted
with refuse, now the finest quality hams, known as bellota, are produced
from Iberian pigs. fed exclusively on a diet of acorns for several months
before slaughter.
The well-known phrase "The only thing you cannot eat from
a pig is its squeak" is very true . Nothing is wasted, even all the
blood is collected to make black pudding.The most prized part of the pig
are the hams (hind legs); what is left after the hams are removed is used
to produce a range of charcuterie called embutidos: Chorizo( a bright
red sausage), Salchichon (a hard sausage, similar to salami), cured loin...
