Are These Eggs Cooked? A Novel Interpretation of the Corbacho's Stolen Egg

Abstract

This article reexamines the following sentences of Corbacho's lost egg monologue: "¡Ay huevo mío de dos yemas, que para echar vos guardava yo! ¡Que de uno o de dos haría yo una tortilla tan dorada que complía mis verguenzas!" Medical treatises suggest that the word tortilla might better describe a poultice than an omelet. The use of eggs in medical and cosmetic recipes further suggests that the double-yolk poultice could have been a vital ingredient in medicines used to treat facial ulcers. The use of a yolky tortilla as a cosmetic cover up for sickness and infirmity informs the extent of woman's moral imperfections. This is evident in the Corbacho, in which women are not depicted as purveyors of healthy food, but, rather, as deceiving liars.