Barcelos is the council with the largest number of villages in Portugal: 89. However, in most of them, traditional agriculture is still an important economic activity. For some farmers it is not only about subsisting but the delight that working the land gives them.Peeling the leaves off the cob is a traditional farming activity. The neighbours meet on a large threshing floor where they peel the leaves off the cobs of the corn that they have cultivated. After that process has been completed, the men beat the cobs to strip the corn grains off the cobs, while the women sweep the scattered grains and pick it up into containers. Throughout all this process, they sing, dance, tell stories and also gossip… There is a funny custom in this operation: the young man or woman who peels the leaves off the red corn cob can kiss every single girl or boy in there. In the end they all have a common meal with roasted corn, home-made cakes and grills.The modern-day recovery of the traditional stripping process is a good idea for the people who want to keep the past alive.
Red corn cobs 
Women stripping the corn off the cobs
The final product
The community meal
Everybody joins the traditional spirit 
Text and photos by Flávia Martins (Portugal)
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