Holiday Tamales

 

So this is not a recipe post, but a show-and-tell piece from my recent culinary adventures.  I may tackle this beast someday, but haven't had enough time since I've been back in town to take on the challenge of making tamales from scratch.

During my vacation, I spent both Christmas and New Year’s with my old friend Sofia and my new adopted family in San Lucas.  As it turns out, Christmas is one of the two most widely celebrated holidays in Guatemala (Easter being the other) and there are many traditions to go along with its celebrations – fireworks at midnight, decorating the house with small yellow fruits called manzanillas, drinking a special hot holiday beverage called Ponche Navideño made with fresh fruit and fruit juices, and enjoying delicious tamales.

string of manzanillas -- like little tiny apples

On Christmas morning we sat down to enjoy fresh-made tamales for breakfast.  I had never had a tamal before so never really understood – or appreciated – the amount of time and effort that goes into making them.  It’s not just a food, it’s a whole process.  Sofia’s mother Ruth and sister Ximena spend numerous hours carefully making these wonderful treats, only to have at least one consumed within minutes by the hungry extranjera (foreign chick) sitting at the end of their table.

In Guatemala, a tamal consists of masa (starchy dough usually made from corn, potatoes or rice) topped (or filled) with various pieces of cooked meat, fresh fruit, nuts, and/or veggie bits and sauce which is then wrapped in a leaf (usually plantain or banana leaves which you don’t eat) and steamed or boiled.  As with many foods that I share with you, components and prep are done according to taste, so what I enjoyed was the traditional tamal made by Sofia’s family.  Ours had pieces of pork, raisins, prunes, almonds, peppers and a nice rich salsa (sauce) in it.
 

 

The masa alone takes several hours to make because it must cook down and thicken before it is used in the tamal.  Once the tamal is assembled, the leaves are folded over and it is tied up like a little green parcel.

sorry about the fuzzy shot, thought I'd taken more than one, but no

The tamales are then placed in a deep pot and boiled for up to 2 hours.  Once they are done, they are allowed to sit so that the masa can set.  When it’s ready, each is unwrapped like a little present and presented for consumption with frijoles (beans), queso (cheese), and more salsa on the side.  Nummers!

Tamales are a long-standing staple, originating in Mesoamerica as early as 8000-5000 BC.  Because they can be made ahead of time and do not have to be eaten right away, it seems that both the Aztecs and Mayans used tamales as travel food – for armies, hunters and travelers – anyone who needed portable food.

There are many different varieties of tamales, many named according to the type of masa (e.g., yellow v. white corn), filling, flavor (savory v. sweet) and every country has its own varieties. 

If you have never tried one before, I recommend you expand your eating palette by giving one a spin.  It was like nothing I had had before, but like everything I ate in Guatemala, it was fresh and delicious, and in this case, made with much love and care.