Tamales for Christmas: Family Tradition
Tara A. Spears
The making of tamales during the Christmas holidays is a tradition for many Mexican families that has been passed down for generations. This savory dish is very time intensive to make which leads to the women gathering the day before to prepare enough tamales for the family gathering. The camaraderie and laughter during the process of making tamales is a highlight of this tradition, “I have so many wonderful memories of gathering with my aunts, cousins, friends and grandmother to make mountains of tamales” said Ma Rosa.
Tamales are filled with different meats or seasoned pastes and can be piquant or sweet and everything in between! While historians don’t agree on which culture invented tamales, it is generally believed to have originated in the central region of Mexico and spread from there throughout the rest of the Americas.
According to the Los Angeles Times, in Mesoamerica, corn was viewed as a substance of life and was believed that the Gods made humans from corn. “Wrapped tamales were part of ritual offerings. After the conquistadors arrived and banned human sacrifice, little bundles of corn — tamales — were “sacrificed” instead.”
Tamal (Nahuatl tamalli, which means wrapped) is a generic name given to several Native American dishes usually prepared with corn dough wrapped in leaves of corn, banana, bijao, maguey, avocado or even aluminum foil. Tamales may or may not be filled with meat, vegetables, chilli, fruits, sauce, etc. In Mexico there is a huge diversity of tamales recipes. Each region and state has a variation of tamales. It’s estimated that there are between 500 and 5,000 types across the country. It is a very popular dish and some experts estimate the consumption of tamales in hundreds of millions per year.
Tamales are an important part of the Mexican diet and they are very popular in the Christmas holidays as well as other special celebrations. A common type of tamale accompaniment is green or red sauce, pork, or chicken. The great demand of tamales has led to the birth of commercial tamale production companies throughout Mexico. Locally, there are three women that make and sell tamales on the La Penita Avenida and by the beer distributor. You must go early because each cook is usually sold out by 9:30 am. In the nearby village of El Monteon you can get fresh tamales from this handsome vendor.
Before preparing, it is necessary to soak the corn leaves in salted water for an entire night, so that they can be easily handled. If the leaves are banana, it’s necessary boil them in salted water for three to five minutes, until dark and bright. Throughout the process it is the friendship of the cooks that adds to the enjoyment of the tamale.
It is unanimous that the best Mexican tamales for the season are those that are homemade with patience, dedication and a touch of love. Whether you try your hand at making tamales or are lucky enough to have a neighbor share theirs, this filling entree is delicious!
