Family Fun - Issuu

from RIO Magazine DECEMBER 2020

by Traveling Blender

tamaltrivia

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Tamales are the original “to-go” food of the Americas. The name comes from the ancient Nahuatl language meaning wrapped food. They were used by travelers and hunting groups.

Water tamales (served without any spices) were eaten during Aztec festivals honoring the corn god.

Aztec tamales fillings included turkey, flamingo, frog, gopher, rabbit, fish, turkey eggs, honey, fruits, squash, and beans, or with no filling at all and no added fat.

Tamales became popular in the U.S. around 1900 when African Americans adopted the food from Mexican migrant workers in cotton and sugar cane fields. Called “red hots,” they were a popular street food in cities from New Orleans to Chicago and New York. Blues legend Robert Johnson (who recorded many of his songs in Room 414 of San Antonio’s historic Sheraton Gunter Hotel, wrote a hit song about “They’re Red Hot.”

The late President Gerald Ford is remembered in San Antonio for his “Great Tamale Goof,” During a visit to the city, he eagerly bit into a tamale in front of journalists and photographers – without removing the corn husk.

At a White House celebration of Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo holiday, President Barak Obama told guests that Mexican food is Michelle Obama’s favorite cuisine. “You do not want to get between Michelle and a tamale,” he added.

“Nixtamalization” is the traditional practice of preparing the masa. Corn is cooked and soaked in a solution of lime that loosens the hull, softening the kernel and boosting nutrition. While most tamales are steamed, they can be boiled, grilled, fried, barbecued, or roasted.

Guanajuato, a region in Mexico, make tamales de muerto (tamales for the dead) of blue corn for Day of the Dead altar offerings. In Oaxaca, the region’s famous black mole spice is a common ingredient, as is iguana meat. In the Huasteca region, tamales made for sharing are called zacahuil, which can be up to 10 feet long and weigh 100 pounds. That was pre-Covid, of course.

Modern chefs have shown great creativity. One fancy L.A. eatery features Tokyo tamales with ahi tuna in ponzu and Shanghai tamales with duck and bok choy. How about the Jewish tamale with whitefish mousse and smoked salmon? And who can resist a solid chocolate dessert tamale?

Mi Tierra Cafe Tamales

Gran Tamalada. Photo by Ellen Clark

Gran Tamalada. Photo by Ellen Clark videos will go live on Dec. 5. and archived on YouTube,” Cortez said.

On Dec. 12, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Witte Museum has transformed its’ annual tamal-themed fundraiser into a virtual event – the 13th Annual La Tamalada. For $80 per household, virtual attendees receive a 20-quart steamer pot and the ingredients to make a big batch of tamales, plus personalized online attention to guide you through the tamalcreation.

Fortunately, you don’t have to host a tamalada to enjoy great tamales—especially in San Antonio. You can order them in many of the city’s cozy cafes – Mi Tierra, for instance, where the red chile pork tamales are a year-round staple, and bean and cheese and jalapeno and chicken tamales are added to the menu during the holiday season.

You can also pick them up in almost any grocery store (H-E-B, brands are popular) or order online – but do it as early as possible! The demand for tamales goes through the roof this time of year, and by midDecember, they often sell out.

click on this: ADELITA TAMALES AND TORTILLA FACTORY

Adelitatamales.com

DELICIOUS TAMALES

Delicioustamales.com

MI TIERRA CAFÉ

Mitierracafe.com Check out Adelita’s or Delicious Tamales for traditional flavors or Tamalhi, for a different twist, with banana-leaf-wrapped tamales in addition to more conventional recipes. Their Sleepy Hollow tamales, pumpkin with raisins and spices, are a favorite. Hollow sweet pumpkin tamales with raisins and spices are a seasonal favorite. Wherever you order them, most tamales ship for between $9 and $12 a dozen. That’s a small price to pay for a savory delight steeped in powerful cultural tradition.

As Clark wrote in the forward to her book: “As you unwrap these delicious, steaming, freshly-made tamales, giftwrapped in corn shucks, that have kept human beings alive for more than 7,000 years on this continent, think about the things that last beyond nations, beyond languages, beyond flags. Our histories, and our stories, are wrapped in those shucks, and our memories are wrapped in their love.”

WRITER’S BIO

Susan Yerkes is an award-winning San Antonio-based journalist, travel writer, and ardent

consumer of tamales year-round.

SAN ANTONIO CITY OF GASTRONOMY

Sacityofgastronomy.org

TAMALHI

Tamahli.com

WITTE MUSEUM Wittemuseum.org

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