Mensam Mundum – World Table: Tamales for Christmas!
- ESTHER OERTEL
- Posted On
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With pillowy soft dough surrounding a succulent filling, some consider tamales the perfect comfort food. And while we love them all year long, there’s no time when they’re more ubiquitous than during the Christmas season.
December means it’s time for families with roots in Mexico or Central America (as well as people of all backgrounds throughout the American Southwest) to gather together and make tamales for Christmas.
There’s even a name for this time-honored tradition – such gatherings are called tamaladas in Spanish.
And remember – for most Mexican families, the holiday season extends from Dec. 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, to Jan. 6, the Feast of Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day, making tamales a necessity for more than just one celebration.
Tamale-making is notoriously time-consuming and, depending on ingredients and method, can also be quite complex. (An Oaxacan-inspired tamale recipe, for example, contains more than 120 distinct steps.)
While most tamale recipes aren’t as elaborate, the process is still labor-intensive, with simmering meats and sauces that can take up to a day to bring to perfection. And then there’s the assembling – the rhythm of spreading masa dough on softened corn husks, adding just the right amount of filling, and the folding, wrapping, and tying that, while fairly simple to execute, takes patience and a lot of time.
It’s for this reason that when families gather, many dozens of tamales are created, not only to have handy for celebrations but to share with family and friends.
In one instance, a two-day tamalada involved 22 family members from multiple states, where a full 225 dozen tamales were made! That massive feat couldn’t have been accomplished without the cooperation and camaraderie of many working together to make the task lighter.
Tamales have been eaten in the Americas for an inordinately long time, with the first ones consumed as far back as 9,000 years ago, before corn was fully domesticated. Researchers believe they predate even the tortilla, another ancient food.
Tamales originated in Mesoamerica, a historical region and cultural area covering a swath of land that stretches from modern-day central Mexico southward through what is now Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica.
With wrappings of corn husks or plantain leaves, tamales were a highly portable food and were eaten by Olmec and Toltec hunters. Both of these civilizations predate the Aztecs, who later ate them, as did the Mayans.
In those days, tamales were filled with such things as quail meat, squash and varieties of fungus. When Spanish colonizers arrived, the ingredients shifted to pork, beef and chicken, with lard used as a binder for the dough.
Corn was considered sacred in Mesoamerican – it was literally the substance of life for the people there – and Mesoamerican civilizations had common creation myths identifying humans with corn.
For this reason, preciously wrapped, corn-based tamales were used as ritual offerings for the various gods of the Aztec and Mayan civilizations.
Masa (the Spanish word for dough) is the foundation of a tamale – it’s the delightfully cushiony base that surrounds the filling - and is made by grinding sun- or fire-dried corn which has been cooked and soaked in limewater (that is, water with dissolved limestone). The process is called nixtamalization and was invented by ancient Mexicans after corn was domesticated.
We may be used to seeing pork, beef or chicken in tamales (these are the most popular fillings in Mexico), but there are literally hundreds (perhaps thousands!) of ways to fill a tamale. The variations could be endless.
For example, in the southwestern Mexican state of Oaxaca, tamales are wrapped in plantain leaves and filled with chicken and onions and flavored with mole negro, a sauce made of poblano peppers and chocolate.
In Tabasco, on the Gulf Coast, they’re filled with garfish.
My El Salvadorian friends made them with white masa and filled them with potatoes, carrots and green olives.
They can be filled with beans, cheese, squash or sweet corn.
Sweet tamales, traditional at Christmas, can include such ingredients as pineapple or raisins.
The truth is that each region has its own version, depending on what’s available in their ecosystem. Tamales offer a culture in and of themselves, providing a direct connection to the most ancient traditions of Mexico and Central America.
If you’ve spent time in a fragrant kitchen elbow to elbow with friends or family, laughing and sharing stories while assembling tamales, you’ve been lucky indeed!
I hope you enjoy your holiday season, whether filled with tamales or not.
Today’s recipe is a twist on traditional tamales. Most masa dough is made with lard or shortening, neither of which is easy on the heart. Instead, this version uses pumpkin as the binder for the dough.
These are vegetarian tamales (vegan, actually), but you can feel free to add shredded chicken or cheese.
Enjoy!
Pumpkin Tamales with Black Bean ‘Mole’
Ingredients:
1 bag corn husks (24 needed for this recipe)
For the filling:
1 whole dried Chipotle chile, split open and most seeds removed
1 large garlic clove
½-inch slice small yellow onion
1 jalapeno chile, halved and seeds removed
1 Roma tomato, halved and seeds removed
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 teaspoon smoked paprika or cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
2 cups cooked black beans (from a can, only slightly drained, or cooked from dry beans)
For the dough:
3 cups masa for tamales
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tablespoons jarred salsa
1 teaspoon salt
To garnish:
1/2 cup sour cream (vegan or otherwise)
Lime wedges
Cilantro sprigs
Instructions:
1. Place corn husks into a deep container and cover with warm water; weigh down the husks and let stand at least 30 minutes until all are softened.
2. In a dry non-stick skillet or medium-high heat, lay the chile pepper flat and toast until it darkens and you just begin to see wisps of smoke, holding it flat with a spatula if necessary. Remove the chile and place in a small bowl with water to cover for 10-15 minutes to soften.
3. Add the garlic, onion, fresh chile and tomatoes to the pan. Continue roasting until vegetables are charred, turning to brown all sides and removing any that begin to burn.
4. Add the cumin seeds and continue to toast for 1 more minute until browned.
5. Place all into a blender or small food processor and pulse to small chunks. Add the dry spices and continue to blend 1 more minute.
6. Add the black beans and blend until the mixture is fairly smooth. Taste for salt and adjust to your taste, adding more heat (i.e., with additional paprika or cayenne pepper) if you like. Set aside.
7. In a stand mixer, combine the masa and baking powder and stir. Add the pumpkin, salsa, and salt. Mix well – it should have the texture of Play-Doh. Keep the dough covered with a slightly moist towel as you proceed so it does not dry out.
8. Using any softened husks that are too small or damaged, tear about 20 thin strips which will be the ties for the tamales.
9. One by one, pat corn husks dry with towels and lay flat on the work surface with the thin end nearest you. Dip out 1/4 cup dough and spread, using an offset spatula or your fingers, into a scant 1/4” thickness, into a square shape about 4-inch by 4-inch, leaving at least 1 inch of husk free on the sides.
10. Spoon one tablespoon of the “mole” down the center. Carefully pull the long sides together which will roll the dough over the filling and enclose it. Smooth and squeeze slightly into an even tube shape, then fold up about 2 inches of the narrow end. Tie securely but not too tightly with one of the torn husk strips.
11. Reserve any remaining filling to serve with the tamales
12. Assemble a steamer set up with at least 1 inch of water at the bottom, a steam basket at least 6” deep above and a tight lid. Position the tamales, open end up and packed closely together, into the steam basket, close the lid and bring water to a boil. Steam at a consistent low boil for 1 hour, checking after 40 minutes or so to be sure the water has not all evaporated. (see note, below)
13. Once finished steaming, turn off heat and allow to sit undisturbed for 10-15 minutes to firm up.
14. Serve tamales immediately, with some of the extra filling, and drizzled with sour cream.
15. Add lime wedges to be squeezed over the tamales and cilantro to garnish.
16. Tip: Drop a quarter coin into the bottom of the steamer where it will rattle as the water boils; if you notice there is no noise coming from the steamer it is a warning that the water has evaporated and you need to add more.
Esther Oertel is a writer and passionate home cook from a family of chefs. She grew up in a restaurant, where she began creating recipes from a young age. She’s taught culinary classes in a variety of venues in Lake County and previously wrote “The Veggie Girl” column for Lake County News. Most recently she’s taught culinary classes at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa. She lives in Middletown.