Hours of preparation have resulted in six stainless steel pots and bowls of fresh ingredients strewn on the flowered tablecloth at Florinda Miguel Paz’s Hillsboro home.
Miguel Paz evaluates the supplies she will need to prepare a batch of tamales, including corn husks, masa (maize dough), shredded pork, cheese, chile peppers, and homemade salsa verde (green salsa).
She describes how long it took to make each ingredient while assembling one tamal at a time. Hours of preparation. Making each tamal slowly is a task in and of itself.
Miguel Paz recalled her first attempt at making tamales and remarked in Spanish, “I learned it by myself.” Even if they didn’t work out, I kept trying until I figured out the proper method.
Since she is not working at the moment, a lot of people have requested her to sell the tamales, which are a favorite in her town. Miguel Paz clarified, however, that her homemade tamales are a treat for family and friends only since she finds it very difficult to make them for sale due to arthritis in her knees. In addition, her pot is not large enough.
In Hillsboro, Florinda Miguel Paz makes tamales in her kitchen.Profenna Chiara
She begins by spreading a handful of masa down the bottom half of a dried corn husk, and then she selects her ingredients, switching between cheese and red chilies and pork and green salsa. She places the packed tamales in a basin to steam, tightly wrapping each corn husk.
Families across North America are embracing the tamale-making ritual as they get ready for Christmas, the busiest tamale season. Unquestionably one of the most delectable holiday delights to open are these little bundles of tasty stuffing, wrapped in corn husks and covered in masa.
In addition, tamales have a long history dating back thousands of years to ancient Mesoamerica and are still a mainstay of many Central and South American cultures. The ma z, or corn, is where it all starts.
The primary source of food, the ma z, can be traced back to the Aztecs and Mayans in Central America, according to Jaime Miranda, founder of M&M Marketplace in Hillsboro. One of the three primary foods that Mesoamerican tribes relied on for sustenance for a long time, tamales are symbolic of the Maz.
According to Miranda, tamales are typically consumed in the winter months and go well with a warm cup of champurrado, a rich, spicy chocolate beverage made with masa.
According to Miranda, the majority of individuals consume it every morning before heading to work. I recall that being customary in Mexico between the hours of 5 and 8 a.m. Early in the morning, those who prepare their tamales come out. Additionally, they are already sold out by 9 a.m.
Miguel Paz had comparable recollections of his time spent in Oaxaca.
“In Mexico, food always sells,” she remarked. Mexicans have traditionally acted in this way. It’s critical that they preserve that kind of culture.
Miranda hosts the Hillsboro Schools Foundation’s annual Fiesta de Tamales at M&M Marketplace, a gathering spot for local business owners. In addition to selling tamales to raise money, market makers enter their creations in a friendly competition.
A panel of judges and members of the community assessed the tamales, which were prepared with a variety of fillings. After trying samples of each entry, attendees voted for their favorites. I took this chance extremely seriously because I love tamales. I became more aware of the range of fillings and cultural flavors available after tasting each tamal.
The Annual Fiesta de Tamales at M&M Marketplace provided a sampling of tamales from nine different producers.Profenna Chiara
My mother usually prepared flavorful tamales with meat or chicken when I was growing up in Texas. I first learned about tamales cooked with fruit fillings and sweet corn masa during the event. These were practically life-altering for someone with an obsessive sweet taste.
Innumerable eateries and food trucks outside of M&M Marketplace serve a broad range of tamales, from classic pig and chicken to sweet corn and pineapple. The cultural diversity of Mexico and Central America is reflected in many of the unique styles.
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Miguel Paz explained that in Oaxaca, for instance, tamales are wrapped in banana leaves. Another kind of tamal that resembles a tortilla is made in the small town of Oaxaca, where I’m from. It’s a tortilla, but you make the mole, chicken, and everything else the same way.
However, Miguel Paz said that her tamales are made exclusively in her own style. Her family has always bonded around cooking, which she has always loved. Her sons, who are dispersed around the state, invariably return to her house with their expanding families when she makes a large batch.
Homemade tamales with pork and green salsa by Florinda Miguel Paz.Profenna Chiara
No matter their origins or method of preparation, tamales have a way of uniting people.
According to Miranda, “I think tamales are a good representation of bringing family together.” Therefore, it’s a great dish to have whenever you’re going to be with friends and family.
Because of their lengthy history and cultural significance in Mesoamerica, they have gradually developed into a meal for special occasions. These days, you may see them at Christmas in most Latino homes.
According to Miranda, most individuals create them for special occasions. For instance, whether it’s a birthday, quincea, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve. primarily during winter events, though.
I’ve witnessed how the custom has bonded members of my own family during the holidays. The whole family is crammed into a kind of assembly line, filling and wrapping tamales with practiced efficiency, gathered around my mother’s kitchen island in the San Antonio home where I grew up.
I’ll definitely have some new recipes to try this year, armed with a renewed respect for tamales.
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Chiara Profenna discusses faith, religion, and cultural ties. You may contact her at [email protected] or @chiara-profenna on BlueSky, or 503-221-4327.
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