All I Want For Christmas Are...

Tamales. Despite my own preconceived notions that Tamales are most definitely reserved for those occasions nearest a bathroom, it is not so in Texas, other South Western states, and in Mexico. Tamales? You mean those delicious "dumplings" made of masa (flour) often filled with a meat, vegetable or sweet "filling", then covered over with a corn husk? While more "traditional" Christmas meals often consist of your typical ham dish whilst watching reruns of "A Christmas Story" on TBS for HOURS AND HOURS, the eating of Tamales is something most Mexican families take great pride at Christmas.


But how did the Tamale get associated with Christmas? When I think of Christmas, I reminisce about all the times I was told that I had to be either "naughty or nice", go help my mother's ex-boyfriend prepare frosted gingerbread men, and then run off (usually at the last minute) to purchase the flour for the sweet bread my grandmother often used to make in Ecuador. Tamales? Why yes. At Christmas, no less! Tamales are often a part of the traditional Mexican celebration of Las Posadas, which commemorates the Biblical tale of Mary and Joseph's search for shelter so Jesus of Nazareth can be born. Around the 16th of each December and lasting until Christmas Eve, each household that participates acts as an inn from the Nativity story, each having the Nativity scene installed. Those who participate in the event, namely children and adults, are known as Peregrinos (Pilgrims). The peregrinos go from house to house singing carols about the pilgrims, and they often carry candles whilst doing so, and the others in the party (usually four) help carry statues of Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus, leading Mary, his mother. They go from house, being deliberately refused lodging; as in accordance with the Biblical story, until they finally reach an inn which lets them stay. Then everyone attends a Midnight mass.


As to why the Tamale began being incorporated into this tradition, no one knows, but it has simply become synonymous around Christmastime. But perhaps it is so because the act of making Tamales, or Tamalada, is an act that brings the Hispanic family together for a holiday which comes only once a year, binding the family for hours. In some households, they were actually the "only time Tamales were made", as I'll often walk along Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, "I'll have one Tamale, ma'am!" The preparation for the Tamales is a usually arduous process, and at one point, they were almost exclusively prepared by the women, but are nowadays are as familiarly close as the tradition of Las Posadas; everyone joins in, including friends. However, for some families at Christmas, it is still exclusively prepared by the women, as it a tradition passed down from mother to daughter; the act of preparing them being reserved for them solely. In some households, the recipes of which are passed down from mother to daughter are often time lost, they are usually kept "in secret" to the daughter[s], and are often time called a "lost art", if the daughters do not continue to process. However, the preparation of tamales, aren't just solely tied to households, they are now often being prepared by restaurants who see a boom in business around Christmastime amidst those who simply do not have enough time to prepare it themselves. The craft of Tamale making isn't something you learn from The Food Network, you live it.


Many young girls wake up as early as 4AM to arrive at the local molino (mill) by 6AM. By going to the market this early, and purchasing the necessary masa, they shave off a possibly unnecessary amount of time doing so, or else they prepare the masa themselves. And who really wants to spend extra time when everyone's always in a rush at Christmas? I stated earlier the process of making the Tamales was an arduous process, it as arduous as Tita's cooking in Like Water For Chocolate. The meat usually has to be cooked and sauced the day before the tamales are being made, lard (certain varieties of masa actually contain lard) is usually added to Chile added into Tamales to give it flavor and texture, and preparing the masa to be of a certain structure is something that takes practice, practice, practice. Unless the masa is of a fluffy, and not leaden mass, your relatives (hopefully not Mama Elena) are in for an unnecessary surprise. Amidst all this, the preparation of the tamales is a very strict (think Subject-Verb-Object for English), step by step process that usually takes hours, as the beef (or vegetables), the corn husks, the chile, and masa all need to prepared with an even amount of dedication. The act of Tamale making, is an essence, a "labor of love".


I'm definitely surprised as to why Tamales are being prepared around Christmastime, at first thinking such an occurrence was a bit odd. Not because it's an odd occurrence in itself, but because it's something I'm simply never heard of. But in any case, the more I learn about cooking, and of food, the more I learn that the habits and traditions that I was raised under are the actually the weirder ones, if anything. These days, Christmas just isn't as close knit as it used to be in my family, so seeing the process needed to prepare the tamales along with the traditions it is synonymous with, put a smile to my face. In these days where kids as young as 11 are using Myspace, in the day where some children no longer eat at the dinner table amidst their family, definitely made me smile.


Works Cited:

"Christmas Tamales." El Sueno Enterprises. Web. .

"Las Posadas." Wikipedia. Web. .

Tedford, Deborah. "Tamales For Christmas Are A True Texas Tradition." NPR. 24 Dec. 2009. Web.

FYI, it seems impossible to include URLS when posting directly into the blog. They simply disappear. In any case, these three were works used for this entry, the links to their respective articles are found throughout this entry.