This year I was fortunate enough to be part of a very traditional part of Christmas preparations here in the valley -- the making of tamales. What a wonderful experience to be standing side by side with Mexicans and Anglos alike, preparing a delicious holiday food, all the while hearing stories of generations of families working together to craft the festive food of masa, lard, meat and beans. Through the community work of preparing for the next days fiesta meal, I enjoyed entering a little deeper into the culture of a warm and welcoming community where family, faith, and respect are still highly valued and reflected in daily life.
Altogether the group of about a dozen and a half workers, plus various other helpers prepared 21 dozen in a matter of just a couple of hours. As is common practice, the meat was cooked, seasoned and prepared ahead of time, but together the group watched as the 89 year old family matriarch measured and mixed, by hand, many bags of masa and over 4 lbs of lard, plus a few seasonings. There were no measuring cups, nor spoons, just the soft, strong hands of a woman who has handmade as many tamales as stars in the dark Mexican sky. With the masa divided among the tables of workers, we set out to spread masa on the water soaked corn husks, followed by another cadre adding meat or beans and folding in preparation for the steaming. It was a great lesson, a labor of love, and a community working as one ready to feed a crowd.
At the fiesta after Las Posadas, the 100+ guests at the tamales – less than 2 dozen remained by the end of the night.
Feliz Navidad!
