Wrapping Up May With Tamales

When I think of May, Cinco de Mayo is one of the first events that come to mind. Although I’ve never truly celebrated the holiday, as May rolls around every year I never fail to spot the bright colors, aromatic cuisine, and loud music that’s associated with the celebration. The history behind the holiday as well as the celebrations have always intrigued me, so I thought that celebrating with one of the central themes of the holiday, the food, would be the perfect way to experience a slice of Cinco de Mayo from my own home! Not to mention, I realized that I’d never ventured into American cooking in my blog posts, whether it was North, Central, or South American. I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to break into American cooking through my blogs. 

Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday usually celebrated in Mexico, that commemorates the Mexican victory over France in the Battle of Puebla. This battle took place in Puebla City during the Second French Intervention in Mexico. 

The holiday centers around authentic Mexican cuisine, including tamales, elotes, and water kefir, which I decided to make to celebrate the Mexican holiday!

Tamales

Origin

Tamales have a history that dates all the way back to as early as 8000 to 5000 BCE. Before the dish spread to Mexico and the rest of Latin America, it had origins in Mesoamerica, likely in the Aztec empire. The name for the dish comes from the word “tamalli”, which is a Nahuatl, a major language in the Aztec empire, word for “wrapped food”. This definition is in relation to the corn husks that the tamales are wrapped in. Much of Aztec and Mesoamerican culture was centered around their religious beliefs, including their cuisine. Tamales are an example of this. They were often made as a gift for the Aztec gods, especially Teocintle, the god of maize and corn. Other than the Aztec empire, tamales were also common amongst the Mayans, Olmecs, and Toltecs. 

Tamales spread to Spain through the conquistadors, which conquered the Aztec empire. Over time, the significance of tamales in society fell drastically. What was once considered fit for the gods was watered down to peasant food by the 19th century. However, following the Mexican revolution, they climbed back up the social ladder and were considered traditional Mexican cuisine. 

Process

The process for making traditional tamales is pretty simple but very time-consuming. Because the meat is slow-cooked and the tamales take about an hour to steam, making the tamales by myself for the first time took just about six hours. 

I started off by cooking the meat. This process is pretty simple, I got my pork and put it in a dutch oven, surrounded by onions and garlic. I then filled the dutch oven with water so it would cover the pork and let the water come to a boil. Then, I covered the dutch oven with its lid and let the meat slow cook for about two hours.

The next step was seasoning the pork, although it was being cooked with onions and garlic, it needed a little bit of a kick. So to add some spice to the meat, I used dried California chile pods. I extracted the stem and seeds from each pod because the whole pod would be way too spicy otherwise. I put on gloves first so the burn of the spicy chile pods couldn’t spread to my mouth, eyes, etc.

Once only the outside of the chili pod remained, I placed the pods in a saucepan and let them simmer in water. 

I removed the pods from heat after about 20 minutes and put the pods and the water they’d been simmering in, inside a blender to create a chili sauce. Once it formed the smoothest sauce I could get, I took it out of the blender and placed it over a strainer, using a spatula to squeeze the last drops of the sauce out. Then I left the sauce until the meat had been fully cooked

Once the pork was finished, I removed it from heat. It was just soft and tender enough to shred, all thanks to the slow cooking. Once I shredded the pork, I combined it with the chili sauce and some salt and set it aside.

Next was creating the paste that would be used to hold the meat inside the tamales. Although the recipe called for lard as the main ingredient in this paste, we only had rendered duck fat at home, so I used it instead. It worked surprisingly well, and once it was mixed with the masa harina corn flour, and chicken broth, it was the perfect consistency to use as an inner wrapping. The masa harina gave it a bright yellow color, and the broth allowed it to develop from a crumbly mixture to a moist dough.

Finally, it came time to wrap the tamales themselves. This was probably the most difficult part and required the help of an assembly line with my mom and I. There are a few steps to the process, starting with the basic assembly. But even before this, you have to begin with soaking the corn husks used to wrap the tamales. Once they’re malleable enough to use, you remove them from the water and dry them off with a paper towel. The husk is a sort of trapezoid shape, with the top being broad and open, gradually thinning out until it reaches the bottom.

Then, the assembly really begins, with the use of the fat, corn, and broth paste. This paste is spooned into the wide top of the corn husk and then spread out. A spoon, butter knife, spatula, can all be used to spread out the paste, but I found using my hands worked the best for me. Not only was it the most efficient method, but it was the only way I could get the paste to really stick to the corn husks. 

I then scooped about a tablespoon of the shredded pork into the corn husk, right in the middle of the blob of paste, leaving an inch-thing ring of the paste around the pork.

This is where the second part of the process, the folding, comes in. Ultimately, the tamales get folded six times. The purpose of the first fold is to securely encapsulate the meat inside the husk. After this, the husk is folded again, in order to create a rectangular shape where the meat and paste fill out the sides of the husk. Then, the skinny lower half of the husk is folded up, just enough so that the new bottom of the husk is the bottom of the spread-out paste. 

To really secure the tamales, another husk is used, around the rectangular tamale. The inner tamale is placed on the broad top of the husk and folded similarly to the first half of the process. When the final fold is done, strips are cut from husks to be used to tie the tamales like a gift. Once the tamales have been tied up, they’re ready to steam.

Additionally, I prepared two sauces, a chile-sour cream sauce, and green tomatillo salsa to spread on top of the tamales.

Starting with the chile-sour cream sauce, I restarted the process to create chili sauce from the chile pods. Once I had enough, I mixed it in with some sour cream and it was ready to go.

The process for the tomatillo salsa was a little more complicated. Although the recipe didn’t include the salsa, my mom had made it a few times and led me through the process. I started off by cutting each of the bright green tomatillos in half. I then cooked these halves in a saucepan until they were a little charred on both sides.

The tomatillos were then mixed in with onions, chopped cilantro, lemon juice, and garlic. This mixture was combined in a blender to make the tomatillo salsa.

Once the mixture was smooth and no large chunks of any of the ingredients remained, I moved the salsa to a bowl.As a finishing touch, I topped it off with cilantro and it was ready to be used on the tamales.

Taste

Opening the tamales was a whole process in and of itself. The corn husks are used to secure the filling inside the tamale, which is the only part that’s actually eaten. You first untie each tamale separately, starting with the outer husk, then the inner one. Once these have been untied, they eventually reveal the soft inside of the tamale, which is eaten.

The tamales were delicious, the chili sauce used for the pork really added to the flavor and worked perfectly with the outside of the tamale. My favorite sauce was the tomatillo salsa, which added a nice zing and color to the tamales. The light taste of the salsa also complemented the rich, filling tamales well. In my opinion, the tamales were the star of the meal, my family and I kept grabbing for more, but could only get through a few because they were so heavy.

Elotes

Origin

Elotes are a common Mexican street food, which boils down to grilled corn on a stick, complete with a variety of toppings. Elotes are typically coated with mayonnaise and then sprinkled with shredded cheese, chili powder, cilantro, and lime juice to top it all off. However, elotes have evolved throughout the years, with all kinds of flavor variations. Elotes are known for their distinct, recognizable flavor, which led to the creation of elote flavored snacks, such as elote-flavored chips and popcorn. 

This Mexican corn-on-the-cob originates in Mexico and Central America. It is also believed to have origins in the Aztec empire, although it has evolved drastically throughout the years. Corn is common in many Mexican dishes because corn was such a big part of Aztec culture, which is the origin of much of Mexican cuisine.

Process

Compared to the long tamale process, the process for elotes was a breeze. I started off by grilling the corn on the cob. While it was grilling, I created the mayonnaise sauce that would eventually top the corn. Although just using mayonnaise is acceptable, I mixed the mayonnaise with lime juice and cayenne pepper as well to add to the elote flavor. 

I then shredded the sharp Cojita cheese that’s so distinct to elotes and combined it with chopped cilantro. 

Once the corn was finished grilling, I completely covered the corn with the mayonnaise sauce.

I then sprinkled the cheese and cilantro mixture on top until it coated the mayonnaise mixture. I plated the corn, and it was ready to serve.

Taste

The elotes had a distinct and unique flavor. The mayonnaise and Cotija cheese really gave it a kick. It was very messy but fun to eat. We got it all over our hands and mouths as we ate the elotes. I enjoyed the elotes, but definitely as something to eat once in a while. The mayonnaise flavor was a little too overpowering for me. As a street food, the elotes are perfect, served as a part of our dinner, however, it was a little out of place.

Water kefir

Origin

The origin of water kefir doesn’t date back nearly as far as the elotes or tamales, but it's still a few centuries old. Water kefir originates in Mexico, where the grains used to ferment the kefir came from the pear cactus that’s common to the area. The practice of making water kefir isn’t very well known but has carried on for centuries and is believed to have various health benefits, especially for the immune system.

Although kefir’s origins can be traced back to Mexico, the stripped down form of kefir that I was making isn’t common in the country. Instead, the kefir making process is typically reserved for making tepache, a sweet fermented drink made with the peel and rind of pineapples, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

Process

The process for water kefir is carried out over a few days, in two consecutive fermentation processes. The fermentation process creates the numerous health benefits and the bubbles that make the kefir resembles carbonated sodas. 

My mom has been making water kefir for months now, taking it up as a hobby. Since my family and I love kefir and she’s been wanting to explore the history of the drink and share the process with us as well, it was the perfect opportunity to learn how it's made in our own kitchen.

You start by feeding the grains used to ferment the kefir with sugar and water. After this, I waited for 36 hours for the first fermentation to take place. The water became milky in 36 hours, which is a sign that the first fermentation has been completed.

I poured a mix of brown sugar, and a pinch of baking soda and salt into the water, and mixed it until everything dissolved. I then poured this into the glass containing the Kefir grains and let it sit for 36 hours.

I wanted to make pineapple kefir so I used fresh pineapple for this, using a blended mixture of the parts we would usually throw away to flavor the drink. To do this, I cut up some pieces of pineapple, then left the fruit that remained on the rinds. This part was then sliced off the rinds and cut up to be used in the kefir.

Once I blended the pineapple so it resembled a chunky smoothie-like mixture, I used a funnel to pour it into the fermented water. Then, I let the grains do the work, which usually takes one and a half to two days to fully ferment. The entire process took 72 hours. 

Fortunately, I had started the process 4 days before -- so this gave the Kefir enough time to ferment and for me to chill it before serving.

Taste:

In my experience with kefir from my mom, the taste of pineapple kefir is always a hit or miss because of its high acidity and unique base. Because the process is the most hands-on and requires some preparation beforehand, in comparison to using a fruit juice as the kefir base, it's the most prone to mistakes. 

But this batch was still delicious. The pineapple seemed just ripe enough since you could taste the distinct pineapple flavor and it wasn’t too sour either. It was a nice breath of fresh air amongst the heavy dishes on our plate of elotes and tamales, which were both very filling. It added a nice sweetness to our dish as well that the elotes and tamales couldn’t deliver. 

Conclusion

I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to branch out into American cuisine, especially since I had such little experience with Latin American cooking and culture in particular. Although Mexican restaurants are very common in the US, the rich, spicy, flavorful food enjoyed in Mexico is toned down dramatically to appeal to the US audience. This can be seen with fast food chains such as Taco Bell and Chipotle. Although I’m in no way an expert in Mexican cuisine, and even do like to eat at these chain restaurants from time to time, I also really appreciate the opportunity to experience more authentic Mexican food. And in my opinion, I prefer more traditional Mexican food, whether I taste it through Mexican restaurants that specialize in authentic cuisine, or even being able to cook and serve it at my own dinner table!