Tamales are a family labor of love

The family ritual of getting together to make tamales has evolved into a lively tradition of solidarity and remembrance.

The word “tamales” invokes so many things. Some of those include culture, language, taste, history and togetherness.

Tamales have been around for thousands of years, perhaps as far back as 8,000 to 5,000 years ago. The indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica made them. The word “tamal” is the singular of the word “tamales” in Spanish.

In the native Nahuatl language, the word was “tamalli,” which means “wrapped food.” In English, because of translanguaging — the borrowing of a word in one language and converting it into another word in another language — the singular has evolved into tamale.

Nixtamal, the maize used in making masa for tortillas and tamales, is a kind of corn. It is cooked with lime and then ground into masa.

Recipes have evolved through the centuries. Now, tamales can be fat or thin and have diverse fillings, including pork (with or without raisins), chicken, beans (with or without cheese), venison and sweet flavors that include strawberries and pineapple. One of my recipes combines Hatch chiles and Monterey Jack cheese. The masa is always the framework for tamales, which are then wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves.

Making tamales is labor intensive. For Hispanic communities in Texas and other border states, we call the family ritual a tamalada.

In my family, we made them on Christmas Eve. My siblings and I — and perhaps a cousin or two — would crowd around the kitchen table to spread the masa on the husks. My mother would make the picadillo (filling) and mix the masa with pork lard, salt and some kind of chile. After that came the filling and rolling of the tamales, then arranging them in a big pot and steam-cooking them.

The ritual of getting together to make tamales has evolved into exchanging stories and chisme — or gossip — with family and friends. Thus, the evolution of the word “tamaleras.” Here the word implies exchanging gossip. Each December, San Antonio presents a play called “Las Tamaleras” at a local theater. I finally watched it a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the play, especially the humor.

A funny story about tamales involves President Gerald Ford in 1976. On a visit to San Antonio, he was given a tamale, but no one thought to warn him that he must first remove the husk.

Soon after moving to San Antonio from the Rio Grande Valley in the early 1990s, my family joined with another Vera family to make tamales one December. Two of my nephews — Jaime and Carlos — had never been involved in a tamalada.

Jaime took part in the ritual of kneading the masa until a pinch placed in a glass of water would float, meaning the masa was ready for spreading on the husks. He was so worn out that he took a nap afterward. After spreading masa on the husks for hours, Carlos decided he would gladly pay $5 a dozen. This was when tamales sold for $2 or $3 a dozen.

There is nothing better to join two cultures — in this case, the American and the Hispanic American — like food. No one can do without tamales during the Christmas season. Getting together with family and friends to make tamales keeps the ritual alive. But with COVID-19, large family gatherings are not recommended.

So, this year we recommended following your local grocer down the aisle pulling an ice chest full of hot tamales and inviting customers to choose between chicken and pork.

¡Feliz Navidad! And Happy New Year!