Tradition of the Tamales

**This recipe is very similar to Tamale’s Industry, but this recipe uses Masa Mix (Which Tamale’s Industry does not use). This is the recipe and preparation that we give out, the true recipe and preparation is Family Secret. This is still a good way for others to make tamales**

Tamales have the power of merging family. Christmas eve in Mexico means interacting and bonding with the whole family. When the holiday season begins and everybody gathers at Grandmother’s house you can trace the smell of tamales getting cook in the kitchen mixed with the smell of cinnamon. The Christmas tree is bursting with presents and on the side the nativity scene which is always present in a Catholic Mexican family. The table is brimming in flavors, with a variety of dessert and snacks and delicious hot drinks. As appetizing as the table looks the whole family is barely touching the food because the tamales are almost ready and everybody wants to eat as many tamales as possible. When the tamales are ready it means that Christmas Eve celebration is staring. Everyone from the oldest in the house to the youngest gets a plate and eats as many tamales as possible while sharing stories and laughs. The tamales are the main guest of the celebration. The tamales are a traditional Mexican food that can be traced to the Aztecs. The word tamale comes from the Aztec word tamalii which means wrapped food. The Aztec women would cook the tamales for the soldiers because they were easy to carry and eat. Today making tamales is a bonding event for all the women in the family,

Traditional Hispanic food can be identified by the appearance of the tortillas and the thick, rich enchilada sauces that can be green, brown or red and resemble a thick gravy. Rice and refried beans typically are served inside of the tortillas or on the side, and this dish can be referred to as an enchilada or as a chimichanga if it is deep fried on the outside. Melted cheese over the top of the dish is also a good indication of Hispanic food.

Throughout my life, being Hispanic has always meant family and unity. I was born into a Mexican family on my mother's side; we would often gather together for family parties, events, and holidays. Our lives are intertwined with each other; if something significant happened to an individual in the family, a majority of the family would be involved. My family usually gathers together to celebrate major holidays, but this past year I witnessed relatives assembling during a difficult farewell.

From a ride range of tacos from “The Democrat” to the “Dirty Sanchez”, I was stumped on which to order. I decided on the “Trailer Park” which contains a large piece of fried chicken, lettuce, green chiles, pico de gallo on a flour tortilla with pablano sauce. You have the option to “make it trashy” meaning you take the lettuce off and add queso, which of course I did because for this experience I was going to go all out. Once I poured the jalapeno ranch on top of my taco, the flour tortilla is too small to full wrap up it’s contents. As soon as I picked up my taco, the queso, pico de gallo, ranch sauce, and green chiles fell out of the bottom. Alas, I would not let this go to waste so I scooped all of it up and tried again, but using a fork instead. I was sort of bummed knowing I couldn’t properly eat this taco, but I was still mucho

the tamales were finished, they cooked all night. I can smell it in my mind, so comforting. The

I was personally a bit shocked. They aren’t accustomed to making them with the meats and salsa that Mexicans add to our tamales. She told us that what is normal for us is weird for her. When she first tried Mexican tamales, she thought that they were too spicy for her to actually enjoy them but the more she ate them she started to actually like them. Most Mexican dishes are known for their spiciness. Nothing tastes good if you don’t add something spicy, well that happens with the tamales as well. They won't be half as delicious if they weren’t spicy. I really like when my mom makes spicy tamales, Virginia's tamales only had chicken and a bit of salsa verde (green salsa), which was barely noticeable. It felt pretty plain and I didn’t really enjoy it. It became one of the foods that I probably won’t ever eat again, unless it had something more than just chicken and less masa. I am always willing to try new food but something with flavor. Something that I can make the food memorable. I always like to have the food leave an impression on me. This tamale was really plain. It had no taste to it. It gave me this feeling of boredom. It looked white maybe even a yellow kind of color, shaped in a small square. It was wrapped around with a green leaf that she said comes from bananas or something. It was tied with a small piece of the leaf to secure it while it cooked so that it can hold everything inside and not

Tamales are a great food that taste amazing and it's actually really is to make. Tamales is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa or dough, which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf. Growing up I have always loved tamales and I get so excited when my aunt makes them.

A usually corn tortilla makes the base of all tacos, which can be filled with anything: every part of a pig, cow, or chicken, stewed, barbecued, roasted on a vertical spit,

Not only are tamales good to eat, but they bring so much more to the table, they bring laughter, memories and most important family. They bring families together every year across different communities throughout the nation, and abroad to me, tamales are a combination of good times, love, and togetherness all wrapped up and presented like a gift for the soul around the holidays.

The Meaning Of Food Around the holidays I have three things on my mind: family, presents and delicious food. Speaking of food I usually look forward to my mother's delicious tamales. Every year me and my brothers sit down to make tamales. My mother's exquisite tamales have so many flavors. She starts by making a red chili sauce and a green chili verde sauce to cook the meat in. Next me and my brothers spread out the masa which is a type of corn dough, which we spread on corn husks.

The most important and frequently used herbs and spices in Mexican cuisine are chilli powder, oregano, cilantro, epazote, cinnamon, and cocoa. Chipotle, a smoke-dried jalapeño chilli, is also common in Mexican cuisine. Many Mexican dishes also contain garlic and onions.

Today, I went to Church mass tonight around at 6pm ready for dinner to celebration has Tamales Day being on February 2nd later at 8pm. It's was on January 6th is special for bread inside has baby Jesus for the Three Kings Day. But, I nothing inside has to my bread with baby Jesus make to my god to touch me and my mom and sister has baby Jesus so lucky get tamales for the days same to my family sometime or not have inside for baby Jesus. Then enter to church arrive and she gives me for candles of the day is blessed and I saw people has brought to child christ is baby Jesus and some virgin of Guadalupe in the mother's Mary put on a floor in the front. We have blessed to be church is a presentation for us with their people of the includes has

First, I must admit that I have never had a Christmas without tamales. Christmas is a very special time for my family because this is when we all try to get together. Christmas in our family is not about what gifts you’re going to exchange with one another but about spending time with those you love while eating one of your favorite foods, tamales. When my siblings and I were young my mom would always make tamales, and champurado, a thick hot chocolate for us for Christmas. As my sister and I got older we would put on hairnets and oversized aprons, this attire was required by my mom, so that we could help her make tamales, we quickly learned that making tamales is a lot of work but we enjoyed spending time together

To start of, we have the base of it all... the soft corn tortilla which is cooked on each side for 10-30 seconds in a frier making sure the tortilla is soft and pliable and not crispy an easily breakable. The tortilla is essential because without it then we wouldn’t really have anywhere to put the other ingredients. Without a tortilla there would be no taco basically. In addition, the way you make the tortilla is important to. Each person likes it a different way and in this case it would be soft so it is important to make sure you cook it precisely. My mom is the tortilla in our family because she holds all of us together and makes sure we behave and do the right things. Without my mom then we would be all over the place just like how the meat and cilantro, onions, etc. would be too. I consider my mom like a soft tortilla and not a crispy one because she isn’t easily intimidated or something like that but she does care for her family and friends. Along with my mom being represented by the tortilla there's also my sister who can be like the second tortilla that some tacos have. I consider her the second tortilla because she is also like a second mom to me since she has supported me all my life and helped out my mom take care of me since I was a baby and she was around her teen years. Although the tortillas are basically the most essential part of a taco there is also the meat, carne asada.