Tamales
If you got the little figurine (Niño Dios) in the Rosca de Reyes, you are probably getting ready to pay for the tamales for Día de la Candelaria and preparing to enjoy the traditional tamal feast. However, do you know what the celebration means and why we eat tamales if you find the figurine?
The celebration of La Candelaria is a Catholic ritual that begins at Christmas, with the birth of Jesus. Many Mexican families set up a Nacimiento in their homes during the December festivities and ate Rosca on January 6, in a symbolic act to remember the day when Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar (the Three Wise Men) offered gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the newborn Jesus.
Those who found the “little figurine” in their delicious slice become the padrinos del Niño and have to offer tamales on February 2, the day when, according to tradition, the Niño Dios is “raised” from the manger to "dress" him and continue the Catholic journey that leads through the Carnivals celebrated in March, Lent, and Ash Wednesday, finishing with Holy Week.
Even today, in markets or more traditional areas of Mexico, there are places where they "dress" the Niños Dios as part of this popular festivity. The first year, they dress him in white, without a crown or throne. The second year, he can wear a colored outfit, and it is only in the third year that they dress him as a King, like the Emperor of the Universe, placing his crown and throne because he can now perform miracles.
Eating tamales on this date is a gastronomic delight. Like almost all Mexican festivities, La Candelaria is a mix of pre-Hispanic and Catholic traditions. Just as the presentation of Jesus at the Temple of Jerusalem is celebrated, our ancestors commemorated the first day of the Aztec year in honor of Tláloc, Chalchiuhtlicue, and Quetzalcóatl.
Tamales were always part of offerings to the gods, especially because they are made from corn, the material the gods used to create man. Do you remember the legend of the Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the Maya? Well, it tells that after several failed attempts by the gods to create man with different materials, it was corn that finally allowed them to give him life.
The huastecos call themselves teenek, which means "those who live in the field with their language, blood, and share the same idea." Most of the teenek from San Luis Potosí live in the Huasteca region, in the eastern part of the state, located within the Pánuco River basin. This region is divided into 18 municipalities. The teenek share this space with mestizos and nahuas who occupy the southern part of the region.
Pride of Mexican gastronomy, the so-called giant tamal holds a history that few know, the justice taken by the victims themselves.
In pre-Hispanic times, during the classical period, the teenek occupied a vast territory that included parts of the current states of Veracruz, Hidalgo, Puebla, Tamaulipas, and San Luis Potosí. The most accepted hypothesis about their origin suggests that they came from an area inhabited by the Maya population along the Gulf of Mexico coast, whose continuity was broken with the arrival of the totonacos and mexicas, mainly, at the end of the formative period.
The Huasteca region then hosted several indigenous groups, such as the huastecos, nahuas, pames, totonacos, chichimecas, and tepehuas. Their presence responded to different migratory processes and to the expansion stages of the Aztec, Teotihuacan, and Olmec empires. The Huasteca was influenced by tolteca and chichimeca cultures during the 12th century, and probably by migrations of nahua groups in the 13th century. In the time of Moctezuma I, part of this territory was conquered and subjected to the Mexica Empire; this domain continued until 1506.
According to pre-Hispanic accounts, transmitted by chroniclers, in 1468 there was an elderly man sent by Moctezuma to collect tribute from the subjugated towns, but abusing his power, he defiled young virgins.
The impunity surrounding the rapist ended when the Mexicas were defeated by the Tarascos, and upon hearing this, the Huasteco people captured the steward of Tenochtitlan to execute their revenge.
The huastecos, filled with hatred for the offence to their women and seeking to avenge it, decided to kill him and skin him, finally using his flesh in an enormous ceremonial tamal, which was eaten by the victims.
For this process, they wrapped the body in masa (corn dough) that was ground and seasoned with chili, covering it with banana and papatla leaves, and then placed it in a huge hole in the ground, filling it with stones and covering it with embers—a story that remains unproven, more of a myth than reality, according to many historians.
Ingredients
For the masa:
2 kg of corn dough
1 kg of pork lard
1 cup of guajillo chili, deseeded and soaked
1 cup of ancho chili, deseeded and soaked
1 head of garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons of cumin
Salt to taste
1 cup of chicken broth
For the filling:
1 kg of chopped pork
1 kg of chopped chicken
1 kg of chopped beef
1 cup of pork lard
2 teaspoons of salt
1 cup of guajillo chili, deseeded and soaked
1 cup of ancho chili, deseeded and soaked
1 cup of aguacate leaves, washed and disinfected
1 cup of banana leaves washed and disinfected
Totomoxtle leaves to wrap
Instructions
Prepare the masa:
In a large pan, toast the guajillo and ancho chilis over medium heat until slightly browned.
In a blender, combine the toasted chilis, garlic, cumin, and chicken broth until you have a smooth sauce.
In a large bowl, mix the corn dough with the pork lard and add the chili sauce. Knead until the dough is smooth. Add salt to taste.
Prepare the filling:
In a large pan, melt the pork lard and fry the meats until well-cooked. Add salt to taste.
In a blender, combine the guajillo and ancho chilis with the aguacate leaves until you have a smooth sauce.
Pour the sauce over the cooked meats and simmer until the mixture is well-integrated.
Assemble the Zacahuil:
Spread the totomoxtle leaves and place a layer of the masa on top.
Add a generous layer of the meat mixture and fold the leaves to form a large tamal.
Wrap the tamal with banana leaves and tie it with strips of the same leaf.
Steam in a large pot for approximately 4 to 6 hours, depending on the size of the zacahuil.
Serve and enjoy:
Once cooked, untie the banana leaves and cut generous portions for your guests.
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