on the road
e can think of plenty of reasons to gather with family this time of year, but the best one might be simply having the extra sets of hands for tamale-making. Tamales have long been associated with the holidays—they’re often part of the Mexican celebration of Las Posadas, commemorating Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter before Jesus’s birth—but the tradition of eating them has become more than just a religious practice. Tamales are a way to reconnect with family and Latinx heritage, and this starts with the big job of making them. Tamales can be labor intensive, so why not get the whole family involved and host a tamalada? If enough people are making and filling the masa and wrapping the bundles, you can crank out dozens of tamales at a time. Try a few batches this year using this recipe from Pauline Pimienta, co-owner of The Tamale Store in Phoenix. Her family’s red-chile tamales are so beloved, customers start placing their holiday orders in August! —Nora Horvath
The Tamale Store (thetamalestore.com) sells 5,000 handmade tamales every day in December!
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FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE
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DECEMBER 2020
Pauline Pimienta (right) with her mom, Martha Castillo (center), and sister Maria Stanzak
TAMALES, PHOTO: RALPH SMITH; FOOD STYLING: TYNA HOANG; PROP STYLING: STEPHANIE YEH. PORTRAIT: PATRICK BREEN/USA TODAY NETWORK.
For many Latinx families, it’s not Christmas without tamales.
