Glamorous tamales - Mundo Latino: news events

Latino Leaders: The National Magazine of the Successful American Latino, April-May, 2003

Tamales, flavorful corn dough bundles, are one of Mexico's oldest and finest culinary treats. Feasted on at Aztec banquets, long before the arrival of the Spaniards, tamales nowadays are less spectacular and are commonly sold piping hot at busy Mexican street corners. At these informal eateries, tamales provide the tasty filling for a bread roll, wrapped in paper and swiftly consumed on the way to work or school. Tamales are tasty, filling, and inexpensive, though of dubious nutritional value.

The flavorful dough packages vary from region to region, and varieties include dough filled with small, sweet beans and pineapple in Sinaloa, shredded meat and red chili in Monterrey, and chicken and black mole in Oaxaca.

As a result of its successful debut in the United States, the humble tamal has undergone a glamorous makeover--transformed into an epicurean surprise beneath its delicate wrap. The small corn dough bundle wrapped in banana leaf or cornhusk remains much the same; however, it has become the perfect vehicle for other flavors, ones that aspire more to the French than the Mexican kitchen.

Ironically, simple Mexican fare has been given a gourmet twist and gastronomic combinations such as spinach and goat cheese, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, and wild mushroom and caramelized onion now grace our tables.

Bon vivant John Sedlar, chef, best-selling author, and tamales expert, is all for this gastronomic transformation, and feels it is necessary to accommodate today's tastes. He claims, "The world is taking over Mexican food and not vice versa."