Breakfast in Guatemala (Second Part)

Let´s continue with a very important meal for Guatemalans.

Note: if you click on the food links mostly you´ll find the recipes, but sometimes more explanations.

Tamales: this dish is part of all Latin American countries culture… but! You won´t find the same savor on them even in 2 regions of the same country. The history about tamales doesn´t clarify about the origins, but seems it had born in Mexico and went out from there to all Latin America with the conquistadores. I can´t tell… I wasn´t there, you know! ;) But what I know for sure is that this dish is part of the bases or our culture.

Red Tamales: usually done with a base of corn dough with meat (could be pork, chicken or beef), with a tomato sauce… but here is exactly the point that make them different between countries: the condiments and the way to do the sauce. Also could include olives and pepper. The dough with the condiments inside is wrapped in plantain leaves and put into a pot to be cook.

Here a video of how to prepair and wrap tamales:



This could be the most representative Guatemalan tamale, but we also have:

Rice Tamales: the dough is made with rice, but the rest of the process is the same.

Black Tamales: the sauce includes chocolate and sugar, so it´s sweet and more use for special occasions like Xmas.

Corn Tamales is with just the dough, no meat, no sauce, but prepared in a special sweet way.

Chepilin Tamales are as well with a corn dough base and this plant leaves.

Cambray tamales also sweet ones, made with aniseed.

Chepes with corn dough base and boiled black beans inside.

White Tamales done just with corn dough, those are for serving with other meals (using it like bread).

Loroco Tamales with the same corn dough base, with boiled lorocos inside.



Tamale with Izote are also corn dough based small tamales with boiled izote flower inside.



Chuchitos are corn dough based small tamales, with meat inside and tomato sauce, but nothing else. The savor of the sauce, even being done also with tomatoes, is quite different than normal tamale.

Paches are potato dough based, with meat but no sauce.



Tamales are a meal that could be taken at any time, not exclusively during breakfasts. Most of them are use as a complete meal, but some (like white ones, chuchitos or corn ones) could be use, cut by slices, as bread with the meals.

I already know the savor of the tamales could be something so different for someone that haven´t ever tried one and is doing it for first time being an adult… maybe is the kind of savors that you have to group up with to really appreciate them. I just love them!

(To be continued)