ELIZABETH RUMEBE – MEXICO

Tamales Competition

Elizabeth Rumebe is a Mexican Master Cake Decorator, Pastry and Savoury Food Chef. Passionate in Baking and Culinary Arts alike, she is an award winner in several National competitions, including the best in show prize from The Escoffier Society of Toronto’s annual Culinary Salon, sanctioned by The Canadian Culinary Federation. She’s also participated in Latin American gourmet /alta cocina events, among others.

RECETA: Mexican Corn Husk Tamales (Tamales Rojos)

Tamales Rojos; one of the most popular kind of tamales across Mexico, filled with tender pieces of pork simmered in a delicious and rich red Chile sauce called adobo.

The tamal rojo is one of my favorite, because reminds me all the celebrations that I spend with my family in Mexico specially in December, the beginning of Christmas in the “Posadas”, and in january 6 after we cut the rosca de Reyes and find the little baby inside, everybody is thinking in “La tamalisa” of the February 2 day of the “La Candelaria” which is the most popular day for eat tamales.

In Mexico you can find tamales every day, day and night, and a variety of thousand fillings, and different leaves for wrapping but the most popular in first place is always red tamales and second are the green (whit tomatilo sauce).

For reference:

Tamales are known throughout Latin America, although under different names. In Mexico it is known as a “tamal” because it comes from the Nahuatl “Tamalli” which means wrapped.

Tamales are present at the dinner table of all Mexicans on any occasion, although the best known date by tradition is February 2nd “Día de la Candelaria.”

February 2nd is the date when the Virgin was purified; It is also the date in which the Mexicas celebrated the beginning of the “Atlacahualo” or the beginning of the planting season. During this festival, the natives blessed the corn that would be seeded as part of the tribute to their gods Quetzalcóatl, Tláloc (god of rain) and Chalchiuhtlicue (goddess of lakes and streams of water).