Tamaladas

By Joaquin Fierro (9th Grade)

Every year, my family and I visit my dad's side of the family in Dallas, Texas. A tradition we enjoy holding around the holidays is a Tamalada, where a lot of our family comes over and makes tamales and then eats them later. Tamales, the food cooked during the Tamalada is created by steaming corn or masa inside of corn husks. The way the masa is seasoned, whether it’s precooked or raw, and the fillings and other flavors often vary where you go but my personal favorite has always been chicken tamales. Tamaladas are always a fun way to spend time with family and friends while also making delicious food. Additionally, a benefit is that the whole process of making tamales, which can sometimes take a while, goes a lot faster with the additional hands to help. I always found that Tamaladas brought me closer to my Mexican roots and that it helped me also in turn improve some of my cooking skills.