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Unos Simples Tamales de Piloncillo
By Naomy Melecio Estrada
I had the good fortune to live in Mexico for some time. I
was fortunate to grow up surrounded by the majority of my
parents’ friends, family, and community. Since this was where
both of my parents were born and raised, I felt very connected
to my roots. Unfortunately, I don’t think I made the most of
this opportunity; the food I tried, the people I encountered,
the times, and the entire culture I was exposed to showed me
the signicance of my roots. The time spent with family was
invaluable; I will never forget visiting my grandmother (dad’s
side) after school, she knew I was hungry and she would cook
whatever I wanted if she didn’t have the stuff we would go to
the store and get them, then I would watch her cook, after she
was done we would eat and watch novelas on this small TV she
had in her kitchen. This is one of my rst kitchen bonding ex-
periences and even though I didn’t see it back then I see it now.
As a child, I never really understood why she would never
deny me a meal of my desire but now looking back, I think she
really enjoyed spending time with me. It was our bonding time,
not many spoken words were exchanged but I was present
with her, we bonded over those moments. Chivadas, family
gatherings, quinceañeras, bautizos, birthday parties, etc. were
moments where I bonded the most with my family. I have a
ton of wonderful memories, and when looking back on those
moments, I’ve come to understand a few things: the value of
my family; the relationship between my culture and roots; the
surrounding environment and the friendships that arose; and
the way that food connected us through tastes, smells, and
memories.
As a child I ate many tamales, there were tamales rojos, verdes,
de dulce, de rajas, mole, and so many more kinds; which were
present for many of my birthday parties, family gatherings,
and many other celebrations, but most importantly they were
present for Christmas. Every Christmas when I was a kid, at
my dad’s childhood home, there would be two varieties of
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tamales. There were tamales de ceniza: the traditional kind,
which was triangle-shaped and extremely uffy; and then oval-
shaped tamales, which were atter and had a denser texture.
Both varieties were served with a pork meat sauce, sour cream,
onion, and lime. My aunt would always make these for special
occasions, and the whole family loved them. They were great
tamales, however, when it was time to visit my mother’s side
of the family, I would be ecstatic. The smell of piloncillo at
the front door is something I will never forget, and the uffy,
delicious masa of the tamales is something I can still picture in
my mouth. When I start to remember this taste in my mouth
something else comes along with it, the moments we would
all sit at the table and just talk. I remember I would search
a bunch of jokes and riddles, memorize them, and tell them
while we ate. My grandpa’s wife, the person who would make
these tamales, was such a wonderful person. She would always
laugh at my jokes no matter how bad I was at telling them, she
would also always make these tamales because she knew how
much I loved them. I saw her from a distance making them,
but I never got close because we just weren’t close like that, she
wasn’t my mom’s mom so that meant she wasn’t my grandma.
As I grew, I was given the opportunity multiple times to learn
how to make the tamales, but I never saw a reason why I
should. To me, it was time-consuming and a waste of my time.
I even got to say if I wanted to learn how to cook tamales I
could gure it out by researching on the internet and nding
a recipe. I also believed that it fed into the idea that women
needed to learn how to cook. My grandpa was one to sit at
the table waiting for everything to be handed to him, saying
that he was hungry and demanded food. As a child I viewed
these things as normal. As I matured I was convinced that I
was surrounded by sexism; women are meant to stay home,
clean, cook, and raise children and that is the sole purpose
of women. I started to move away from the pedagogies that
my family had to offer, the teachings and knowledge that my
family was trying to pass down to me. Sexism and traditional
gender roles were normalized, and what I believed was wrong,
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169
at least that’s how I viewed it. I wanted liberation from the
beliefs of my family, I didn’t want to be tied to a man and have
to learn how to cook or be a maid, so I always tried to brush off
what my elders would try to teach me. I devalued my mother’s
and grandmother’s labor because I was so eager to prove
my capability of being way more than what they themselves
believed to be worth. I became disconnected from our food, our
traditions, and our cultural legacy as a result of my liberation
from the kitchen.
Tamales de Chile Guajillo con Piloncillo
Ingredients:
• Sugar (azucar)
• Baking powder (royal)
• Corn dough (masa)
• Guajillo Chiles
• Lard (manteca)
• Corn husks
• Raw sugar cane cubes (piloncillo/ panela)
It’s the 24th of December and it is time to cook.
Everyone gets up early in the morning to get ready for Christ-
mas Eve; Get the masa for the tamales and don’t forget the
royal or the Manteca! Get the azúcar, buy el queso fresco, el
piloncillo
And don’t forget el chile guajillo.
Now it is time to make el Tamal
Just wait because
El sabor is going to be excepcional.
Recipe:
Step one: hydrate the corn husks
Step two: boil the guajillo chile until the chiles reaches a bland
consistency (clean the chiles, this should not have any stems or
seeds)
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Step three: dissolve the piloncillo in water (the goal is to
achieve a dough-like consistency).
Step four: blend the guajillo chile with the piloncillo and set it
to the side.
Step ve: prepare your masa with baking powder, sugar, and
lard.
Step six: grab your corn husks and masa to make the base of
your tamal, then the paste may be the chiles and piloncillo, add
as much queso fresco on top of the paste and nish it off by
adding more masa and closing it up.
Step seven: You will need a large stove pot with a strainer.
Place the tamales in the strainer, add 2 cups of water, cover,
and steam over medium heat for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the
masa easily pulls away from the husks. If you place a coin at
the bottom of your pot. Make sure that the tamales don’t run
out of water, you can add a coin to the bottom of your pot, this
will let you know when they need more water because the coin
will start to make a noise.
Don’t you just love tamales?
With its uffy masa and the delicious smell.
How can I explain the nostalgia?
the feeling, the memories, and the history that it holds
It’s just not something that can be sold.
Oh my! Oh my!
How could I be so blind
And not see your worth
Your process builds bonds and stories,
symbolizes love and family.
Now you know how to make tamales de piloncillo
So now there is no reason to not show your familia and amigos
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171
Recipes hold culture and traditions. They are a way of
preserving the avors and techniques that have been passed
down through generations. Food is an important part of our
identity and heritage. It connects us to our roots and reminds
us of where we come from. Cooking and sharing meals with
loved ones is a way of showing care and affection. Every recipe
has a story behind it, and each dish has its unique place in the
history of a family or a community. That’s why it’s important
to cherish and preserve these recipes for future generations to
enjoy. Creating new recipes and passing them on is important
as it allows us to evolve and adapt to changing times while
still preserving our cultural heritage. It’s a way of keeping our
traditions alive while also incorporating new ingredients and
techniques.
Sharing recipes with others is a way of building community
and connecting with others through food. It’s a way of showing
love and care for those around us by sharing something that
is deeply personal and meaningful. So, whether it’s learning
how to make traditional tamales or creating a new fusion
dish, the act of cooking and sharing food is a powerful way of
connecting with our roots and with each other. My story will
now be the beginning of a genuine third-generation family
recipe because after this I will cherish the recipe of that woman
who was my grandma for so many years. I was lucky and it
turns out my mother had been tough on how to make this
which is how I got this recipe. It is not the most detailed, but
it’s not from the internet either, which by the way I couldn’t
nd one where they would do them the way my grandma
made them. The investigation, the questions, and the reection
of this piece have made me eager to want to pass on this part of
my childhood, this part of my history, tradition, and this recipe
in general, because family recipes show how they are born in
loving, caring families, with the intention of togetherness and
bonds.
