Tamales from Veracruz

All the products listed can be purchased at one of our location Juniors locations Junior’s Supermarket.

Ingredients for Tamales

• 1.5 kg pork or chicken leg
• 1 cup water
• Black pepper to taste
• A pinch of salt
• 4 cloves of garlic
• Ground cumin
• 8 ancho chiles
• 1 pkg banana leaves
• 1 pc large onion

Ingredients for Dough

• 1 kg Maseca Cornmeal
• 1 kg lard
• 1 liter water
• A pinch of salt

• Heat a skillet to heat the banana leaves.
• Once the banana leaf becomes smoother in texture, remove the thick edges.
• Then cut the banana leaf into squares.
• For the filling, remove the veins from the chili and remove the seeds. Once clean, heat over low heat until soft.
• Once it acquires a smoother texture, blend it together with the garlic and onion. Add pepper, salt and cumin to taste, and a cup of water.
• Separate the already ground ingredients, and add the chicken or minced pork.

Dough Preparation

• Beat the cornmeal together with the lard, until it is a homogeneous mixture.
• Gradually add water while continuing to knead. When you have a fluffy and smooth consistency, add a little salt and finish kneading.
• When the dough is ready, take a banana leaf, already trimmed with the and fill it with a spoonful of dough.
• Spread the dough the length and width of the banana leaf, using the back of a large spoon.
• Then add a little of the smoothie that you made at the beginning of the recipe, with its respective meat and also distribute throughout the entire tamale.
• Then close the tamale, folding the edges in so that the filling is well contained within the tamale.

Tamalesfrom Veracruz

History of Tamales Veracruzanos: One of the most popular tamales in the South of Mexico are the Tamales Veracruzanos. The flavors of this famous Mexican dish were brought by Spanish and French sailor to the Yucatán Peninsula in the 16th Century. The origins of this tamale has been traced back to Veracruz Mexico as early as 1540. The name of this dish got it’s name after it began to be produced by nuns from La Covenant San Jose de la Concordia in Veracruz city.