Salvadoran Silk

A Salvadoran friend talks glowingly about her mother’s tamales pisques--tamales filled with beans rather than meat seasoned with chile sauce. The corn for this type of tamal is not cooked with cal (hydrated lime), a substance that is used in preparing masa for other tamales.

My friend’s mother lives in El Salvador, but tamales pisques are available here too. The Panaderia Sabor Latino, which specializes in Central American baked goods and Salvadoran products, sells them. Wrapped in banana leaves, each tamale contains a spoonful of finely pureed black beans that sink into the masa to create a marbled effect. The flavor is mild, and the texture is smooth and silky.

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Tamales pisques, $1 each at Panaderia Sabor Latino, 2722 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 734-1535.