Tamales Becoming Hot, Hot, Hot for All Holiday Tables

Tamales are Mexican fiesta food, especially during the holidays. But judging from what I’ve observed lately, they’re on the verge of becoming as American as apple pie. In recent weeks, I’ve run into a number of non-Latino folks for whom tamales are simply a mandatory element when it comes to laying out the holiday spread.

For instance, the matriarch of an African American family tells me that if tamales are omitted from her groaning board of traditional fare (she prepares about 35 dishes and feeds 50 or 60 members of her extended family), she knows she’s going to hear protests. Another family I know has for a few years made tamales--which are not strictly Kosher--the centerpiece of their Hanukkah dinner. And I just heard about a birthday party for an elderly Chinese gentleman who, when asked what food he’d like for the celebration, stated in no uncertain terms “Tamales!”

Tamales are essentially cornmeal dough and filling wrapped in cornhusks or banana leaves and steamed. The ancient Maya, who considered them gifts from the gods, placed them on altars so the dead could partake of their favorite food. The original tamales were plain cornmeal--in effect, steamed cornbreads--but many filled and flavored varieties developed. After the Spanish introduced pigs to Mexico, lard was incorporated into the dough for moistness, and pork became a favorite filling.

Over time, the fillings became ever more sophisticated. Chicken, cheese and chiles found their way into the mix, as did a variety of sauces, ranging from simple red and green chile sauces to more complex moles. For special occasions, fruit fillings are used, particularly pineapple and raisins.

There are many regional--and, for that matter, family--differences. One major point of contention among aficionados is whether the meat should be shredded or minced (around here you’ll mostly encounter minced). Another is whether the cornmeal should be smooth or coarse. Whatever version you encounter, few comfort foods of any nationality fill you up quite as pleasantly as a tamale.

Though Mexican families have their tamales either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, the goodies themselves are prepared before Christmas, with all family members pitching in. This event is called a tamalada, and my friend Consuelo Campos recalls the tamalada duties of her Orange County youth being assigned by age, in ascending order.

“As the night wore on, there’d be a bottle of tequila on the table and the older women would get downright competitive, criticizing each other’s techniques,” she said.

Of course, if you’re of a certain age--and don’t come from an extended family of abuelos (grandparents) and primos (cousins)--your initial acquaintance with tamales may have been made in the frozen-food section of the grocery store. So if you want to incorporate tamales into your holiday celebration but aren’t up to making your own, Orange County has plenty of family-run Mexican carnicerias (meat market-deli), molinos (tortilla-making stores) and even some panaderias (bakeries) that sell fresh, handmade tamales by the dozen.

Most tamale vendors recommend ordering at least one day ahead, especially during holiday time. (Tamales keep well, up to a week in the refrigerator and indefinitely in the freezer. And they’re microwaveable. Leave them in the husks and add a little water to the dish to restore moistness.)

One tamale source is El Metate in Santa Ana, a Mexican molino-panaderia-carniceria where the Murrieta family has been dishing up tamales and other Mexican delights for 32 years. El Metate is a spacious, airy place with a casual dining area attached to the store where you can nurse a beer and munch on your choice of pork, beef, chile, chicken and vegetarian tamales-as well as sweet tamales packed with raisins and slightly caramelized pineapple. They’re plump and moist, and the meat versions come doused in a piquant mole sauce (available as a side if you’re ordering to go). Manager Jose Murrieta estimates that El Metate will sell 11,000 between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

El Metate, 838 1st St., Santa Ana. (714) 542-3913. Tamales are $1.50 each or $14.99 per dozen.

Another tamaleria is the bakery attached to Moreno’s Restaurant in Orange. Owners Javier and Nora Moreno started making tamales by hand 35 years ago. The business soon grew into a bakery, and in 1976 the family reclaimed a 19th century Quaker meeting house in Orange, where they opened Moreno’s. The adjacent bakery sells several varieties. Fillings include finely shredded pork in both red and green sauces, chicken, rajas (chiles with cheese) and dulces (with raisins and pineapples.)

Moreno’s, 4328 E. Chapman Ave., Orange. (714) 639-2181. $14 per dozen.

Other tamale vendors:

Taco Mesa, 647 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa. (949) 642-0629. Holiday special: Chile colorado and chile verde with chicken or beef, $14 per dozen.

El Cholo, 840 E. Whittier Blvd., La Habra. (562) 691-4618. Holiday special: Turkey mole tamales, $3 each.

Tia Rosa, 2307 Balboa Blvd., Newport Beach. (949) 675-6574. The restaurant is known for its fish tacos, but locals have warmed to its beef and chicken tamales served with a spicy enchilada sauce. $2.49 each.