As part of the Macon Food Story, we’re taking a food tour every Thursday throughout the month of December and showcasing the holiday food traditions of different cultures and countries.
Mercer Center for Collaborative Journalism reporter Sonya Green has the second installment about the savory side of Mexico. She spoke to Mario Barragan, the head chef at Tzango Cocina.
Mario, the head chef at Tzango, is originally from Mexico. He grew up in the area outside of Mexico City, where they grow the agave for tequila.
Q: Let's talk about your holiday cultural traditions! Part of the festivities include food and one of the main dishes are tamales, right?
A: Correct. We don't celebrate Thanksgiving. On Christmas is when we do the turkey, so [we serve] the turkey along with the tamales.
Tamales are one of the things people like to show off because it is an item that's very tasty. It's a small bundle, but it could also feed a lot of people.
People try to make them as special as they can so everybody can show their special recipe that was passed on from their parents and great-grandparents.
In this instance, we're going to use shredded chicken, banana leaves and then precooked masa (corn dough) with mole.
Q: Can you show me how to make them?
A: To begin, we start with a piece of the masa, which we're going to set on our table, flatten it down, and then we go in with some of the chicken and mole. It needs to be a little bit firmer, but then we close it up and there you go, that's a tamale.
Just repeat that about a couple hundred times depending on how many people you have coming into the neighborhood.
Q: Now here comes the fun part
A: Yes, and as you can see, the whole thing goes together.
Q: It's so pretty, I'm going to have a taste. That is heaven
A: Part of tamales is the satisfaction of seeing that you've done a good job and then when your guests get to try it and either give you good comments or say, 'My tamales are better.'
Tamales are a holiday classic, but they're also served throughout the year.
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