It鈥檚 that time of year again.
Holiday music playing everywhere you go, sparkling lights, inflatable decorations adorning neighborhood houses and, of course, the smell of tamales in the air.
Many families are already placing holiday orders at their local tamales joints because, like the taco, the tamal has crossed cultural boundaries across the Lone Star State. But there are plenty, less famous Latino holiday foods waiting to get their due.
Taco journalist , a 2022 James Beard Award nominee and host of the podcast, joined the Standard to dish out the details. Listen to the story above or read the transcript below.
This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:
Texas Standard: Tamales have become a holiday staple to so many folks across Texas. But, you know, there鈥檚 more than just the corn husk tamal. There鈥檚 also a banana leaf version. Does that taste sweeter, or what鈥檚 the difference?
Mando Rayo: Yeah, no. I mean, it鈥檚 really a mix, to be honest. We鈥檙e used to, obviously here in Texas being so close to Mexico 鈥� and I mean, this was Mexico 鈥� so we have the corn tamales readily available, whether they鈥檙e the green chilies or the red chilies and pork and fat ready to go. But if you go, you know, into Central and South Mexico, as well as Central America, you have the banana leaf type of tamales. And they鈥檙e also called like 鈥渢amales Oaxaque帽os.鈥�
And so those are corn-based, which is a mix. You can have some that are vegetable-heavy, definitely have the meat variety and even some fruits. But it鈥檚 a little different because your traditional corn husk tamales usually have just the corn masa, some manteca and chilies and the protein, right? But the banana leaf, you can go, you know, full vegetarian, they can come with potatoes and garbanzo beans and peas and maybe add in some some chicken and pork. I wouldn鈥檛 say they wouldn鈥檛 be too heavy on the chilies, but they do come with that holiday seasoning 鈥� the anise, the cinnamon. And I think really when you look at, some of the ones that do have meats, they definitely kind of come in on the pork and you got to make sure that that corn masa is made to perfection with some manteca.
I hope you didn鈥檛 hear my stomach growling just then. There are plenty of sweet treats this holiday season we should touch on as well. You mentioned atole, for example.
Yeah, for sure. I mean, I grew up drinking atole during the holidays. It鈥檚 a great drink that鈥檚 kind of like a Mexican version of a very thick, hot chocolate. So it鈥檚 a masa-based drink. It鈥檚 simmered with corn and definitely like the spices of cinnamon and milk and a little bit of water. And I guess you can say it鈥檚 simmered until what you hear out there in the taco net, 鈥渦ntil it鈥檚 creamy, thick and velvety.鈥�
So what is 鈥渃apirotada鈥�?
Oh, capirotada. Man, I grew up with capirotada. It鈥檚 a great dessert. I mean, I guess if you want to describe it, people call it a Mexican bread pudding. The crazy thing is, first you have to get the bread 鈥� you know, the white bread or the bolillo or even French bread 鈥� where you actually slice it and then you put it in the oven, you make it a little bit hard. Then you top it with a mixture of cinnamon, piloncillo 鈥� which is that hardened brown sugar that you see at the Mexican markets 鈥� cloves, raisin, bread. And here鈥檚 a kicker: cheese. And then you pop it into the oven and then it becomes mushy again. You know, it鈥檚 great with some hot chocolate. It鈥檚 great with some atole. It鈥檚 definitely like one of those desserts that are hearty.
I鈥檓 going to throw another one out there: What about bu帽uelos? Is that more New Year鈥檚 food or what?
Yeah, yeah, for sure. You have the Mexican variety where 鈥� to be honest bu帽uelos can be found all over Latin America. So the Mexican bu帽uelos that you see, you see them at the panader铆as 鈥� at the bakeries 鈥� where it鈥檚 just like wheat flour, deep fried, and it鈥檚 in the shape of a tortilla. And then you mix it in with some sugar and cinnamon, brown sugar. And, you know, it鈥檚 like a crispy dessert. But then you also have bu帽uelos of South America. You have the bu帽uelos Colombianos, which are basically 鈥� you know, the best way I can describe it is like these little corn balls.
Wow.
And so it鈥檚 mixed with yuca flour. And, as you know, yuca is part of the potato family. Corn, corn flour, definitely mixed in with that queso fresco 鈥� all that salty cheese 鈥� milk and sugar and a little bit of salt. You deep fry that and you cut them in half. You put like maybe a little bit of extra butter. You have it with your caf茅 or even even some jelly, as well. But it鈥檚 great, so it鈥檚 a big variety. So when you think of all these different traditional Latino foods, they mix just like our language. You know, some places call 鈥渢acos鈥� one thing in one region, and another one, they鈥檙e 鈥渂urritos.鈥�
Mando, what dish are you most excited to make or to eat? Do you have a preference? You like doing the cooking around the holiday season?
Oh, I do. I do. I usually make like chile colorados. Basically it鈥檚 a kind of like carnitas but stewed in red chile. I mean, it鈥檚 so good and it really is a lot of work because that鈥檚 the same base that you make tamales with. And so if you really get inspired, the first weekend you make the chile colorado, and then the following weekend you save it and you make the tamales.