Tamale taller

Homemade tamales!

Look at David and me! We're making tamales!

We had a tamale taller (workshop on how to make tamales) with our chef Mario, and his pro-tamale-making mother, last Friday, November 25, the day after Thanksgiving. Tamales are a traditional latino holiday food, especially here in Costa Rica. There are sweet tamals, ones with veggie and ones with meat (usually cerdo, pork). Below is a video of a couple of our students teaching me how to make a tamal:

We made 197 tamales that day, 20 of which were vegetarian. We invited the families/friends of our students and staff to come up to campus that evening and enjoy eating the products of our handicraft! It was a fun night, and we enjoyed community, laughter, games, and a smokey failure of a fire in our comedor dining hall. And we are still enjoying those leftover tamales as the holiday season continues on.

Mario and students look on as his mamá teaches us how to make tamales.

Folding the tamal.

Making a vegetarian tamal, no doubt.

Everyone got involved in the process that day;
even Luis, our maintenance man, was recruited
to wash hojas, or banana leaves.

Having a fun time making holiday tamales! 

My vegetarian tamal face! :)

Tying "piñas," or packages, of 2 tamales together before cooking. 

The assembly line of tying "piñas," or packages,
of 2 tamales together before cooking. 

Mario and his mamá putting hundreds of tamales into pots to cook!

Mario and his mamá putting hundreds of tamales into pots to cook! 

Mario and his mamá putting hundreds of tamales into pots to cook!