Tamal: tradition, flavor and culture in one bite / 5 minutes of Spanish+ Podcast - English version

In this podcast we are going to talk about the tradition of eating tamales on February 2, the origin of the tamale, its regional varieties and the symbolism of this delicious snack.

Click here for the Spanish version

Good morning, good afternoon or good evening depending on where you are or what time you are listening to us.

 

Thank you very much for being here, participating week after week, in this podcast about Spanish, a language that we love and that today summons us.

 

And this is the last podcast of January ....

 

It is the fifth podcast of this year 2024, I know what you were going to say.

 

And it is the 182nd edition of 5 minutes of Spanish.

 

Fifth podcast of the year, last podcast of the first month of this, not so "new year" anymore, time goes by, I say that to be original and what is today's topic?

 

Let's talk about food and traditions, again the theme of food, is that we have February 2 coming and...

 

I know, I can't wait for Friday, well, we`ll eat tamales!

 

I see that makes you very happy, why is that?

 

Remember that on January 6, Three Kings Day, we talked about the Rosca de Reyes and that those who brought out the baby Jesus or a doll hidden in the rosca, had to bring tamales on February 2.

 

If you didn't listen to that podcast, you can listen to it later.

 

A little vocabulary

Ponerse feliz -to become happy

Traer tamales- to bring tamales

Sacarse el monito o muñequito- to get the little doll

 

The people who brought out the baby Jesus in the Spanish in Cabo donut are going to bring us tamales to school, thank you!

 

What is celebrated on February 2?

 

We celebrate the day of the Virgen de la Candelaria, it is not only a Catholic holiday, it is a religious syncretism between the Catholic religion and the pre-Hispanic culture.

 

Religious syncretism is a combination of two religions, right?

 

Exactly, the catholic religion celebrates the purification of the virgin Mary after the birth of the baby Jesus, that's why she takes him to the church to do the ritual just 40 days after the birth. Parto de Jesús (delivery of Jesus)

 

On the other hand, many indigenous peoples honored Tlaloc, God of water, watered the fields and offered him corn, hoping to have good harvests.

 

Regar- to water

Cosecha- harvest.

 

So, these two beliefs were combined. And the tamales?

 

By tradition, on February 2, people went to church and then ate tamales, corn-based tamales are of pre-Hispanic origin. The whole family participates in their preparation and they are a symbol of celebration.

 

What does the word tamal mean?

 

It comes from the Nahuatl word tamalli and means wrapped.

 

Envuelto- wrapped

Envolver- to wrap

 

Where are tamales eaten?

 

Practically all-over Latin America, with regional differences.

 

Who has the most variety of tamales?

 

Mexico has 500 varieties of tamales, chicken, pork, mole, rajas, sweets, each state has its own variety.

 

What does the tamale take?

 

Very simple elements, corn flour and some filling, it is wrapped in banana or corn leaves and steamed.

 

It's a delicious snack! Bocado-bite

 

It is not only a meal; it is also a cultural symbol.

 

And you, do you know the tamale, do you like it, what kind of tamale do you prefer?

 

Thank you very much for making it this far in the Podcast. And thank you for listening, participating, commenting. Spanish in Cabo and SpanishUp2U would not be the same without you. We want you to speak and think in Spanish, that's our mission.

 

Thank you for allowing us to do this work that we love.

 

And, if you enjoyed this podcast, please share it.

 

See you in the workshops this Friday, February 2 in the tamale cooking class, in the classes, 24/7 on SpanishUp2U, in the Thursday workshop on Zoom, or listen to us next Wednesday.

 

See you soon.

 

Bye-bye.

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