Basic Tamal Dough
There are dozens of dishes called tamales with nothing in common except that they are folded before cooking in a wrapping, usually corn husks or banana leaves. This particular formula, in which masa is beaten very light with lard, is probably the most versatile tamal...
Crimped Corn Tartlets (Picadas)
“Picada,” literally “pinked” or “pricked,” refers to the way you’re supposed to crimp up the edges of a small tortilla so as to form a shallow tartlet shell for spreading with a few simple toppings and serving as either a breakfast or supper snack. You may have...
Corn Tortillas (Tortillas de maíz)
When Mexicans say “tortillas,” you usually bet that they are not thinking of the blah versions of flour tortillas so popular in the United States — not much different from all those other flabby all-purpose “wraps.” Nearly everywhere in Mexico, the bread of life...Oaxacan Tamales de Mole Amarillo
Since pre-Hispanic times, tamales have been the number one festive food. Everywhere in Mexico tamales are fiesta food — the equivalent of saying, “Let’s party!” On all occasions like weddings, baptisms, village saint’s days and the Days of the Dead when only the best...
The many lives of Zarela Martínez
Culinary legend Zarela Martínez introduced finely tuned, highly researched regional Mexican cuisine to a national stage, and has continued to blaze trails for more than three decades.