Posted on 12/05/2004 4:28:37 AM PST by Arrowhead1952
One family's tamalada marks its 32nd year.
By Suzannah Gonzales
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Sunday, December 05, 2004
The aproned women crowded around a square table in the kitchen of the Balcones home Friday night, their hands busy and eyes focused on the work in front of them.
Piles of masa-covered ojas (corn husks), bowls of masa (corn dough) and containers of pork roast obscured the tabletop. With paint scrapers, some of the dozen or so women spread a thin layer of masa on the shucks. Others put a few spoonfuls of meat in a thin column on each masa-covered oja, rolled them and folded them.
While they worked, the women talked about school programs, pregnancy and what utensil spreads masa best.
For the descendants of Gonzala Ruiz, the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving weekend mean family and tradition — and tamales.
The family's tamalada— a gathering to make tamales, a Mexican American Christmastime staple — has come a long way since the first one in 1972.
Ruiz, originally from Tamaulipas, had died the year before, and four of her granddaughters didn't want to see her tamale recipe lost.
During that first gathering, Ruiz's eldest daughter, Esther Ancira, better known as Tía Tela among family members, passed down her mother's tamale recipe to her daughter, Ruth Madonna, and three of Madonna's cousins, Esther Stern, Yoli Ruiz and Carmen Tyler.
"Teach us what Grandma taught you," Tyler, 56, recalled them saying that day.
"They knew nothing," said Ancira, now 85. "They only knew how to eat (a tamale). But they were writing."
On a small piece of paper, the women scribbled a list of proportions of the ingredients Tía Tela never measured. The note has yellowed with age and is now kept in an album alongside photos and typed and handwritten notes from tamaladas past.
"Dec. 1972. 1. 8 1/2 lbs of pork roast 2. 1 hog's head 3. 53 lbs. of masa," the note reads. In 1996, "We won the National Championship. We beat Nebraska."
In 1997, guidelines — attendance rules, eligibility and an ad hoc hierarchy — for tamalada participants were established. In 1999, they welcomed 6-pound, 1-ounce, 20-inch-long Baby RJ. In 2002, they celebrated the tamalada's 30th anniversary and what had been a record output: 233 dozen tamales.
By Saturday evening 2004, there were 238 dozen and counting. On the grocery list were 20 pounds of ojas and 150 pounds of pork roast but no hog's head. The group switched to pork roast after one decade and after Madonna's heart surgery.
The women, descending on Austin from points as distant as North Carolina and as close as Round Rock, began about 9 a.m. Friday. They went until 11:30 that night but stayed at Tyler's house for an hour more, talking, counting and bagging tamales.
They started again about the same time Saturday and expected another late night.
Some tamales will be set aside for the big family gathering on Christmas Eve. The rest will be divided among tamalada participants.
The group waits to share big announcements until the tamalada each year. This year's news included four babies on the way and two engagements. The participants laugh, catch up and talk as if they see each other every month.
The tamalada is not to be missed and has never been canceled, persevering through a dozen births, four deaths, five weddings, three divorces and surgery.
Three generations sit around the table now. Kids who once played with their cousins during tamaladas are adults now and are part of the tamale-making process.
For Carmen Stern, Esther Stern's 25-year-old daughter, this year's tamalada was her first official one as a newly appointed "foil star member."
The foil star group is the bottom tier of the tamalada hierarchy, under the bronze and silver star members.
The "gold star" group has the four original students: Madonna, the elder Stern, Tyler and Yoli Ruiz. Their teacher, Ancira, is an "honorary platinum member."
Each group has its designated duties. The gold star members put meat on the masa-covered ojas. The younger Stern cleaned ojas, went to the store and was told to fetch lunch.
Being an official member of the tamalada is a lifelong commitment, the younger Stern explained.
"I'll come every year for the rest of my life for two days," she said. "Someday, when I have daughters, I'd like for them to join."
How long will the tamalada go on?
"Forever; I don't know," Madonna said. "I can't imagine not coming and making tamales."
I so miss the homemade tamales from my days in south Texas. If anyone out there knows a place in Des Moines to get good tamales, please let me know.
I've made chile-queso tamales, but without the lard. I usually used Jack cheese.
Next batch of tamales will definitely include lard in the masa.
I haven't cooked with it in ages, before my mother passed away, we would cook with it occasionally. I just bought some recently, by coincidence. It keeps well in the fridge. I found it in the section by the butter, but that was in a corner grocery.
Oh, and I forgot, when we heard the confirmation of Bush's re-election, I made spicy cornbread and chili and enchiladas (frozen, this time) and cocoa brownies with cinnamon. I heard Laura Bush talk about the celebratory foods they have which included those, and we thought it an appropriate way to celebrate!
Oh, no. What next? Now that it's popular again... Luckily, I've had no problems finding it where I am.
Ya got a decent pirogie recipe to share?
my girlfriends mom told me that only one person can put the tamales in the pot with one hand or it ruins the whole bunch...
who peed in your cereal?
I had a great bowl of menudo in Corpus one time.
ping
How long do husks take to dry?
I love Menudo.
I know all about making tamales! Sorry, I meant tame males :D And now you made me very hungry!!!!
My family came to Texas in 1832 and families like these have been our friends and neighbors since that time. It's a shame that more of us don't have these type of traditions.
You really do have an uncharitable take on this.
HEB grocery store has more than one brand of chorizo. One (I believe it is the HEB brand) has meat - no "stuff" in it. Still tastes the same. Yummy. I cook it, drain and squish between paper towels to get most of the grease off, add it to taters (cut in little squares)fried with onions and shredded cheddar cheese.
I'm going to a "lefsa" making party on Wednesday with relatives......I hope I spelled that right....
we need MORE families in this country......families that do things together...
you kidding me?......my recipe calls for tons of real butter and cream......yummie!
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