Tamales: What Real Texans Eat for Christmas and the New Year
by Ana Gomez Montalbano on 12/21/15
Our 5-month sabbatical on blogging our favorite Texas dishes lead us into the holidays with the wonderful Texas tamale. This Texas favorite goes with beer or margaritas and a delight for holiday entertainment. The great tamale dates back to 7,000 B.C. the Aztec and Mayan Empires.
No one could out-do my late mother's recipe of the mouth watering tamale. So forward I pushed tirelessly in search for the next best tamale.
While shopping at HEB, the little frozen refrigerator stood separate in an aisle of the frozen section. Stacks of a dozen nicely packaged dinner-in-a-bag tamales, from the Texas Tamale Company poked my curiosity. Sorted beef, chicken, pork, black bean, and spinach tamales pilled high. I broke down and decided a taste test was in order.
Looking forward to cracking the sealed bag, I sped home to slap on a plate of tamales fast into the microwave. Anticipating the minute and 25 second that it took to heat up 2 tamales, I expected a dried and brittle masa and a stingy portion of meat inside.
Into my pie-hole, a forkful tamale flew, moist, meaty, and a mild spicy flavor. To my surprise, a close-to-perfect taste and quick serving size was enough for me give Texas Tamale Company a 9.9 out of 10(perfect) score. Why not a 10? Come on! Only mom gets a 10.
Visit Grande Tamales- Pinehurt, Texas (rated 9) a newly established family owned and operated cafe for gourmet tamales and margaritas!
