Category: Traditions & Origins

Tamales a Multicultural Tradition article’s intent was initially to do an investigative research about the origin of Hallacas. Nevertheless, when I started researching about the origins of this holly tradition the investigation crashed into its colleague or counterpart the Tamal. But above all, when the word “Tamal” is utter it immediately triggers México and maybe the feel to grab a bite. Wright?  And it actually does not come as a surprise for their gastronomy is the most international of all the Latin American cuisines. (Whether my non Mexican Latin friends  agree or not.) Thus, Hallaca is simply the Venezuelan Tamal. Our proud version of the yellow package everyone knows as Tamales. Be that as it may, Tamales or Hallacas live everywhere and anywhere in Latin America. One just has to ask for them. Of course with their noticeable cultural differences, local variations, and demo-geographical ingredients.

This culinary delight is a tradition in every aspect around the Hispanic side of the continent. Beginning north in México, to the Central/Caribbean, and way down to South America. This cultural symbol spans more than 20 countries. All unbelievably and coincidentally sharing the yellowish cornmeal dough with a stuff, or an engrain of local ingredients in a wrap of green banana leave, or yellow pale corn husk. Names such as Pastelle, Nacatamal, Tamal Pisques, Conkie, Pamonhas, Blue-Draws, Bollos, Humitas, Hallacas, and many more. This humble researcher did not include all the names that are among the diversity of terminologies identifying the tradition. Therefore, it is safe to say that the culture began to grow and expand as fast as the (Buffalo Soldiers**) and their African rhythms smuggle embedded in their hearts when brought to America. Who later, inescapably, melted with the native aborigine’s and the white’s creating the Mestizo Race.

The native Meso-Americans made different foods with cooked or boiled cornmeal wrapped in leaves from the corn plant, plantains, bijao, maguey, avocados, or even aluminum foil and plastic. Comparatively, all are known as Tamales. The word descends from the Nahuatl word “Tamalli,” which means wrapped. The filler might include meat, fish, veggies, chiles, fruits, sauce, beans, cheese, sour cream, etc., or it could be absent. It may also have a sweet or salty taste. Tamales were born as early as 8000–5000 BC in Mesoamerica. The indigenous cultures of México and Guatemala allegedly may be the ones who introduced tamale preparation to the rest of Latin America. However, it has not been yet establish by scientists and researchers.

According to archaeologists Karl Taube, William Saturn, and David Stuart, Tamales may have begun as early as 100 AD. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Tamale as: “• \tuh-MAH-lee\ • noun: cornmeal dough rolled with ground meat, or beans seasoned usually with chili, wrapped usually in corn husks, and steamed.” The Collins Dictionary gives us “US. Noun. a Mexican dish consisting of… And the rest is the same.” The Mexican terminology is “Tamal.” Instead, Tamale is an Americanism due to the vicinity between the two countries. Curiously, all the names have an Aboriginal origin concluding that the dish is millenary. To show difference, “Ayúa” means to mix or stir. Thus, “ayuaca” is a mixed object that became known as “ayaca” owing to linguistic distortion. Is where the word “Hallaca” originates from, the Guaraní language (a tribe in the Venezuelan Amazon.) There is also “Bojote,” another connotation meaning sort of a package.

Regardless of the word’s etymology, “Hallaca” is uniquely Venezuelan in name and preparation. Experts in the subject consider the creation “the crème de la crème” of Venezuelan gastronomy. Armando Scannone a famous Venezuelan gastronomical author, defined it in its own words: “The Tamal is a handful of corn with little filling. The Hallaca is an excellent filling in a refined pocket of corn.”  Obviously, that is a cultural-ethnocentric opinion. Indeed real for all my Venezuelan friends. Hallacas are part of every Venezuelan table regardless of social status. It adds a touch of grace, taste, and color to the Christmas celebrations.

There is something holy about this tradition. Sisters Laura (a professional chef) and Emily (a food writer) from the website Mexicali Blue gave their own interpretation: “Mesoamerica believed that corn was a substance of life. Hence, The Gods designated humans as corn eaters. Corn was consider as a life-giving substance in Mesoamerica during the Mesozoic Era. In the ancient Near East, the gods were blame for creating humans from corn. It was one of the rituals perform with wrapped Tamales.”

Before Venezuela the country’s initial name was Nueva Granada, later La Gran Colombia. But due to misunderstandings between Bolívar and Santander (Centralists and Federalists) it split into different countries. So, when referring to Hallacas Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Perú, Chile, and down to Brazil, swinging by Paraguay, Uruguay and, Argentina have their Tamales with their evident differences. Even The Guyanas, Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean locations have theirs.

Making Hallacas is a fun endevour. I know this firsthand because we used to make them when I was a little rascal during the holidays. When the time came around, one would be assigned a position in the assembly line. It usually takes about two days for most the part to make enough Hallacas for the whole season. On the first day, the fill. Ingredients for the guiso are purveyed. (Beef, Pork, Hen,) and all the toppings are gather and prepared . The plantain leaves need care and preparation. The leaves need a cleansing treatment. Some people smother them with vinegar. Others use direct fire to burn bacteria. It has the same effect. Then, the selection process follows. Pockets or wraps. Cut to size and organized by function for the wrapping. Chicken broth for the masa also belongs to the first day.

Once the preparation is ready, the fun begins. The process will reach a point where no more Hallacas can be made for lack of ingredients. So, all the leftovers are mixed together and thrown into the masa to make “Bollos”. Bollo is the real Venezuelan Tamal. We just call them like that. It is pronounced “bau/yos” The last step is the boiling or vaporizing as the masa has to cook. Therefore, technically “the guiso” is cooked for the second time. That’s why some cut corners. There are two ways of doing this step. The pre-cook, and the raw way. So, depending on the method (pre-cook) about two hours. Raw, about four to five hours of boiling or vaporizing. The latter is the Andean method. They don’t pre-cook the guiso/stew they just throw in raw, and it cooks inside the pocket of masa.

This gathering creates a joyful bonding in the family group. The aroma from the achiote and the scent of the plantain leaves are so intense that can be smelled in the distance. The music, Carols and Gaitas (Venezuelan Christmas Folk.) These are the melodies that animate the scented party house. Neighbors usually join the fun by lending a hand and collecting their share at the end of the madness. Usually, they walk out of the feast bringing home at least two, or maybe four Hallacas.

In conclusion, Corn was dominated and developed by the Pre-Hispanics. And in fusion with the Conquistador’s influence and ingredients, all the variety of Tamales, Hallacas, and more were created. Naturally, geographical positioning play a role in the ingredients, styles, and flavors. So, my dear reader. Here’s to you: If a wrapped yellow corn dough in a husk or, in a green plantain leave lands in your plate don’t forget you are eating the Holly-Food from the African/American/Aboriginal ancestors.

References:

Buffalo Soldier, Songwriters: Bob Marley / Noel Williams

Ragoonanan, Nita. “Tamales Pisques.” 196 Flavors, 30 Dec. 2022, www.196flavors.com/tamales-pisques/.

Amaryah, Amara. “Tamales: The Dish That Connects the Caribbean and the Americas Back to Africa.” Travel Noire, 8 Feb. 2022, travelnoire.com/tamales-dish-that-connects-caribbean-and-americas-back-to-africa.

González, Lamberto. “El Tamal y Sus Orígenes.” Tamales Emporio, www.tamales.com.mx/pages/el-tamal-y-sus-origenes#:~:text=La%20evidencia%20arqueológica%20muestra%20al,religiosos%2C%20en%20ofrendas%20y%20tumbas.Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.

Emily, Laura. “How to Make Tamales for Christmas Eve – Mexicali Blue.” Mexicali Blue, www.mexicali-blue.com/how-to-make-tamales-for-christmas-eve/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.

Yonekura, Kaoru. “¿En Qué Se Diferencian La Hallaca y El Tamal?: Bienmesabe.” El Estímulo, Accessed 12 Dec 2023, elestimulo.com/bienmesabe/hallacas/2023-12-12/diferencias-entre-la-hallaca-y-el-tamal/.

 

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Popular Story:

The history of the Hallacas touches base as the oldest food tradition in Venezuela. Indeed, is the most popular Christmas dish served during the holidays. Its name is pronounced “ah-ya-ka” and it is still prepared in a similar fashion to the colonial times; however with some modern refinements and personal touches. Hallacas is also the most representative icons of Venezuelan multicultural heritage, as its preparation includes European ingredients such as raisins, nuts, olives, among others. Indigenous ingredients like corn meal and annatto seeds, and African ingredients like plantain leaves used for wrapping.

History of the Hallacas, although there are many different tails about its origins, the most popular one states that it was created by the slaves back in colonial times. During those days the slaves used to put the leftovers of their master’s Christmas festivities in a bit of cornmeal dough, then they would wrap them with banana leaves and boil them to blend the flavors.

As many things in Venezuela, Hallacas have the influence of three cultures. The white Hispanic, the Indian, and the African. The most popular version calls for a stew with pork, chicken and beef. In the Andean region they like to add boiled eggs into the mix. And like that every region has its own different way of making it to give it their personal signature, as well as families. This is also the reason why they say: “No Hallaca tastes like another”. Normally they acquire a better taste once it has cooled down and settled in the fridge for at least one day. Hallacas are very laborious to make. Depending on the quantity they require hours and even days to make. Usually a group of people is needed, sometimes the whole family joins the action. Its preparation requires organization and dedication and it constitutes a celebration by itself. Holiday music and carols are heard during the making. Holiday drinks such as Egg Nog mix up with rum (of course) make up the festive atmosphere.

The history of the Hallacas travels back to the years of the revolution of independence. Each Christmas eve the wealthy families prepare huge banquets with a selected variety of meats and stews. The next day the slaves who poked around, would collect the leftovers and wrapped them in corn dough and the covered them with banana leaves winding up straight into big pots boiling on wood. Some say that from this process, has evolved the recipe that has survived for centuries. And until today it still survives. Is the recipe of popular Hallacas.

The history of the Hallacas is also related to another big tail which states that it came from the efforts taken by the Spanish to “improve” the Tamales, including pre-Columbian dishes, expanding the ingredients that made up the filling. Such efforts represented an adaptation to the palate of the European colonial Spanish America. Another account of the legends affirms that when they were building the “The Spanish Camino,” a mountain road that connected the port of La Guaira with Caracas the Indians who inhabited these roads ate some muffins or tamales made out of pure corn. These muffins produced a disease caused by vitamin deficiency called pellagra, which contaminated the population. Therefore, Caracas families were asked to donate their leftover food to help fill the Indians buns as did their slaves and servants.

Fabled Story by  Francisco Herrera Luque.

Francisco Herrera Luque, considered the creator of the modern Venezuelan historical literature, whose works have been widely disseminated within and outside the borders of the country, introduces in his book The Fabled Story, a funny theory about the history of the Hallacas. In the story, the author argues that there is an old legend that points to Caracas Don Sancho de Alquiza, also called Sanchorquiz, as the inventor of the Venezuelan dish. According to the story presented by Herrera Luque, before having its origin in abundance Hallacas were born of sadness and hunger. This character, says the Venezuelan novelist, arrived in the country in 1606 and was governor for 5 years. During his tenure, the old road of the Navy, which cuts through the “Cerro El Ávila” to the nearby port of La Guaira, was tiled, and as expected, the hard work of extracting the stone from the mountains and put it on the road was assigned to the Indians who survived Lozada. However, during the process of improvement of the road, the Indians who worked there started, dying en masse, “died like flies,” says the author. This issue captured the attention of the governor Alquiza Sancho, who worried intends to investigate the reason for such high mortality numbers. Upon arrival, the governor was surprised to observe the state of malnutrition in which these men were, ensuring that it was impossible that being in such conditions they could had been successfully resisted the attacks of conquistador Lozada. The reason for this state was how these men were fed, under the intense and constant work they received daily. It was a corn paste, without salt, wrapped in banana leaves so that it could be heated without being spilled. Observing this, the governor decided that henceforth would collect half of leftovers of all households, allocating the other half for the pigs. However, the citizens of that time valued more a fat pig than a healthy Indian, so the animals had the best part. This happened just weeks before Christmas right when an epidemic dysentery was unleashed, which killed more poor Indians than the bad nutrition they had before applying the bright idea of Sanchorquiz governor. Don Sancho, observing the situation that had occurred, met with the Bishop, who surprised ensures that such actions could not go unpunished, he imposed penance, such consisted that during the whole month of December people shall eat “mazacote” leftovers corn hash, wrapped in the miserable banana leaf that had concealed the disgrace. And Caracas met, however, they say that who makes the law also makes the trap. Century after century, people paid their fault, but the innocent bishop did not specify the source or quality of the mince, which at first was crap, but it was not so for the penitents, who made their well minced ham, good legs of chicken, olives, bacon and even leftovers wine they found there.

Hallaca descendant of tamale?

“We accept without further questioning that—The Hallaca—our hearty national dish, derived from the Mexican tamale, finding in it even clear phonetic relationships or Aztec roots. Perhaps right are the ones who say such. But when I think of our robust hallaca, so filled with delicacies and thrived compared with Tamale, I think that to derive one from another is like saying that the Llama of the Bolivian highlands is the ancestor of the Camel. 

And because such comparison in this writer’s opinion is ethnocentric, I went to investigate furthermore about the origins of the Tamales and its relationship with Hallacas. Therefore, I invite you to come and checkout my own research paper titled: Tamales a Multicultural Tradition of Hispanic America by Carlo C.