Guatemalan Cuisine: Pache
Tamales are an ancient American food, made throughout the continent for over 5000 years. How about that for trivia, thanks to Wikipedia. There are so many kinds of tamales that if one was to try one per day, it would take you over twenty years to try all the different kinds. That is right, I said twenty years. In Guatemala alone, there must be 100 different kinds if not more. Tamales are usually made with a cooked masa (maize dough), tomato sauce, and a piece of meat; normally pork, chicken, turkey, all wrap around in husks or banana leaves. When I say tomato sauce, I am being over-simplistic since this tomato-based sauce could be as difficult to make as an Indian curry, if not more.
Here I bring to you a very special kind of tamale made with potato dough instead of maize. It is called pache (short) and it is made in all other respects the same way as tamales. In Guatemala, paches are usually sold on Thursdays, I don’t know why, and “normal” maize tamales are sold on Saturdays, although if you know your way around you any kind of tamale any day you like.
You should read the overview entry of tamales in Wikipedia to get a feel for it. I should mention that I think the entry for tamales is very short and it should not. I will research more about the subject and I will update the Wikipedia with my findings.
Daily Content
July 13th, 2006
tamales from different countries are very different. the mexican people here make a different tamale than the people here who are from Guatemala. the mexicans wrap their tamale in corn husk and the Guatemalan in a banana leaf. there are other difference also.probably determined from what area they came from.
July 13th, 2006
I can’t tell you how much I miss paches… In my opinion the best ones came from the old lady in the back of the tienda across from La Merced…
July 14th, 2006
Absolutely mouthwatering! These food posts of yours are so delectably wonderful!
December 25th, 2006
[...] A few Guatemalans living abroad asked for photos of tamales colorado (red) and negro (black) made especially for Christmas Eve and Christmas through New Years, so that is the reason for today’s photo. You would never see a plate like this one with three different kind of tamales served at once since it is against Guatemalan etiquette to eat more than one tamal at the time; you may eat as many tamales as you stomach may allow, but one after another (see the quote below for further explanation). The tamal colorado (red) is the most often seen the tamal in Guatemala along with the small chuchito (wrapped with corn husks), but the tamal negro (black) is usually made only for special occasions and Christmas, of course. The black tamal takes its name from the chocolate-based sauce and comes with raising, dried plums and nuts. Yes, it is bit sweet, although the tamal negro is considered a main dish. I have posted before a photo of two other kind of tamales before: the pache and the chuchito. Never order two tamales together, as Guatemalan etiquette calls for eating one at a time. Of course, you may help yourself to more tamales as often as you want, just like my dear Uncle Rafa, who in his good times started a Christmastime competition of eating red tamales and once consumed 17 in a row. Another warning: The big leaf on which red tamales are served is a plantain leaf and is not edible. I can never forget my dear grandmom´s joke about a gringo telling his Guatemalan hostess that the tamales were very good — only the lettuce was too hard. (Quoted from Tamales at Revue Magazine by Arturo Echeverría; click the link to read the whole entry) [...]
December 28th, 2006
[...] In Guatemala, Christmas Eve is as important as Christmas. People stay up all night waiting for midnight to have tamales with the family and to open up their presents underneath the Christmas tree. People also burn many different types of firecrackers and fireworks. Kids run around the neighborhood given hugs and wishing a Merry Christmas. Right at midnight people burn so many firecrackers and fireworks that you might think it is the third world war. The meal is usually especially-made tamales colorados (red) or negros (black) served with bread slices and freshly-made fruit punch. There is pine-needles over the floor as carpets and long strings of yellow and sweet fruit called manzanilla here or tejocote in Mexico (it looks like a yellow cherry). Christmas Eve is filled with so many colors, flavors and scents; it almost feels like an overload on the senses. If you have experienced Christmas Eve in Guatemala, at least once, it is impossible to be away and not miss it. Christmas Eve is one of the most important celebrations in Guatemala. [...]
December 18th, 2007
I love Paches! They were always my favorite tamale.