Holiday tamales on sale from HICA
Ellise Mayor enjoys tamales so much that she created her own holiday: Tamale Gras.
A decade ago, Mayor, a Homewood resident, was teaching Latino children through Children’s Dance Foundation, and their moms were making the tamales for one of The Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama’s (¡HICA!) first fundraisers. Mayor placed an order and started hosting annual tamale parties. She would supply the tamales, and guests brought side dishes. Each attendee would bring a “tamale saying,” where they substituted the word tamale into a famous phrase, like “to be or not to tamale,” and they hung all of them on a special tree.
One year, Mayor never got around to having a tamale party during the holiday season, but when Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras were approaching, she decided it was time for her own sort of celebration. It was then that Tamale Gras was born.
“It’s a great way to introduce a different culture and learn something about how (members of the Hispanic community) celebrate holidays,” she said. “And I highly recommend creating a holiday around it.”
Her tradition continues as she orders $100-150 worth of tamales each holiday season through the organization’s sale, sold frozen, to save for her party of around 25 people.
“The tamales are very easy to reheat, and they freeze wonderfully,” she said.
Tamales are traditionally eaten at Christmas in many Latin countries.
“The process takes hours and so many hands,” ¡HICA! Executive Director Isabel Rubio said. “You have to prepare the filling, the masa (a corn-based dough) and the corn husks, and then assemble them and steam them. It’s an all day affair and a great way to spend time with people.”
Edgewood resident Allison Litton decided to buy tamales one year when she was not going home to Texas as a way to bring part of the tradition, popular with the Latino influence in Texas, to her home here. She has bought them five or six times over the past decade and said she especially enjoys the poblano and cheese tamales.
“We eat them at home with a big bowl of queso,” she said. “They are wonderful to eat on a cold night. I usually order a dozen to eat at Christmas and then freeze the rest.”
¡HICA!, whose offices are headquartered on West Valley Ave., has sold more than 50,000 tamales and raised about $100,000 since starting the sale 11 years ago, exceeding their goal each year. All funds raised support the organization’s mission to support the social, civic and economic integration of Alabama’s Hispanic families.
“It’s become a part of so many people’s holiday traditions,” Rubio said. “Many said they hadn’t eaten a tamale since having one at the tamale cart downtown as a child, or from Mancha’s Restaurant.
Bruno Mancha sold tamales from a pushcart in downtown Birmingham starting in 1926, and his family opened Mancha’s Restaurant in the 1960s. The restaurant closed in 1998 but by then had established a standard for tamales in Birmingham for the years to come.
According to Rubio, the organization originally made the tamales in its office, but, because orders increased each year, it began to partner with Latino businesses to make the tamales in 2006.
“Economic integration for the community is important to us, and they are the expert tamale makers,” Rubio said.
Everyone make tamales differently, but all of the ones the organization sells are Mexican-style, made with masa and corn husks, which Rubio contrasts with ones from other countries. Puerto Rican tamales are made with sweeter dough and wrapped in a banana leaf. Ones from El Salvador are bigger and filled with rice.
The tamales are available with a choice of chicken, pork or poblano pepper with Oaxaca cheese. Rubio recommends serving them with salsa and a green salad, topped off with a slice of flan.
“A tamale is a meal in and of itself,” she said.
As the vendors ramp up production of tamales and the organization staff organizes final details, Rubio admits it’s a lot of work, but work that is well worthwhile.
“New people learn about us through the sale because they are interested in tamales, and it gives us an opportunity to spread the word about our organization,” Rubio said. “We are delighted to contribute to the culture of the community this way.”
¡HICA! Tamale Sale Details
Orders can be placed online at hispanicinterest.org/tamales Nov. 27-Dec. 6. Tamales cost $15 per half dozen and $25 per dozen of each kind, pork, chicken or pepper. All orders must be picked up at the HICA office at 260 West Valley Avenue on Dec. 13.
Deliveries are possible for orders more than $100 in the greater Birmingham area.