From Its Wrap to Ingredients, the Tamal Reflects Latino Diversity

*I never thought of a tamal as a metaphor. But there it is. A delicious metaphor that paints a tasty picture. I’m hungry now … VL

By Patricia Guadalupe, NBC News

By day, she’s a mail carrier with the U.S. Postal Service. By night, Victoria López is a master tamal maker, specializing in a unique variety native to her hometown of Oaxaca, Mexico.

It’s called the chepil tamal, made with a key ingredient in Oaxacan cooking, the chepil, an herb with tiny leaves that comes from a legume that can grow more than six feet tall. It has a taste that some say is similar to a green bean, while others say it’s a bit soapy tasting.

López’s chepil tamal was just one in a vast array of tamales from all over Latin America that were showcased in Washington, D.C.’s first-ever tamal festival over the weekend. (Although there are likely many families in Washington, D.C., who for years have held tamaladas – gatherings usually of families and friends for making tamales.)

“We should do as much as possible to pass on our traditions and customs to the next generation, and one way to do it is to have these kinds of events where we can show where we are from, and in addition educate those who aren’t familiar with it all. It’s the perfect way to learn,” said López, who has lived in the nation’s capital for close to 20 years and loves to cook when she’s not delivering the day’s mail.

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[Photo by Adam Cohn/Flickr]