Tamale season is here. Click here to post your gratitude

good morning. Note: Essential California will be on hiatus for a while, but will be back on Friday. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: tamale season.

Yes, you can make or buy hundreds of popular Latin American dishes any time of the year, but masa dough-covered dishes take on a whole new flavor when the holidays roll around.

That this ancient, ancestral food remains a staple across countries and continents speaks volumes about the joy in every bite and the traditions that millions of families have kept for thousands of years. Masu.

So, in honor of this seasonal staple, we’ve compiled some memories, tips, and guides to keep you enjoying tamales throughout the holidays. Editor Christian Orozco appeared from behind the scenes to share his own memories of Masa.

The secret to great tamales

My family spends the last few weeks of the year warming up with corn husks, masa, and spiced pork.

My grandmother used to run the show. A steam cloud filled with chili, garlic, onions and meat created its own weather system in the kitchen.

Now that she has passed away, my father is the head chef. I usually support my siblings together.

For years, it was standard for Abuela and her father to make about 150 tamales to serve to family and friends during multi-week holiday gatherings.

These days, parties are getting smaller and more manageable for pops.

Secret #1: Take all the time you need

For him, making tamales, which have been passed down in his Mexican family for generations, means creating a meal to celebrate and spend time together.

“It takes a long time to make, and people are turning away from it. They would rather buy it because they have time,” he told me recently. “For us, it was part of the festival…getting together as a family and making tamales.”

Secret #2: Don’t sleep on the masa

The sauce is important, but my father says that the key is a well-flavored masa. It is necessary to add the broth taken from the meat during cooking. Add chicken broth to chicken tamales and pork broth to pork tamales.

Dad is prepping the meat and sauce early this year due to travel arrangements, but when the kids show up on Christmas Eve, we’re busy mixing masa, preparing vegetable offerings, and making tamales. You’ll start assembling the food and packing it into pots for cooking. they. All the pops have to do is sit back and judge our amateur skills.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he told me.

The most beautiful holiday sight.

(Ryan Fonseca/Los Angeles Times)

My editor, Christian, also grew up with tamales. Here’s what tamales mean to him.

Green or red, savory or sweet, meat or cheese, tamales are timeless. Wrapped in a shell, stuffed into a Ziploc bag, and tossed into a grocery bag, Russian cooking nesting dolls are to me more than just a holiday tradition, they are a punctuation mark to end one year and an ellipsis to enter a new one. represents.

Tamales are a meal that evokes the friendly ghosts of Christmases past and present. When I smell this scent, I think of my grandmother who is no longer in this world. This flavor brings out regional pride and leads to cultural discussions every time I meet a Salvadoran friend who insists that El Salvador makes the best. (Sorry, kid, this is Mexico.)

Last week, we held our annual discussion on Korean BBQ. Our designated meat flipper served as a neutral third-party moderator, and we both listed the ingredients that would make Mexican and Salvadoran tamales better.

In the end, I needed a meat flipper to make the call. Mexican tamales win again.

Readers shared their own tamale stories, edited for clarity and brevity.

“Every year, friends of my family host a huge tamale party in Whittier, making about 1,000 tamales in one night. In the kitchen, the hosts wear aprons that say ‘Tamale Party 1999.’ I am wearing it. This indicates that this tradition may have been around before me. It’s so explosive that even the cops are pulling over and trying to eat tamales instead of shutting it down. ”

— Carrington Walsh, Venice

“We’ve been making tamales in our family for at least 30 years. A lot has changed in that time. We started making them with my mom when we lived in Tustin, but we moved to Michigan. After that, Christmas and my son’s December. We started shipping from Southern California for our annual tamale party on the 29th. ) We decided to make it ourselves. In 2016, he moved back to California, this time to the Bay Area, and resumed the tradition of cooking with his larger family, drinking copious amounts of beer and wine and having five grandchildren and a granddog running around. , quite noisy. But it’s a tradition that’s important for the whole family to maintain because it’s our connection to our Mexican roots and we want to pass it on to our grandchildren.”

— Sandra Mann, Fairfield

“I grew up in a real tamale house. My mother made 100 dozen tamales a year. She gave them away as gifts to the neighbors and her car mechanic. Her many brothers and nephews all from Southern California to Tucson’s Dining Hall. We came over to sit down at a table and eat. She diced the meat instead of shredding it, which made them even more special. She’ll be making the exact same tamales this year, but with lard. The difference is that shortening is replaced with beef tallow.

— Maria Borbon

Want to enjoy tamales this week? Start here

This is an illustration of a pink tamale with mistletoe on top.

(Jess Miller/For the Times)

From local tortillarias to respected restaurants, here are 10 places to buy tamale masa compiled by the De Los team.

If you want to buy something ready-made, check out this 2023 guide to LA and OC’s best tamale makers (note: this list is a year old, so double check that businesses are still open please).

Read more about the history and cultural staying power of tamales from past holidays.

Today’s top news

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

More than 3.2 million passengers are expected to pass through LAX this holiday season, still below pre-pandemic levels

The airport had expected daily passenger numbers to reach peak numbers of about 215,000 last weekend and again on Dec. 27 and Dec. 30. American Airlines flights were grounded for an hour this morning due to a system-wide technical issue that affected all routes within the United States.

Scientists say we’re fighting H5N1 bird flu with one hand tied behind our backs

It is difficult to predict when, where and how the H5N1 avian influenza virus will evolve and potentially cause a pandemic. Part of the reason, some researchers say, is federal restrictions on gain-of-function research. The worry, California researchers say, is that just one mutation could turn bird flu into a threat to humans.

Why Disney’s Bob Iger tries to avoid hot buttons

The Walt Disney Co. and CEO Bob Iger have taken sharp steps since redoubling their diversity and inclusion efforts four-and-a-half years ago in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. We have made a transition. Disney recently confirmed that a transgender athlete storyline has been removed from an upcoming Disney movie. Pixar’s animated series is the latest sign that Disney wants to move on from the culture wars.

Blake Lively sues ‘It Ends with Us’ co-star Justin Baldoni, allies stand by her side

In a recently filed complaint, Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, retaliation and several other claims. Some of her former collaborators have spoken out in support of Lively, including America Ferrera and director Paul Feig. Here’s a primer on the key players involved in the “It Ends With Us” controversy and scandal.

what else is going on

Get unlimited access to the Los Angeles Times. Subscribe here.

Columnist George Skelton writes about why California should return to free college tuition The University of California was once a harbinger of opportunity. Columnist Mary McNamara asks, “What went wrong? Our words about the Israel-Hamas war could further worsen hostilities. Or they could help the path to peace.” ” writes award-winning poet and author Amir Sommer. It’s a bipartisan system that Washington desperately needs, writes Ranhee J. Chen, a Hoover Institution fellow and director of domestic policy studies at Stanford University’s Public Policy Program.

This morning’s must-read

(Fontana Police Department)

Police officers lie to suspects during interrogations. Should detectives stick to the truth?

California law enforcement is in the midst of a culture war, with experts inside and outside the system saying commonly used police interrogation methods can lead to false confessions and wrongful convictions. I have doubts about this.

How can we make this newsletter even more useful? Send your comments to [email protected].

for your downtime

Southern California is home to some amazing holiday light displays.

(Patrick Hruby/Los Angeles Times)

going out

During your stay

Question for you: What are your New Year’s resolutions?

Barb Smith writes: This year, I want to honor him by slowing down and enjoying each day with family and friends. Your life will change in the blink of an eye. It reminds me not to take anything for granted. My pet is very special. ”

Share what you want to achieve in 2025. Your answer may be published in this week’s newsletter. Email us at [email protected].

And finally… great photos of the day

December 21, 2024, a foggy day in San Diego.

(Stephen Blakeslee)

Today’s great photo comes from Stephen Blakesley in San Diego.

Stephen writes: “Many of us are lucky enough to live in Spanish colonial-style apartments with tiled roofs, palm trees, and bougainvillea vines. I have this misty winter solstice view outside my door. I woke up when I saw it.”

Tell us about your favorite place in California! Send us a photo you took at a special spot in California (natural or man-made) and tell us why it’s important to you.

Have a great day! From the Essential California team

Reporter Ryan Fonseca
Defne Karabattur, comrades
Andrew Campa, Sunday Reporter
Hunter Claus, Multiplatform Editor
Christian Orozco, Deputy Editor
Stephanie Chavez, Subway Deputy Editor
Karim Doumar, Head of Newsletter

Check out the top stories, topics and latest articles on latimes.com.