R.I.P Erwin Rommel Henriquez.
A.K.A.
Abuelito.
With every lifestyle blog, there will be a featured song contributing to the curation of the atmosphere of said post. Be sure to tune in while reading or listen and view the images after as part of the experience.
{Song for Post: Suavemente by Elvis Crespo}
Alright, a fun one!
If you read my AUTHOR post you'll know that my grandfather came to this country with no formal education and near non-existent resources. Nevertheless, he did his part and made sure his kids lived in a land of opportunity, so here I am, doing my part. Passing on the story and sharing my experience of growing up proud of my culture and why it fits me so exponentially.
Let's do this.
My family and I hail from Managua, Nicaragua. That's Central-America if you don't feel like google-ing it. El Salvador is our crazy neighbor, and everyone either mistakes us for Mexican or Filipino descent. Basically, it's all Latin love, but we are in every sense of the word, individual. As I come to understand culture as a concept, I realize everything about (a specific) culture mends a person in some way, shape, or form. Everything ends up mattering in the area of where you live and how that culture is embedded into your surroundings. The music you hear, the food you taste, and the words you understand leave an imprint on your subconscious. In my opinion, whether you choose to accept, represent, or completely discourage your heritage and your comfortability in culture, it's still something we as humans consider, influential.
I say this because everything about Nicaraguan culture molded this man.
And this woman.
Seriously.
They were cute together,
And they even made cute kids.
Who in turn, made dangerous grandchildren.
But you're here to learn everything that comes with culture so why not start with a recipe. Guess for what..you guessed it, tamales!
Unfortunately, the truth is it won't be step by step, family secrets and all. I assure you though I will share what I can, right now let's focus on making the magic happen.
So a lot of different Latin cultures have their own version of a "Tamale" (google that if you don't know what it is, you'll be happy you did) and of course, Nicaraguans are completely creative so naturally, we upped the ante. We call them "NACA-TAMAL" or "NACA-TAMALES", clever right?
By the way, the photo above is step one which is making the base for the entire tamal, the heart, and soul if you will, the great "MASA".
Next, you have to prepare how you're going to cook it, yes it's an entirely different but equally as important process and must be respected as such.
Above you see banana leaves being wrapped around a huge pot we use to boil the tamales in but we'll save that type of talk for the end.
After that, you lay out your ingredients and get to work.
This year we used pork, bell pepper, chilis, onions, tomatoes, green olives, a singular raisin, and mint. (I'm not even 100% sure its mint)
Anyways enjoy these food shots of authentic Nicaraguan cuisine!
Once the bases are planted we individually wrap each tamale.
Place them in their appropriate home.
And let them sleep until morning.
I know it's crazy right! A tradition we hold dear to our hearts because the knowledge our relatives passed down for us not only brought forth incredible food and culture, it gives all a chance to become closer, together. If I would honor anything in life I choose to honor that.
Thank you for everything Abuelito, and Abuelita.
I'll make a tamle, just for you.
Celebrating culture is always an awesome thing to do whether it's traveling to a new place, consuming new food, or even listening to new music. We can all try to appreciate one another and where we come from, for I believe all integration only adds to ourselves at the end of the day.
Yet, sometimes it isn't always the easiest thing to do.If you care to read about how I personally struggled with definitive culture please, check out my Mexican Mother's Day blog!
