Thursday, May 29, 2025

The Spanish you need to know to cook tamales for Day of the Dead

Surrounding the Día de Muertos celebrations in San Miguel de Allende, we were invited to cook some tamales for the first time and it was an amazing experience. They were actually easier to make than I thought!  

We began by gathering the essential ingredients. First, we mixed lard (manteca) into the masa, the dough that forms the heart of the tamale. We kneaded the dough until it reached a velvety smoothness, a crucial step in achieving the perfect tamale texture. Then came the delightful additions: sugar (azúcar), raisins (pasas), nuts (nueces), cinnamon (canela), and a touch of milk (leche).

 

Ver esta publicación en Instagram

 

Una publicación compartida por pau · idiomas (@paulinagerezm)


Tamales can be either salty or sweet, filled with chicken, cheese, pork, raisins, or nuts. For our maiden tamale-making venture, we chose the sweet route — nosotros decidimos hacer la versión dulce.

Once the dough had been perfected, we carefully spread it onto corn husks to finally wrap them up and put them in the steamer for about an hour and a half. 

Tamales not only are a delicious treat, but they were also a nourishing food on the go for the Mexica, Inca, and Maya tribes to take into battle. Plus, they are incredibly affordable, making them a beloved choice for family gatherings, festive occasions, and everyday indulgences. They are very cheap and delicious! ¡Son súper baratos, y súper ricos!

For more Spanish lessons check out The Spanish you need to know at a Mexican fair.

Paulina Gerez is a translator-interpreter, content creator, and founder of Crack The Code, a series of online courses focused on languages. Through her social media, she helps people see learning a language from another perspective through her fun experiences. Instagram: paulinagerezm / Tiktok: paugerez3 / YT: paulina gerez 

3 COMMENTS

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
A Mexican flag flies in front of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai

Why I feel more Mexican living abroad

1
A move to the Middle East left one writer feeling twice as Mexican as she had done before she left.
A hurricane with its eye on Earth, seen from outer space.

How to deal with hurricane season in Mexico

1
With more storms and stronger hurricanes forecast for 2025, now’s the time to review your safety plan for Mexico’s rainy season.
Sunset over the ocean in Cabo San Lucas with sailboats in the water

Why I still love Los Cabos

2
Sun, sea, sand and a slice of paradise rarely found elsewhere turned writer Chris Sands' short vacation into a lifetime of pleasure on Baja California's southern tip.