Cedric Angeles
There are a few telltale signs thatSan Antonio’s holiday seasonis in full swing.
A staple for winter celebrations, tamales areone of San Antonios oldest culinary traditions.
The name is derived from tamalli, which is the Aztec Nahuatl word for cornmeal dough.
Credit:Cedric Angeles
Over time, these practices morphed into the modern-day tamalada, a tamale-making party for the whole family.
At these gatherings, everybodyfrom the smallest child to the eldest grandparenthas a job.
The most crucial role is the masa mixer.
Without that person, everything falls apart.
In my own family, my grandma Josefina was captain of the ship.
When she passed away in 2012, the tradition faltered.
Our family isnt alone.
Some things might have changed, but the spirit remains.
Tamale Boy
Juan Rodriguez was born into the world of tamales.
It was tedious work.
He can still remember the commotion: The aroma was all throughout the house.
As he grew older, Rodriguez spun his experience as a salesman into his career.
In 2002, he told his mother he was ready to branch out on his own.
It took time, but eventually, Tamale Boy was born.
When Rosa Maria passed away in 2015, Rodriguez thought about quitting.
Credit:Cedric Angeles
Everything Id ever worked for was for her to see me open up my own store, he says.
His wife and daughter pushed him to keep going and to continue what his mother had started.
They opened a brick-and-mortar location in 2018.
Credit:Cedric Angeles
Use all of your senses.
You have to pay attention to the texture and feel the masa.
My grandma was the blueprint, and my mom was the map, he says.
Patty Tellez, Luis Tellez, and Gabriel Tellez of Tellez Tamales.Credit:Cedric Angeles
Im building on everything they taught me.
Im so proud of what weve accomplished, because we get to bring other families together.
In 1975, his budding business, which began as Tellez Barbacoa, was struggling.
As the Tellez children got older, they joined in, and the operation began to thrive.
We all grew up in it, says their youngest daughter, Brenda.
We all pitched in.
It was considered a poor mans meal, says Brenda.
It was time-consuming but made with simple ingredients.
And she would say, Just mix some in, and taste it.
Herlinda Lopez Wood and Valerie Gonazales of Delicous Tamales.Credit:Cedric Angeles
And then if its not right, add a little bit more.
But I wanted measurements, she recalls, laughing.
Thats not how my moms generation would do it.
They cooked by feel and by taste.
My generation still remembers the way the house would smell when we were making tamales, she says.
Its why she and her family are so committed to keeping their process as manual as possible.
Delicious Tamales
Valerie Gonzalez was raised in the tamalada era.
Fortunately, I got to come from the time when that was the yearly tradition, Gonzalez says.
The week of Christmas, were just hanging on for dear life, jokes Lopez-Wood.
To be a part of peoples lives like that and to become a tradition is just great.
Weve created a community here.
