The ingredients are basic, amounting to just a dough and filling. The presentation hardly matters, as some of the best receive little more than paper plate treatment. The tradition dates back thousands of years before the arrival of Columbus.
Yet it can be difficult — oh, so difficult — to find a great restaurant tamale.
The reasons for this are many. Despite the tamale’s simplicity, preparing them consumes time and space. One must treat dried corn with slaked lime, soak and clean and grind into a gritty dough called “masa” before even addressing the matter of a filling. So most restaurants take shortcuts — instant masa, prepared meats, time in a freezer and so on. Some stoop to purchasing mass market product.
As a result, tamale (yes, tamal is singular in Spanish) served from a sidewalk cart or at a church gathering often beat those found on fine dining menus.
So it is promising when you hear a server at Taqueria La Mexicana in Lakeport tell customers they must wait at least an hour for a new batch, or you walk into John’s Market & Taqueria in Kelseyville and spot the ‘only on Wednesday’ sign.
At John’s, the masa is white and moist, almost glistening as liquid condenses under the corn husk wrappers. The dough smacks of lean corn meal, forming a simple, creamy canvas that allows even the mildest of spice in the filling to jump out. Taqueria La Mexicana molds a slightly firmer masa with a clean hominy flavor. The filling carries a noticeable — by comparison — glow of heat.
One other difference: The latter is a sit down restaurant. The taqueria at John’s is merely a take away counter in the back.
Both versions are handmade and compelling. Yet fans of one might scorn the other — which may be the most significant reason why most restaurant tamales pale.
Just like meatloaf, the flavors of home and the memories surrounding the dish shape our appreciation for it. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of variations to the basic recipe as you move from family to family, region to region. Some prefer dry, firm masa, others spongy and moist. Some demand the skin on each parched kernel of corn be scrubbed off while wet, others wait for it to dry before removing the shell. Traditionalists tend to avoid adding salsa, yet in a few places regulars ask for a rich mole.
When it comes to filling the matter becomes even more divisive.
But when a restaurant or deli counter commits itself to preparing fresh tamales, they deserve recognition — and patronage.
Dave Faries can be reached at 900-2016
