If ever a food deserved a festival it's tamales. Tamales at Pearl – A Holiday Family Festival once again celebrates tamales as the undisputed food star of the season.
The rags-to-riches tamal has come a long way from its humble beginnings to becoming the ultimate party animal. Simple ingredients of corn masa and beans, beef or pork have given way to a whole host of exotic fillings like truffles, asparagus, even tuna. And a tamal by any other name is just as tasty. In Bolivia, they're hunitas. In Venezuela, allacas. Puerto Ricans call them pasteles.
Whatever you call them, they will disappear faster than your diet, so get there early. “We made thousands last year, and will make thousands more this year,” says chef and owner Johnny Hernandez of La Gloria Ice House at the Pearl. Sweet and savory, plain and fancy, dressed in corn shucks or banana leaves, every one of them – gone. “The Oaxacan and Vera Cruz styles were favorites. They flew out of here.”
In addition to tamales, the festival features food and beverage booths from famed San Antonio restaurants, a “Best Tamales in San Antonio” contest for home cooks, live music, dancing, family activities and a few surprises.
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