By now, I am sure you have all registered for the CLDA Final Mile Forum and Expo, May 8th to the 10th at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass. So now it is time to start imagining all the fun things that you can do while you are here in Arizona. That, of course, often leads us to thinking about food.
There is no shortage of amazing food in Phoenix, particularly Mexican food. Mexican food, began with the Aztecs and was influenced by Spain, the Caribbean, South America, and French and West Africa. It is a melting pot of diverse flavors. Arizona is the perfect place to sample some of the best Mexican dishes in the world. From burritos and enchiladas, to street tacos, al pastor and mole sauce, there’s so much to experience. Often , people have a misconception that all Mexican food is extremely spicy and hot. Many Mexican restaurants will display an indication of the “heat” for each dish on the menu and will certainly give you advice if you ask. If you fall in the category of “Some like it Hot” they can always make it a bit hotter for you or will gladly supply a bottle of their favorite hot sauce.
One thing you must try, though, are Tamales. Traditionally eaten on holidays or celebrations, they have now become a staple food in many households. The name Tamale is Aztec for “wrapped”, which is exactly what they are. They are made from a starchy corn maze wrapped and steamed inside of corn hulks. This perfect comfort food can be made plain or with hundreds of different delicious fillings. You can find them filled with red or green chile, mushrooms, eggs, roasted or stewed meat, beans and rice, cheese, honey, pineapple, banana, cinnamon, chocolate . . . you get the picture. From sweet to savory, breakfast to dinner, you can find the right tamale for you any time of day. My suggestion is try both a red and green chile tamale, and ask for some red and green sauce on the side for dipping and even more local flavor.
If you’re interested in knowing how tamales are made, you should know it’s quite an undertaking! It’s a long process usually requiring several people working together for hours, wrapping and steaming hundreds of tamales at a time. Once you try one, you will understand that the effort is worth it. It’s hard to eat just one. Luckily, you can find them everywhere! They are often on the menu at a good Mexican restaurant and readily available from a street vendor, make sure you try one yourself!
If you find that you’ve fallen in love with Tamales, there are ways of finding them when you head home. Consider the Tucson Tamale company! Their tamales are available to order online or you can find some of their most popular flavors at over 2000 different stores across the country.
Only for the adventurous . . .
The seasoned adventurous traveler, who is thinking, “Tamales, I have eaten a million of those.” should visit Quiessence, the farm at South Mountain and order some Paloma Ranch Calf Fries. The proprietor Gary Lasko says, “They can be described many ways including ‘the last thing over the fence,’ ‘swinging beef,’ ‘bovine family jewels,’ ‘cowboy caviar’ and my favorite, ‘beef tenderloin.’” If you are still unsure what they are, then you have to order them. Bon appetit y comer bien.
