Edible Vancouver

Time for Tamales

• Photo by Helena McMurdo

• The labour in making tamales by hand is indeed intensive. From making the masa and the various fillings and fresh salsas to selecting the corn husks and softening them in water to make them pliable includes a long to-do list.

• When that’s completed, Toledo Perez and her mother, Estefania Perez Dominguez, spend a full two days assembling the tamales, wrapping and tying each one by hand in a practised and rhythmic fashion that often involves a bit of music in the background.