Gourmet Tamales

By Arnaldo Mirasol

I love tamales. It was my mother who introduced it to me. I remember that I didn’t like it the first time I tasted it. But the next time she brought home another tamales, I had acquired a liking for it. My mother bought the tamales from a vendor selling them beside the Sto. Niño church in Tondo. They are still being sold there to this day. My wife Carina knows my craving for tamales, that’s why she makes it a point to buy me those whenever she has the chance.

Imagine my excitement therefore when publisher Reni Roxas of Tahanan Books broke to me the news that they chose me to illustrate Didith Tan-Rodrigo’s book “Tamales Day”. The job entailed not only actually doing the illustrations, but also visiting Didith’s house to take pictures of her family while making tamales – and of course, tasting it and taking home a few pieces more.

Here is an excerpt from the essay I wrote for Tahanan Books’ “The House Tahanan Built” – a compilation of memoirs and conversations about the creative process written by the authors, artists, staff, and friends of Tahanan Books.

“…I next did for Tahanan the illustrations for Didith Tan-Rodrigo ‘s story “Tamales Day”. Now, the process of creating art for this book was a very delectable one, I must say, because I was invited by Didith to their home to observe and take pictures of them while making tamales. 

“Their tamales is not like the Mexican tamales – far from it. Nor is it the ordinary Kapampangan tamales. Their recipe is their own high-end version, which I once described in a Facebook write-up as gourmet tamales. “Why gourmet?”, you’d ask. Well, that’s because their recipe includes as ingredients – aside from the usual strips of chicken, peanuts, and salted eggs – ham, chestnuts, and shrimps.

“Didith told me that someone suggested once that they make a business of their recipe and offer franchises. They considered that suggestion but didn’t act on it. They somehow felt that the business won’t be feasible because pricing their product would be tricky – precisely because of the high cost of the ingredients. That’s why I felt lucky then, and special, because I get to taste the tamales that had been denied many others.”

Didith, by the way, is a daughter of Ambassador Bienvenido Tan, the founder of Bookmark. And Tamales Day is a day in December when the Tan family gathers to cook tamales, using an heirloom recipe handed down by Didith’s Kapampangan grandmother.