Sunday, June 21, 2009

National Foods of Honduras - Tamales

Some of the greatest cuisines come from other countries and one of those countries is Honduras. This small and poor country produces some of the healthiest and tastiest food, it is impossible for Americans not to pick up on some of the national foods of Honduras. When you start cooking from this ethnic country you will probably take notice that a lot of the dishes are very similar to Mexican dishes and that is exactly where Honduras takes their cue from! Mexican dishes are known for their flavor, spiciness and the exotic ingredients that are used. Honduras recipes are known for the exact same things, although their recipes usually include a lot more coconut and are healthier than Mexican food. One of the greatest national foods of Honduras is the tamale. Tamales consist of steam-cooked corn dough that is filled with meats, cheese and chilies.

Tamales may be one of the national foods of Honduras, but they have made their way over to America. But let's face it, most Americans have never had a real tamale in their entire life and once you have one, you will understand and know the taste of it. Tamales are a staple in all Honduras cuisine and are served all over the country.

A real homemade tamale is a corn meal dough sandwich (basically), stuffed with meat and cheese, then wrapped in plant leaves or corn husks and steamed until it is firm. These were back in the olden days the closest thing to a sandwich that most people had. Nowadays, this is one of the very traditional and great tasting national foods of Honduras that can be made for a big family or just for one person.

Tamales are great for family gatherings for they do not take all that long to make and you can make up a big batch of meat, add in a lot of cheese and then load them on up to steam. They can also make great appetizers for you can make mini tamales which are great for all sorts of dinner parties where you are featuring national foods of Honduras. You can also add your own twist on tamales, they can be all veggies, or some rice - it is all your choice!

So as you can see, the tamale is not only popular in Honduras, but it can be made in a variety of different ways and for all sorts of different crowds. If you live by yourself, do not fear! You can make yourself a single tamale, or make a bunch of them and freeze them so you can eat them at your leisure. No matter the occasion or the crowd, tamales are always a great hit for anyone or anyone.

To start cooking tamales straight away grab some Honduran recipes.

Margaret Assor is an enthusiast of ethnic cookery and an advocate of boredom free kitchens. If you want to try out some of the exotic Honduran recipes, visit her website at http://www.RecipesForHonduranFoodsInEnglish.com.

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