"Culture consists of connections, not of separations: to specialize is to isolate meaning", Carlos Fuentes once said. We each have a way in which we connect to our culture and for some it has a way of taking them back to the place they call home. Everytime I go to Guatemala, the people and the view of my family waiting on the other side of the airport makes me feel at home. What takes me back home to Guatemala is the food which helps us keep in touch with a part of ourselves. We are taught how to prepare the main dishes, the ones that have a way of translating to others who we are and where we come from. By passing on these traditions we create a bond like no other whether it be between a mother and her daughter or grandmother and granddaughter and so creating a relationship like no other. Cooking with eachother has a way of bringing us together and creating unity between families.
Nothing compares to the traditional Guatemalan dishes specifically the tamales we make at home. Ever since I was a child I was taught that tamales were to be made for any occasion especially immense events like New Years and Christmas. From a very young age, my mom was taught to make tamales by her aunt. Every now and then when we have to prepare tamales she walks my sisters and me through the whole process. It all begins with the making of the Masa (dough made from corn flour), which takes a lot of strength when it comes to making an abundance of it. We move onto the main ingredients that make up the main component of the tamal, the molé. While making the Masa we parboil the pork or chicken. The molé is made out of bell peppers, tomatos, onion, sesame seeds, squash seeds, cinnamon sticks and a type of bread we call "Rosca". These are scattered on a sheet pan and slid into the oven to roast. When taken out the peppers and tomatos are slightly burnt, the seeds have an even brown coating, and the cinnamon and Rosca are lightly toasted. The chocolate comes into the picture when we...