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What can be hidden inside a leaf? Quite a lot.

In Guatemala, a tamal is much more than something delicious to eat. It can carry maize, family recipes, regional traditions, celebrations, and memories passed from one generation to another.

In this episode, we unwrap the world of Guatemalan tamales: from chuchitos and paches to sweet and savory varieties, from Thursday traditions and mysterious red lights to the tamales that appear on family tables at Christmas.

Mami Linda takes us through Guatemala's enormous tamal family, G-cito tries to make sense of the Guatemalan culinary calendar, and Adrianita finds a surprising familiarity between tamales and something she discovered thousands of kilometers away in Taiwan.

Because sometimes the food we grow up eating becomes much more important once we're far from home.

Sometimes what we thought was just dinner was actually a memory in the making.

A SMALL LANGUAGE NOTE

During this episode, we refer to an aromatic herb as epazote. While epazote is commonly used in Mexico, in Guatemala we traditionally call it apazote. Both names refer to the same plant. We wanted to clarify this little regional difference!

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One Guatemala. Three Voices. Countless Stories.

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CREDITS

Created & produced by Adriana Estrada, Silvia Álvarez & Gregor Pechmann

Research & story: Silvia Álvarez, with Adriana Estrada & Gregor Pechmann

Audio editing & visual design: Adriana Estrada

Theme music & arrangement: Gregor Pechmann

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

• Sistema de Información Cultural de Guatemala — Tamalitos blancos https://www.sicultura.gob.gt/directory-directorio_c/listing/tamalitos-blancos/
• Sistema de Información Cultural de Guatemala — Tamalitos de chipilín https://www.sicultura.gob.gt/directory-directorio_c/listing/tamalitos-de-chipilin/
• Guatemala.com — Paches guatemaltecos: historia y tradición https://www.guatemala.com/comida/hecho-en-guatemala/los-paches-guatemaltecos-un-platillo-reconocido-de-la-gastronomia-local/
• Municipalidad de Guatemala — Tradicional Cena Navideña https://www.muniguate.com/
• Taiwan Tourism Administration — Traditional Festivals: Dragon Boat Festival and Zongzi https://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0029047