Tamales at Flor's!

We've talked about Flor and her Soda and here it is.  As you approach at night it is all lit up and ready for customers.  Walk down a few cement steps and you are there.

Flor is the pretty lady on the left with the big smile.  The young woman in the center is her daughter, Elizabeth.  Of course you know who the person on the right is with the warm sweater on!!

Here they are making the most wonderful Cerviche!  It is made in a 5 gallon bucket with -Fish, Lemon Juice,  Ginger Ale, Salt and Sugar!!  Amazing!!

Now it's time to start making Tamales!!  We arrived about 5:30 p.m. and Flor and Elizabeth were already busy making up the ingredients required. Flor was stirring a huge bucket of corn meal mush on the stove and Elizabeth was chopping peppers, carrots and meat, all of which was specially prepared and cooked.  There was rice and lots of banana leaves too.  

The Tamales start with 2 pieces of banana leaves, 3 scoops of mush, 1 T. rice, 1 carrot and either chicken or pork.  Elizabeth wrapped them up and started a pile that grew to about 50 or 60 Tamales.

Now it's my turn!

Whoops! We ran out of banana leaves!  No problem for Flor!  She zips by us with her machete and comes back with a bunch of banana leaves.  Next, she starts a small fire next to the soda and waves the leaves over the flames.  Once she is finished we tear the leaves off the stem, wash them and start making moreTamales.

The last step to the process is to put two of the tamales together and tie them with a string she has created from an onion bag!!  And I thought I was thrifty!  

It was a fun night and a great way to celebrate hiring Roberto, our new coffee worker, who is Elizabeth's husband.  We were sent home with lots of tamales and had them for dinner the next night. They were wonderful!