Tamales — a labor of love often taken for granted — keep generations connected to our ancestral home in Nayarit, Mexico. Making tamales brings my family together. But can we keep it going?

Making tamales is not hard, it's just a meticulous process that takes several steps.The first and most important step is making the masa, and the process will depend on the kind of corn flour you use.

Tamales are gifts you can open once, because once they’re unwrapped they’re going directly into our stomachs. Our 2021 tamales list was such a success , we’re bringing it back.

Mushroom tamales have been a longtime staple in central and southern Mexico, but these days, as more people look for plant-based recipes, they have risen in popularity.

The tamales, made with an array of fillings, were evaluated by community members and a panel of judges. Attendees sampled bites from each entry and cast their votes for their favorites.

But making 500 to 1,000 tamales can be a lot of work, so Hernandez recruits family and friends to help in the kitchen for an annual Christmas tamale-making session-turned-feast.