Recipe Manuscript

Tamales

Name: Tamales
Prep time: PTPT4H
Cook time: PTPT2H
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 980 g dried maize kernels (or masa harina as modern substitute); calcium hydroxide (slaked lime, for nixtamalization, or use store-bought masa harina); 570 g lard (can substitute with shortening, but lard is traditional); 6 egg yolks; 240+ ml pork broth (add more if needed for consistency); salt, to taste; 500 g pork shoulder or other cut, cooked and shredded for filling; mole sauce (homemade or quality store-bought, about 300 ml for the filling); corn husks or banana leaves (for wrapping, soaked in warm water to soften); additional leaves (banana or similar, for lining and covering pot); optional: fruit pastes or sweet fillings for sweet tamales

"Tamales"

1913

From the treasured pages of La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 3

Written by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo

Early Modern Kitchen (1900 - 1930)American Advanced Dinner Lunch Snack

Original Recipe • 1913

Original Manuscript(circa Early Modern Kitchen, 1900 - 1930)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

Tamales

"Se pone el nixtamal con siete tazas de maíz; al otro día se lava, poniéndolo a secar al sol y ya bien seco se muele y se cierne en un ayate. En una cazuela se pone libra y cuatro onzas de manteca y seis llemas de huevo, mezclándo esto y cuando esté, se agrega el maíz echándole una taza de caldo de la carne de puerco, batiendo mucho la masa, y si quedare dura se le pone mas del caldo y la sal al gusto, dejándolo reposar dos horas o más. Para el relleno se hace mole espeso de carne de puerco, echándolo a los tamales al tiempo de irlos haciendo. En una olla se hace un tepextle con palos y hojas y poca agua que no sobresalga de los palos, y colocados los tamales se pone hojas encima tapando la olla muy bien con un lienzo, poniéndola a hervir a un fuego regular. La misma masa puede servir para hacerlos de dulce, rellenándolos de la pasta que se quiera."

English Translation

"Put the nixtamal together with seven cups of corn; the next day, wash it and set it out to dry in the sun. Once it is well dried, grind it and sift it through a sackcloth. In a pot, put one pound and four ounces of lard and six egg yolks, mixing these, and when ready, add the corn, pouring in a cup of pork broth, beating the dough well, and if it is too firm, add more broth and salt to taste, letting it rest for two hours or more. For the filling, make a thick mole with pork, adding it to the tamales as you make them. In a pot, make a tepextle with sticks and leaves and a little water that does not rise above the sticks, and once the tamales are placed, put more leaves on top, covering the pot very well with a cloth, and letting it boil over moderate heat. The same dough can be used to make sweet tamales, filling them with whatever paste you prefer."

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written in a direct, conversational style—typical of early 20th-century Mexican cookbooks, which expected some prior kitchen knowledge and communal family cooking. Quantities are often given in traditional measures (e.g., 'seven cups' of corn, 'one pound and four ounces' of lard), relying on home-scale intuition and experience. Spelling and word usage reflect regional and period conventions—'llemas' for 'yemas' (egg yolks), 'nixtamal' unsegmented, and use of indigenous culinary terms like 'tepextle' (a bed of sticks and leaves for steaming). Instructions are sequential but not always fully detailed; contemporary cooks will need to rely on their own judgment and tasting skills to get the best results.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 3 - Click to view recipe in book

Title

La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 3 (1913)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Antonio Vanegas Arroyo

Era

1913

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A delightful volume from the iconic 'Cocina en el bolsillo' series, this 1913 cookbook serves up a charming array of recipes, inviting readers to explore classic and creative dishes—ready to fit in your pocket and spice up any kitchen adventure.

Kindly made available by

University of Texas at San Antonio

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe is drawn from 'La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 3,' published in 1913 and part of a cookery booklet series produced by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo—a prolific Mexican publisher best known for popular ephemera and cookbooks. Early 20th-century Mexico was a time of both revolution and culinary transformation, and these portable recipe booklets aimed to make traditional dishes accessible to urban and rural cooks alike. Tamales have ancient Mesoamerican roots, long preceding print culture and reaching back to the Aztecs and Mayans. By the time this recipe was written, tamales were a familiar sight at festive tables across Mexico, signaling both continuity and adaptability as new influences like lard and printed recipes shaped household tradition.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Nixtamalization was traditionally done using large clay pots for soaking and boiling the maize. The dried corn would then be ground on a metate (a stone grinding slab) for optimal texture. Masa was sifted with a woven cloth or ayate (a coarse-fiber mesh made from agave), ensuring fineness for smooth tamale dough. Lard was rendered in heavy cazuelas (clay or copper cooking pots). Mixing the dough required muscle and often a large wooden spoon or even hands—no stand mixers here! The tamales were assembled by hand, wrapped in soaked corn husks or local leaves, and steamed in tall clay or metal pots lined with sticks and leaves, covered thoroughly for proper steaming. The soft, cloth cover trapped steam, while the leaves infused an earthy aroma.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

4 hrs

Cook Time

2 hrs

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

2.15 lbs dried maize kernels (or masa harina as modern substitute)
calcium hydroxide (slaked lime, for nixtamalization, or use store-bought masa harina)
1.25 lbs lard (can substitute with shortening, but lard is traditional)
6 egg yolks
1+ cup pork broth (add more if needed for consistency)
salt, to taste
1.1 lbs pork shoulder or other cut, cooked and shredded for filling
1.25 cups mole sauce (homemade or quality store-bought, about 10 fl oz for the filling)
corn husks or banana leaves (for wrapping, soaked in warm water to soften)
additional leaves (banana or similar, for lining and covering pot)
optional: fruit pastes or sweet fillings for sweet tamales

Instructions

Begin by preparing nixtamal: soak 2.15 pounds (about 7 cups) of dried maize kernels overnight in water with a bit of calcium hydroxide (slaked lime), then wash thoroughly.
Spread the nixtamalized corn out to dry in the sun until fully dried, then grind very finely into masa (dough), and sift through a fine mesh or cheesecloth.
Melt 1.25 pounds (20 oz) of lard in a pot, then beat in 6 egg yolks until smooth and combined.
Add the corn masa gradually, incorporating about 1 cup (8 fl oz) of hot pork broth.
Beat vigorously by hand or with a mixer until light and fluffy, adding more broth if the dough is too stiff, and salt to taste.
Let the masa rest for at least 2 hours.
For the filling, cook pork and prepare a thick mole (saucy, spicy blend) with the cooked pork.
To assemble tamales, spread masa onto soaked corn husks, add spoonfuls of pork mole filling, then fold and wrap.
Line a large pot (or steamer) with sticks or a rack and fresh leaves (such as banana leaves), add a little water (not reaching the tamales), and arrange tamales standing upright.
Cover with more leaves and a cloth, seal well, and steam over moderate heat for 1-2 hours.
To make sweet tamales, use the same masa, filling with fruit pastes or sweet fillings of your choice.

Estimated Calories

500 per serving

Cooking Estimates

Allow time to soak and dry the corn if making masa from scratch. Preparing the masa, filling, and assembly takes a few hours, plus 1–2 hours steaming. Each tamal is rich and filling because of the lard, egg yolks, and pork mole. This recipe makes about 24 large tamales, each with about 500 calories.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.