So every year, around the holidays, everybody's moms and aunts are making some fresh batches of tamales that will last until at least mid-February. And for the most part, they're delicious.
However, we need to talk about the pink tamale in the room. Yes, I'm talking about these fake-ass, wannabe, sweet tamales otherwise known as tamales de dulce.
For those who don't know, sweet tamales can be made in a variety of ways. But they're generally sweet and include fillings made out of raisins, pineapple, coconut, a variety of berries, nuts, and in some instances, chocolate.
Now, don't get me wrong. At first, I thought I was the only one who didn't like them. So, I did a deep dive ~investigation~ and discovered that I WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE!
People just don't like tamales de dulce.
And let's be real, whenever you picked out a pink-colored tamale, you'd discreetly try to put it back and pick a savory one without looking like an ungrateful child.
But come on, how are you gonna eat a tamal de dulce when you got tamales de puerco, de rajas, de queso, de salsa verde...I mean, ANYTHING BUT DULCE!
And if your tía forced you to eat one with her sweet "¡Mijo, pruebale!" plea, you'd take a bite of it, smile, and hope she looked away so you could chuck it in the trash.
And don't even get me started on those damn raisins because dammit...
...RAISINS...RUIN...EVERYTHING.
Tamales de dulce are tamales going through an identity crisis. It's like having strawberry tacos topped off with raisins, or coconut chilaquiles, or chocolate rice.* There's something about it that's just...off.
But to be fair, it could very well be that I, along with 54.9k people, just haven't had the right tamal de dulce. So, I'm still waiting to have my mind changed.
