The inaugural Tamal Fest will be held downtown, featuring tamales from Colombia, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
“The idea and main reason we want to do a Tamal Fest is to celebrate all of Latin America and highlight its rich culinary traditions because this is one of the most important and flavourful dishes across the region,” says Pablo Tovar, the event organizer.
(Mexican tamal. Credit: Fernando Hernández)
Tovar emphasizes the cultural significance of the tamal which can be found in various forms. “It’s a beautiful dish with roots in our ancestral Indigenous cultures. It tells a unique story in every country and it offers a delicious and meaningful way to connect with Latin American heritage,” he adds.
Fernando Hernández, owner of Guelaguetza Restaurant is one of the participants. He describes Mexican tamales as corn dough wrapped in banana leaf and filled with pork with red sauce or chicken with green sauce and cheese strips.
(Salvadorian tamal. Credit: Irene Arévalo)
“The ingredients for a Salvadorian tamal include a thick, gluten-free maseca dough of corn flour. For the chicken version, a chicken wing is added, along with a slice of potato, green bean, peas, and mild red salsa. For the pork tamal, a pork side rib is used, along with the same additions,” says Irene Arévalo, Popuseria Rosas Latin Food owner.
Elba Fernández, one of the owners of Enkanto Restaurant says the Colombian Caribbean coast tamal features a flavorful corn dough seasoned with a touch of annatto and a hint of Caribbean spices, giving it a vibrant color and delicious taste with marinated pork, chicken, bacon, vegetables, chunks of potatoes, carrots, and boiled egg, wrapped in banana leaves.
(Colombian Caribbean coast tamal. Credit: Elba Fernández)
The festival will include live music with performances by Sabor Latino from Leamington and Grupo Melao from Hamilton. There will also be craft vendors selling artisan goods like jewelry and accessories, along with sweet treats like churros and ice cream from Latin American entrepreneurs.
According to Tovar, this year’s version will be held at Market Square at Covent Garden Market, having bigger plans for the future for both visitors and entrepreneurs. “We’re hoping to expand year by year, maybe potentially closing the street for the next editions like we did for Taco Fest recently.”
This free, one-day event runs 3 p.m. to midnight.
