The holiday season isn’t just about Santa and gifts, for many it’s also about tamales. While people can find them all year long they’ve become a holiday tradition for many families, and you don’t have to know how to make them to enjoy them.
So if you want to enjoy some great tamales this holiday season here are eight places you can go get your grub on, from festivals to restaurants and even a supermarket.
Festivals
(The Press-Enterprise/Silvia Flores)
Indio International Tamale Festival
- When: 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 6-Sunday, Dec. 7
- Where: Miles Park, 82524 Miles Ave., Indio
- Cost: Free to enter
- Information: indiointernationaltamalefestival.com
This is the biggest festival around with more than 50,000 people expected to eat all sorts of tamales from hundreds of vendors. The festival offers traditional tamales as well as sweet and vegetarian versions. There’s also a tamale eating contest, live music, carnival rides, holiday decorations and Lucha Libre.
La Habra Tamale Festival
- When: 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 6
- Where: Euclid St. between La Habra Blvd. and Bridenbecker Ave.
- Cost: Free admission
- Information: lahabraca.gov/677/Tamale-Festival
Besides tamales from dozens of vendors, people can expect live entertainment from three stages that will include music and kid-friendly shows. The day ends with a tree-lighting ceremony and fireworks display.
Long Beach International Tamale Festival
- When: 1-7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7
- Where: Scottish Rite Center located at 855 Elm Avenue, Long Beach
- Cost: $10-$65
- Information: playalarga.co/lbtamalesfest
Restaurants, food trucks, caterers, bakeries and pop-ups will be serving all kinds of tamales while home cooks can get in on the action in the Best Homemade Tamales contest. Besides food, people can expect live music and dance, an artisan mercado, a Kids Zone with free arts and crafts.
Placentia Tamale Festival
- When: 4-10 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11
- Where: Old Town Placentia at the corner of Santa Fe and Bradford Ave.
- Cost: Free to enter
- Information: placentiatamalefestival.org
This festival is for the sensible late night crowd since it starts in the evening and goes on until 10 p.m. The event transforms Old Town Placentia into a tamale party for all ages with food vendors, entertainment, a beer garden, tree lighting ceremony and North Pole playground plus snow for sledding.
Eat in or take out
La Esperanza
- When: Ongoing
- Where: 22832 S. Western Ave., Torrance
- Information: www.laesperanzarestaurants.com
While Mexican tamales dominate the local food scene, there are also places people can get Central American style tamales, which are wrapped in banana leaves rather than corn husks. They tend to be juicier, bigger and more filling than their Mexican counterparts. And one of the best places to get them is La Esperanza in Torrance. A must try is the Tamal Guatemalteco, which comes in a choice of chicken or pork. Another house specialty is the Tamal de Chipilin. Chipilin is a Central American herb, added to the tamal dough for both color and flavor.
Miguel’s Jr.
- When: Through Dec. 30
- Where: At various locations in the Inland Empire and Orange County
- Information: miguelsjr.com
The holiday tamales are back at the Mexican chain restaurant. New this year is the Chipotle Chicken Tamale, made with Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Other offerings include the Spicy Chicken Tamale with green sauce and serrano chiles and the Chile Rojo Pork Tamale. The Chile Rojo is a slow-roasted pork with a blend of California and New Mexico dried chiles.
Mijares Restaurant
- When: Ongoing
- Where: 145 Palmetto Dr, Pasadena
- Information: mijaresrestaurant.com
This Pasadena restaurant has been around for more than 100 years and throughout all that time it has been known for its tamales, which come from a recipe created by the family matriarch and restaurant founder Jesucita Mijares. So yeah, they’re as authentic as can be and options include pork with red Guajillo sauce, chicken and vegetable with Guisado sauce and the green Poblano Chile and cheese tamale with tomatillo.
Vallarta Supermarkets
- When: Ongoing
- Where: Various locations in Southern California
- Information: vallartasupermarkets.com
The Vallarta supermarket chain is giving people a lot of options when it comes to tamales. For those who want to cook them at home the stores sell various kinds of masa that vary from simple ground corn to sweet and fruity masa for dessert tamales. And check out the chain’s website for some creative recipes. For those who would rather just go home and heat up their tamales, the store offers ready-to-heat tamales too.