DISH RESEARCH · Main dish
Tamal Negro
Tamal negro pairs corn masa and chicken with a dark, sweet chocolate recado, enclosed in leaves and finished with fruit garnishes.
About Tamal Negro
Research draft based on the references below. These notes describe particular recipes and presentations; ingredient connections are still being reviewed.
The dark chocolate recado and sweet seasoning give tamal negro its name and distinguish the selected holiday preparation.
White corn masa is cooked over low heat with water, stirred to an atol-like consistency and seasoned with sugar and salt.
Dry seeds, spices and chiles are roasted, as are tomatoes and miltomates. After soaking and blending, chocolate tablets and champurrada are added to the recado.
The chicken is cooked separately, cooled and shredded. Masa, recado and chicken are enclosed in maxán leaves with raisins and the source’s ciruelas, then tied with cibaque and cooked in a covered pot.
The source associates these tamales with Christmas and New Year. Its optional presentation uses supplied hard-boiled egg rounds, chopped parsley, hard cheese and onion rings.
Ingredients in Tamal Negro
Recorded ingredient connections, rather than a complete recipe. Explore an ingredient for more detail.
- Corn Masabase
- Dark Chocolateseasoning
- Raisinsfilling
- Dried Plumfilling
- Whole Almondfilling
- Sugarsweetener
- Cinnamonseasoning
Ingredient connections awaiting review. Versions and preparation vary.
Origins & food traditions
Explore the countries and cooking traditions associated with this dish. These connections do not establish a single birthplace or limit where the dish is eaten today.
Countries
Cuisines & regions
Associations in the cited sources
These describe source-specific cultural or geographic connections. Catalogue links may still need review.
- Countries & places
- Guatemala
- Cooking traditions
- Guatemalan, Quetzaltenango