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📍 San Luis Potosí

Zacahuil (giant Huastec tamal)

· Lunch

A giant tamal of coarse masa and pork in adobo, wrapped in banana leaf and baked in a wood-fired oven.

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Zacahuil (giant Huastec tamal): A giant tamal of coarse masa and pork in adobo, wrapped in banana leaf and baked in a wood-fired oven.
Photo: gabrielsaldana · CC BY 2.0 · via FlickrPhoto resized, converted to WebP and cropped for display.
⏱ 390 min🍽 8 servings📊 Difficult🏷 Commonly associated🌱 Gluten-free
Preparation
90 min
Cooking
300 min
Waiting and resting
0 min

History

From the Nahuatl zacahuilli, 'big tamal'; a ceremonial dish of the Huasteca Potosina region made to share at weddings, baptisms, and village festivals.

Ingredients

Adjust quantities

Only numeric quantities at the start of an ingredient are adjusted. Descriptive quantities, seasoning to taste and timings remain unchanged; check them when changing servings.

Preparation

  1. 1

    Blend the rehydrated chiles with garlic and spices to make the adobo.

  2. 2

    Mix the coarse masa with lard and part of the adobo until smooth.

  3. 3

    Marinate the raw pork in the rest of the adobo.

  4. 4

    Spread the masa over the banana leaves and place the meat on top.

  5. 5

    Wrap it up tightly into a large parcel and tie it.

  6. 6

    Bake over low heat for several hours until the meat and masa are fully cooked.

Cooking tips

  • Bake the covered parcel around 160 °C for about 5 hours; check 74 °C at the center of the filling and firm masa.

References to consult

References provide information about the dish, its context or a technique. Quantities in this version may differ from those in the source.

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