February 2, Día de la Candelaria, and the gig is up. As a follow-up to the January 6 celebration of Three Kings Day, it is the day when the “lucky” folks who plucked a tiny baby doll from a slice of Rosca de Reyes back on January 6 — Day of the Epiphany — are obligated to fulfill their responsibilities as padrinos (godparents) to the Baby Jesus.

Aside from providing the Christ Child figure from the family crèche with a new outfir and taking it to church to be blessed, a major duty is hosting a tamaliza (tamale feast) for friends and relations who shared the rosca.

The tamal is a food staple that has sustained peoples of the Americas since time immemorial, perhaps as far back as 8000 B.C.  Still popular today, tamales make a great menu choice for feeding large crowds at social gatherings.  Consumption peaks all over Mexico on La Candelaria.

Despite being raised on vile imitations extracted from a tin that should have put me off for life, I’ve become a fan of the real thing.

The classic Mexican tamal is a dumpling made with corn dough and some sort of savory or sweet flavored filling, wrapped and steamed inside a corn husk. In a country of culinary diversity, connoisseurs have identified more than 5,000 varieties, depending upon the size, shape, type of wrapper, dough recipe, fillings, sauces and seasonings chosen by the cook.

Banana leaves are used as wrappers in Oaxaca, Chiapas and the Yucatan peninsula. Michoacan is known for the triangular, bite-size versions called the corundas. The Huasteca region of northeast Mexico is famed for the gigantic zacahuil that may contain the meat of an entire pig and suffice to feed a huge wedding party.

Most types of masa (dough) are mixtures of dry corn meal, lard and salt. The tamal de elote is concocted with freshly harvested corn kernels and green leaves torn off the cob.

Among popular savory fillings are pork and chicken stewed in a red or green chile sauce. A combo of chile poblano strips and cheese — rajas con queso — is a favorite non-meat stuffing But nearly any kind of meat, seafood or vegetable will do the trick  Pineapple chunks and raisins are often found in sweet varieties, although many seasonal fruits make tasty flavorings.   

Tamales are invariably made in large batches, justifying the complicated and labor-intensive process. Prepared as a family pursuit, many hands are put to work to share the burden and speed up each step.

Dry corn husks are soaked in water overnight to become pliable. Fillings must also be prepared in advance. I’m told the secret to achieving a light, spongy texture is furious, uninterrupted beating to incorporate the lard into the dough. Thus, several persons may stand by to take turns at that task. Slathering the ingredients into the wrappers, folding and tying up the packets and accommodating them into large steamers may be carried out most efficiently assembly-line style.

Tamale-making rates as Mexican art form, appreciated all the more with grasp of the creativity and labor involved.