![el negro de whatsapp reyes magos el negro de whatsapp reyes magos](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/4a/8d/88/4a8d884e0feabcb9f9e2f7b6ef228322.jpg)
Here are eight versions of this iconic dish to celebrate the many Oaxacas, as we unwrap the range and flavors of tamales oaxaqueños. But this merely scratches the surface of Mexico’s most regionally diverse states, and tamal capitals, where each region reflects the many distinct cultures preserving their heritage in moist parcels of steamed masa. The state’s most famous tamal, tamal de mole negro, routinely announced from bicycle horn speakers in CDMX on a recording loop, “ya llegaron sus ricos tamales oaxaqueños…” sends chilangos sprinting out of their doors for a taste of Oaxaca. Oaxacans eat tamales at weddings, at calendas, on Dia de Los Muertos, countless religious and indigenous holidays, Christmas, and in the everyday - they’re sold at street carts, and from homes in the pueblos. And an abundance of these unique approaches can be found in the eight regions of Oaxaca, a vivid diversity formed from its 16 indigenous groups and robust community of afromexicanos. Yet most reports claim over 500 tamales in the republic some communities use green plantain, mextlapiques (fish roasted in corn husk), yucca, and rice flour in more uncommon tamale recipes. There are 370 registered tamales in Mexico according to a report by the National Council of Culture and Arts (Conaculta). The dish is made from nixtamalized or fresh corn filled with meats, seafood, vegetables, fruit, and insects, many in stews of flavorful, local chiles, which are then wrapped in a variety of leaves - banana, dried (totomoxtle) and green corn husk, de milpa (green corn stalks), de papatla, hierba santa, and more - all steamed in a pot. Tamales are Mesoamerica’s first masa dish and an important cultural food for Mexicans. It’s not something I expected to find in Oaxaca, and that moment of surprise and appreciation crystallized for me: Tamales are our edible histories wrapped in the fruit of human innovation, made by queens. At Doña Bonfilia’s home in Collantes, an afromexicano town in Costa Chica, she recently served me a wonderful tamal de mole steamed in banana leaves, which bridged the ultra-moist southern tamal masa with a spicy mole that reminds me of the tamales I love in northern Mexico.
![el negro de whatsapp reyes magos el negro de whatsapp reyes magos](https://www.fotosparafacebook.es/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/chiste-reyes-magos-fotosparafacebook.es-13.jpg)
My ongoing fascination beyond my grandmother’s vaporera (steamer pot) has been expanded by frequent visits to Oaxaca - if Oaxaca were a nation unto itself, its vast repertory of tamales would leave Mexico steaming with envy.