Sohla Cooks 3000-Year-Old Tamales for the Holidays | Ancient Recipes With Sohla | History

Video Description

It's holiday season in the Ancient Recipes kitchen, so Sohla creates a holiday staple with truly ancient origins - tamales! THE RECIPE Masa Dough Recipe: - 1 pound fresh masa - ½ teaspoon kosher salt - Dried corn husks 1. Beat together fresh masa and kosher salt with 1 tablespoon of water at a time until spreadable. Mayan Iguana Filling Recipe: - 4 dried guajillo chilies - 2 dried chipotle chilies - ½ pound tomatillos - 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into quarters - 1 pound boneless iguana meat - 1 tablespoon dried epazote - 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt 1. Use scissors to trim the stems off the guajillo and chipotles chilies and cut open. Remove the seeds. 2. In a dry skillet or comal, toast the chiles until fragrant and darkened. 3. Cover with warm water and soak at least 1 hour and up to overnight. 4. In a dry skillet or comal over medium-high heat, char the tomatillos and onion until blackened all around. 5. Add tomatillos, onion, and drained chiles to a molcajete or blender; add water as needed and crush or blend until smooth. 6. In a medium saucepan or dutch oven, add the iguana meat, chili puree, epazote, salt, and enough water to almost cover the meat (add water if needed, the puree might be enough liquid). Cover and bring to a simmer. 7. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook uncovered until the iguana is tender. 8. Using two forks, shred the iguana meat into small pieces. Aztec Guava Filling Recipe: - 1 pound guavas, roughly chopped - 2 dried chipotle chilies - 1 teaspoon coriander seeds - One 3-inch cinnamon stick - ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1. Combine guavas, chipotles, coriander, cinnamon, and salt in a saucepan with water halfway up the fruit. 2. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently, stirring and breaking up the fruit until soft and jammy, about 1 hour. 3. Pass the mixture through a colander or food mill to remove the seeds and spices. Assembling & cooking the tamales: - Corn husks 1. Soak the corn husks overnight. 2. Spread the masa evenly on the husk creating a thin layer. 3. Add in a spoonful or two of either filling. 4. Roll the tamale into a traditional shape or a historical ball, then tie to hold its form. 5. Line the bottom of a large stockpot with medium rocks and add water halfway up the rocks.. 6. Place soaked corn husks on top of the rocks. 7. Add the tamales on top of that, being careful not to have any filling spill out. 8. Steam the tamales until the masa is tender and done Ancient Recipes with Sohla takes the food you know and love and traces it back to its origins. In each episode, Sohla El-Waylly details the surprising history of some of our favorite dishes as she attempts to recreate the original version using historical cooking techniques and ingredients. #HISTORY #ancientrecipes Chapters: 00:00 Deck The Halls With Tamales 01:26 Delia’s Famous Tamales And Tradition 06:22 Nixtamalization And Making Masa 08:59 Iguana Tamales And Maya Fillings 11:24 Chiles Tomatillos And Ancient Sauces 18:05 Aztec Guava Tamales After Conquest 22:40 Steaming Tamales And Final Tasting Learn more about The HISTORY Channel and watch full episodes on our site: https://history.com CREDITS Host Sohla El-Waylly Created By Brian Huffman Executive Producers Sarah Walker Brian Huffman Jon Erwin Executive Producer Sohla El-Waylly Co-Producer John Schlirf Writers Jon Erwin Diana Davis Historian - Scripts Ken Albala Guest Delia Lubin Post-Production Supervisors Jon Erwin John Schlirf Editors John Schlirf Aaron Mackof Colorist John Schlirf Mixer Tim Wagner Manager, Rights & Clearances Chris Kim Executive Creative Director, A+E Networks Tim Nolan VP, Marketing Production, A+E Networks Kate Leonard VP, Brand Creative, History Matt Neary Music Courtesy of Extreme Music A+E Signature Tracks Additional Footage & Photos Courtesy of Getty Images Alamy Pond5 Wikimedia Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: https://www.youtube.com/@HISTORY?sub_confirmation=1 ABOUT THE HISTORY CHANNEL: The HISTORY® Channel, a division of A+E Global Media, is the premier destination for historical storytelling. From best-in-class documentary events, to a signature slate of industry leading nonfiction series and premium fact-based scripted programming, The HISTORY® Channel serves as the most trustworthy source of informational entertainment in media. FOLLOW HISTORY CHANNEL: Watch Full Episodes: https://www.history.com/videos Sign Up For History Emails: https://www.history.com/emails/sign-up Browse Topical Videos: https://www.history.com/topics Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HISTORY/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/history TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@history X: https://twitter.com/history YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HISTORY Sohla Cooks 3000-Year-Old Tamales for the Holidays | Ancient Recipes With Sohla | History https://www.youtube.com/@HISTORY/