You know the sense of satisfaction you feel after preparing a nice meal? Imagine how the citizens of Monterrey must feel. Over the weekend, around 150 residents from the capital of northern Mexican State of Nuevo Leon, helped break a world record by cooking up 139.9 meters (over 400 feet!) of their yummy traditional dish, the tamale.
Volunteers from 30 different neighborhoods congregated in downtown Plaza Zaragoza to help compile, and assemble the thousands of pieces and ingredients–such as corn flour, corn husks, and beef–needed to create the meal. City Mayor Fernando Larrabazel said he hoped the event, which was held during the third Monterrey Culinary Show, would help “create a sense of belonging” in the community.
To make it official, local notary public, Sergio Elias Gutierrez, double-checked the measurements and confirmed that all requirements for the Guinness world record were met.
I have to admit I am weirdly impressed by this. Having grown up eating tamales, I can say firsthand that cooking them is not the easiest task. The bulk of the ingredients, like the meat and potatoes, are wrapped in corn flour burrito-style and then re-wrapped in a corn husk. The final presentation is tricky to create and requires lots of patience –something Latina women, like my mom and aunts, are not particularly known for. On the plus side, eating them is muy delicioso so I sincerely hope that the volunteers get to celebrate their hard work by enjoying the fruits of their labor. ¡Buen provecho a todos!
Image via Island Vittles/flickr
