Costa Rican Christmas Tamale

The Christmas tamale is an ancestral recipe still very much alive at Costa Rican tables, whose name comes from the Nahuatl word “tamalli.”

In Costa Rica, the Christmas season is synonymous with the corn tamale, an essential item shared with family alongside coffee or cane water.

Costa Rican Christmas Tamale

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• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 2 hours
• Yield: 10 pieces
• Category: Main Course
• Cuisine: Costa Rican

Print Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1 kg of cooked corn, ground (about 2.2 lb)
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon of achiote (annatto)
• to taste of salt and pepper
• 700 g of pork, in pieces, cooked (about 1.5 lb)
• 1 cup of cooked rice
• 1 of carrot, cubed
• 1/2 cup of peas
• 1 of sweet bell pepper, cubed
• to taste of chickpeas, olives, or raisins (optional) (optional)
• 20 of plantain leaves, for wrapping

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Instructions

1. Make the masa, grind the cooked corn into a fine paste. Add the chicken broth, achiote, salt, and pepper, kneading until everything blends together.
2. Make the filling, shred the cooked pork and mix it with the rice, carrot, peas, and cubed bell pepper.
3. Prepare the leaves, pass the plantain leaves over a flame to soften them and make assembly easier.
4. Assemble the tamale, place a portion of masa on each leaf, add the filling in the center, along with chickpeas, olives, or raisins if desired.
5. Wrap, fold the leaf into a rectangular package and tie it with string or strips of the same leaf.
6. Cook, boil the tamales in gently simmering water for about 1 hour.
7. Drain, remove the tamales from the water and let them drain for a few minutes.
8. Serve, serve hot, inside their own leaf.

Tips for getting it right

• Passing the plantain leaves over a flame makes them more pliable and keeps them from tearing while wrapping.
• Every family adds its own personal touch to the filling: chickpeas, olives, or raisins are common additions.
• Tying each tamale securely keeps it from opening during boiling.
• Cooking at a gentle simmer, not a hard boil, helps the tamale cook evenly.

Traditional variations

• It’s an essential item on Costa Rican tables during the Christmas season.
• Each family has its own recipe, with variations in the filling passed down through tradition.

How to serve

The Christmas tamale is served hot, inside its own leaf, alongside a small coffee or cane water.

It’s the most representative dish of the Christmas season in Costa Rica, shared among family.

Recommended sides

• Coffee
• Cane water

Did you know?

The word “tamal” comes from the Nahuatl “tamalli,” reflecting the deep indigenous roots of this ancient corn-based food.

In Costa Rica, making the Christmas tamale is a family tradition passed down through generations.