Alice Guadalupe Tapp

I got this book as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Because it was an advanced review copy and it’s not published yet, there still seemed to be some formatting issues with the Kindle copy. I’m sure those will be handled before it’s actual release. Other than that, I had no issues with this book. It’s hard to go wrong with tamales… and this book gave several recipes and shortcuts to help make the tamale-making process not so daunting. I’ve made tamales several times, and it’s always such a big ordeal. This book has made me re-think that and open to trying some new options for making the process simpler. In fact, I’m looking forward to trying some of the recipes soon! There’s a chapter on more “exotic” fillings that I probably won’t venture into., but overall I felt this was a solid reference.

Would I recommend this to my BFF? Probably not. Although the recipes are gluten-free for the most part, they are not “paleo” and that’s the way my BFF rolls these days.

Would I recommend this to my teen daughter? Maybe as a reference if we’re cooking together, but so far, my 13 year old isn’t all that into reading cookbooks.… (meer)

Well, not actually finished. A cookbook like this I will use over and over. It is a great book for beginners as well more experienced cooks. It includes everything from making masa to rolling and tying the tamales as well as delicious fillings and sauces. I was surprised to see how much fat is in tamale masa. And glad to see that a polenta masa recipe was included that cut the fat dramatically. Recipes for traditional fillings as well as more unusual ones are in this wonderful book. Also for sweet tamales which are often overlooked. Quite a variety of yummy sauces as well. The beautiful as well as instructive illustration really inspire me to get cooking. Thank you to the publisher for providing me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.… (meer)

It is hard to know how Alice Guadalupe Tapp, who owns a tamale restaurant, goofed up this book so badly. Maybe she put a lot of effort into her first book, "Tamales 101" and assumed, somehow, that her readers already know what she is talking about. I know something about tamales and I do not understand this book.

Ms Tapp is simply wrong in what she writes about masa, although part of the problem may be a lack of experience differentiating between the US, UK and Mexican forms of the words "cornflour", "cornstarch", "corn meal", "hominy", "grits", and "polenta" and which of these products are prepared with alkali (either lime – calcium hydroxide – or wood ash) and which are not. I will not go into the technology here, Wikipedia has a good explanation under "Masa" which redirects from "masa harina." My fav Mexican cookbook, a long out of print large format paperback by Ortho chemical company (think of that!), has an extensive introduction to the howtos and wherefores of masa. Other Mexican cookbooks, in particular the classics by Diane Kennedy, devote pages and pages to masa. There are many references for the technology-minded cook. Ms Tapp simply gets it wrong.

Then she skims over the making of the tamales, touching down here and there with a splash, trying to explain the different physical forms of tamales and how to wrap them, but without explaining where the various forms come from and why some forms are better than others for certain things. Why, for example, are so many forms of tamale left open at the top and why doesn't the steam condense and make the upper layer soggy? She doesn't say.

The main thrust of this book is the stews that you use to flavor tamales and whether you mix them with the masa, pour them over a cooked plain tamale or whether you encase the stew with the masa and cook them together.

This book should have been a space to explore tamale culture and tradition but instead is a parade of recipes with very little exploratory text.

Finally, Ms Tapp wants to teach us to make tamales often without an insane amount of labor. Her approach is to use prepared and canned foods as shortcuts. Now I am only mildly prejudiced against prepared food. I reject the idea of using garlic powder and garlic salt but embrace canned tomato products and pickled chilies. Ms. Tapp's decision to present long long lists of prepared options presents a vision of tamales made without fresh ingredients. This is not the case in the actual recipes but those lists are very offputting.

I think you will find better value for your money in a different book.

I received an advance review copy of "Tamales: Fast and Delicious Mexican Meals" by Alice Guadalupe Tapp (Ten Speed Press) through NetGalley.com.… (meer)