With Christmas fast approaching excitement for tamales colorados mounts. Tamales are good at any time of year, but the tamal negro is a personal favorite of mine and it seems I can only manage to get a hold of some in the month of December.

Black tamales get their name from their chocolate-based sauce and is commonly accompanied by raisins, nuts, and dried plums. It might seem a little strange at first, but the sweet taste is something that kind of just grows on you, kind of like the habichuelas con dulce served during Semana Santa.

Other tamales served in during the holiday and year-round include the tamal colorado, which is probably the most common and the smaller chuchito which Read more

You might be surprised to learn this, but some of the best chocolate in the world comes from Guatemala, a fact that makes this Gringo love the country even more. Known for its production of chocolate is the city of Mixco. The chocolate made here is commonly used for as drinking chocolate, or hot chocolate, a tradition in Guatemala.

To make the chocolate, first the seeds are taken from the pod and set to dry in the sun on a piece of linen cloth or zinc laminate. Next they are placed in a clay oven where they are toasted until golden. After they cool they are ground up, traditionally with a mortar and passel.

From there Read more