World's Largest Tamale Sculpture: Alvin, Texas, sets world record
ALVIN, Texas, United States--A ten foot tall mustachioed tamale wearing a sombrero, cowboy boots and holding maracas, known as the "The Guy on 35 - Hot Tamales" and "El Tigre Pollos Asados, sets the world record for being the World's Largest Tamale Sculpture, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.
Alvin is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan area and Brazoria County. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city population was 27,098.
Located twenty five miles southeast of Houston in northeast Brazoria County, on land originally granted to the Houston Tap and Brazoria Railroad, Alvin has "much to offer our citizens and visitors alike."
Photos: waymarkeing.com
A tamale (Spanish: tamal, Nahuatl languages: tamalli) is a traditional Mesoamerican dish, probably from modern-day Mexico, made of masa or dough (starchy, and usually corn-based), which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf. The wrapping can either be discarded prior to eating, or be used as a plate, the tamale eaten from within. Tamales can be filled with meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, chilies or any preparation according to taste, and both the filling and the cooking liquid may be seasoned.
Tamale comes from the Nahuatl word tamalli via Spanish where the singular is tamal and the plural tamales. The word tamale is a back-formation of tamales, with English speakers assuming the singular was tamale and the plural tamales.
The Aztec and Maya civilizations, as well as the Olmec and Toltec before them, used tamales as easily portable food, for hunting trips, and for traveling large distances, as well as supporting their armies. Tamales were also considered sacred as it is the food of the gods. Aztec, Maya, Olmeca, and Tolteca all considered themselves to be people of corn and so tamales played a large part in their rituals and festivals.
"Gerald Ford was running for a second term in 1976 against Jimmy Carter. At a campaign stop in San Antonio, Texas to visit the Alamo, Ford was offered a plate of tamales. This is where things took a dark turn, the VICE reports.
"At a campaign stop in San Antonio, Texas to visit the Alamo, Ford was offered a plate of tamales. This is where things took a dark turn.He picked one up, and, without removing the corn husk, bit right into it. And thus, the Great Tamale Incident of 1976 was born.
"Every newscast in Texas all weekend long, all they did was show Gerald Ford not knowing how to eat a tamale," Huckabee told Sporkful. "To this day I am convinced that it was that gaffe with the tamale that cost him the state of Texas. Carter won Texas and Carter won the presidency, and it may have been a tamale that did it."
WORLD'S LARGEST TAMALE SCULPTURE
Address: 19753 TX-35, Alvin, TX 77511, United States
N 29° 29.068 W 095° 14.762
GPS: 15R E 282235 N 3263763
The GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for the largest tamale festival was set by The annual Indio International Tamale Festival that takes place in Indio, California, USA, with an attendance of over 154,000 people at its eleventh event in December 2002.
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS also recognized the world record for the most tamales made in 12 hours; it was 17,106, which was achieved by Sidney Lanier High School (USA), in San Antonio, Texas, USA, on 7 December 2011.
