La Tamalera (The Tamale Street Vendor)
Oil on canvas 4ft. x 5ft.
It is an October cool sunday morning. The sky is grey as it usually is in Lima this time of the year. And she’s sitting on a little stool. This is how I remember the Tamalera (Tamales street vendor). As I was growing up in Lima, Perú it was very common to see a Tamalera very early in the morning, sitting by the door of a bakery selling her freshly homemade tamales. I remember she had a huge basket filled with tamales. And sitting on the top of the basket she had a piece of wood working like a shelf, where she would place a warm Tamale ready for you to taste and hopefully buy one, or two, or more, to take home and have a delicious breakfast.
In Perú, the “Tamal” is the type of food that fits perfectly in any of the four meals of the day, it is great for breakfast, for lunch, also for “Lonche” (a peruvian “tea time”, and also for the late dinner. (Lonche: http://perufood.
The “Tamal” makes any breakfast a traditional one. A Tamal sandwich on French Bread, accompanied by hot coffee or “Café-con-Leche” (coffee with milk) for breakfast or for Lonche, or a Tamal with “Salsa Criolla” on top , for lunch or dinner are very impossible for me to forget. (Onion Creole Sauce: http://southamericanfood.about.com/od/saladssidedishes/r/salsacriolla.htm)
This painting also depicts how I remember my neighborhood’s bakery, in the district of Jesus María where I grew up. The bakery was at about a block and a half from my house, we had to go and by bread twice a day, first thing in the morning for lunch, and late afternoon for “Lonche”. Where I grew up it was important to have freshly baked bread for every meal. French bread.
I really hope that this painting can tell you a little more about my culture and the customs and characters that were a big part of the Perú I grew up in.
Peruvian Tamal:
Hugo, I love this painting so much--it really touches my heart. I had no idea about the Peruvian tea time. And then finding out how important the fresh bread is for every meal makes me want to go experience all the four meals one day in Peru! Thank you for sharing this heritage. Can't wait to see more of your work! --Sandy Leigh at EatWriteDreamStitch.blogspot.com
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