Tamales Criollos (Peruvian Pork Tamales in Banana Leaves)
Soft corn dough coloured with ají panca, wrapped around pork, egg, olive and peanut in banana leaves and steamed. Lima's classic Sunday breakfast, served with salsa criolla.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Cook the pork
Put the pork in a pot with the water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for about 40 minutes until the pork is tender. Keep both the pork and the broth, you will need both later.
- 600 g pork shoulder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 litres water
✅ Done when: pork is fork-tender
Make the aderezo (sauce base)
Melt 2 tablespoons (about 30 g) of the lard in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft. Stir in the garlic, , and cumin, and fry for 5 minutes over medium heat.
- 2 tbsp (about 30 g) lard
- 1 red onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 tbsp
- 1 tbsp
- 1 tsp ground cumin
✅ Done when: mixture turns deep red and smells fragrant
Make the dough
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Fill and wrap
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Steam
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Serve
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Cook the pork
Put the pork in a pot with the water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for about 40 minutes until the pork is tender. Keep both the pork and the broth, you will need both later.
- 600 g pork shoulder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 litres water
✅ Done when: pork is fork-tender
Make the aderezo (sauce base)
Melt 2 tablespoons (about 30 g) of the lard in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft. Stir in the garlic, , and cumin, and fry for 5 minutes over medium heat.
- 2 tbsp (about 30 g) lard
- 1 red onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 tbsp
- 1 tbsp
- 1 tsp ground cumin
✅ Done when: mixture turns deep red and smells fragrant
Make the dough
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Fill and wrap
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Steam
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Tamales have been eaten in the Andes since before the Incas, but the Lima version, with pork, egg and olive wrapped in banana leaves, is a criollo dish of the colonial era.
On weekend mornings, Lima families queue at bakeries and street stands for tamales, often eaten with French bread and salsa criolla.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Soft, spicy and full of surprises, it's the taste of a lazy Sunday morning in Lima.
💡 Fun Fact
In Lima, tamaleros used to walk the streets at dawn shouting their wares, a cry immortalised in old criollo songs.
Lima
-12.05°S, -77.04°W
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