This is a Nacatamale which is a Nicaraguan tamale. It is very similar to your standard tamale but it is wrapped in banana leaf and usually consists of olives and raisins masa, a filling of rice, potatoes, seasoned meat (like pork or chicken), and vegetables. It came from my Mother and Grandmother all the way from Maragua Nicaragua to Saint Paul Minnesota. Nowadays my mother makes this delicious dish every couple months. I appreciate when she makes it because it makes me feel nostalgic.When I was a kid I could remember smelling it cooking for hours boiling in a cauldron eagerly waiting with my family trying to get the first pick I also appreciate it because it is hard to find Nicaraguan cuisine anywhere in the U.S especially in Minnesota it also gives me a taste of what it is like to be Nicaraguan especially because I was born and raised in Minnesota. My grandmother who recently passed away spent a couple of weeks trying to teach me the recipe and her work paid off. Being able to make this myself brings me joy and makes me feel happy to remember that her food can live on through her relatives. 

– Sawyer

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant