This time of year, many of us enjoy making - and eating - traditional holiday dishes. Something especially popular in the west are – tamales. Enjoyed in many Spanish-speaking countries, the food is thought to have originated with the Aztecs.

We asked Reno tamalero Guillermo "Memo" Plascencia to show us how they're made. He invited us into his incredibly delicious-smelling kitchen.

“Steaming, nice and hot,” demonstrates Memo, putting a just-cooked tamale on a plate.

The treasured tamale, tender, seasoned, filling surrounded by flavorful corn dough, called masa. Tamales can be savory or sweet, meaty or vegetarian - and there are as many recipes as there are cooks who prepare them.

"This is the most delicious sauce for the tamal, the green sauce,” he tells us. There’s also red-sauce tamales and some with no sauce.

One thing is the same no matter what - tamales are a labor of love. "To start prepping for a family, tamales take, just to prep, six- seven hours!"

Memo Plascencia and his wife Brenda have made tamales for so long they can practically do it blindfolded. While Memo brings in boxes of beef, pork and chicken, Brenda preps vegetables for cooking.

"Tomatillos, onion, garlic and peppers." After an hour on the stove -and a whirl in the blender, they become green or red sauce. 

Then the fillings are prepared. "This is a whole chicken breast,” Memo points out, while hand shredding the cooked meat.

Next - the masa. Because it is not a tamale without the masa. The specialized corn flour is mixed with fat and flavored just right (usually with the broth created from cooking the meat).

Memo still remembers his mom making tamales when he was just seven years old. "And for some reason I grabbed some tamales on a little tray and I went out, offering to my neighbors."

Today Memo's neighbors, friends and family rave about his tamales. "50 years later, I’m still making tamales!" Admittedly, with a lot of help from Brenda. "Ella es la señora tamalera."

Brenda's technique renders a generous, almost overstuffed tamal, that gets wrapped in a corn husk. The flavor combinations are almost endless. One of Memo's favorites is the vegetarian tamale.

"Cheese, salsa and a piece of green chili."

The tamales then get stacked into the steamer for about 45 minutes of gentle heat. Until...  

"...And, now you guys can try it!"

All in all, it can take a couple of days of work to make one batch of tamales. Time well spent, says Memo.

"I feel proud of doing it, because it's a Mexican tradition."

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No matter the flavor, for many Hispanic and Latino households, it is tradition to serve tamales on Noche Buena - Christmas Eve. 

They are available to buy at various shops and restaurants throughout northern Nevada - and this time of year, they sell out quickly.

The bundles of goodness can range in price from $2 - $4 per tamale.