I can't say that every culture that celebrates Christmas has a special dish they eat. But I can say that being an America from a Mexican heritage married to a woman from a Guatemalan heritage my son will have to experience a verity of tamales. Tamales are usually square made from corn and wrapped in corn husk or banana leaf. They are not always made from corn, but all but one kind I have tried.
Christmas time in Venezuela is time for hallacas. These version of tamales are made from cornmeal and wrapped in a banana leaf. The stuffing is a mixutere of beef, chicken and pork. There are olives and raisens too. I'm not quite sure how the cornmeal is made and what is put in the dough when they are mixing it together, but I do know I don't like it much. There isn't much I can say about it, mostly because I don't like it much. Everyone makes them and if you visit with someone who made some then you'll leave with a bag full of them. I remember I had a freezer full of them which my partner (who was a native) ate throughout the year.
Growing up my folks would take us to Mexico for Christmas. There we would get into trouble, but most important we would have our Christmas tamales. my mom and aunts would sit around the table and start "chismiando" about stuff. but also making hundreds of tamales. This tamales were also made of cornmeal, the exact way I don't know. I do know each person had a job. One aunt would spread the cornmeal on a try corn husk, another would add the pork which was shredded and cooked in its juices and spices, another aunt would add a piece of potato, and olive and a slice of jalapeño. One aunt would hold the tamal and tie the ends with a long piece of husk . they were all put in a boiling pot and set to cook for hours. As a kid iI oved when instead of adding meat and veggies to the tamal, someone would make sweet tamales with the same corn meal but add pineapple juice or coconut.
Getting married introduced me to a new tamal, a Chuchito. This tamal is wrapped in a banana leaf. It has chicken in it and a prune. I don't have much to say about these tamales, just that they are oh so good. I have no idea how they are made, what I do know is that the ""masa" is made from rice, it gives it a soft texture.
