There are tamales and then there are. When you hear the word tamale, what comes to your mind? For most people the image of a Latino comes to mind. Or maybe it's a Mexican restaurant or for many people that live in cities like Houston it could be a Mexican Food Truck. For some people, these thoughts can be perceived as stereotypes. But what does not come to the mind for most people when they hear the word tamale is an African American woman. In fact, when interviewing Chef Latoya Larkin owner of Black Girl Tamales, she stated that she’s have had to deal with the stereotype of an African American woman not having a clue on how to even make a tamale. However, Chef Larkin demonstrated differently.
What's different about Chef Larkin’s Black Girl Tamales is the exotic choice of ingredients that she chooses to fill her tamales with. Typically, when you order a tamale you pretty much are going to be limited to three flavors - chicken, pork and beef respectively. And I think that’s what makes people kind of take tamales for granted in a sense. But the exotic flair or “essence” of Chef Larkin’s tamales comes from the fact that she uses abstract ingredients such as oxtails, smoked turkey and collard greens amongst other exotic fillings.
You heard right; oxtails and the combination of smoked turkey and collard greens. Now for some people they may hear that and think to themselves “there’s no way that those tamales are going to taste any good”. Well, I'm here to tell you that these combinations absolutely go great together and even more importantly taste excellent. Backing me up on this is my colleague and owner of VEDA Magazine who is a self-proclaimed connoisseur of tamales and will not hesitate to inform you that his grandmother is Mexican and has cultivated his taste buds over decades of eating authentic Mexican foods that include tamales.
Like myself, my colleague was thoroughly impressed as we sat down at her deli called the Mango Deli and Cafe: Black Girl Tamales which is located in the Penn-Woodbranch building on 12012 Wickchester Ln, Houston, TX 77079 and sampled two of her most famous exotically filled tamales. Let me tell you that the outer texture of her tamales was firm and not soggy but not they’re not “hard” - it was just right. The mouthfeel of the ingredients could easily bring you back to the first time you ever fell in love with a tamale after eating one. But what was different is the fact that the taste of her tamales had a sharp uptake upon taste contact with my tastebuds and it was at that moment in time - I was in heaven. Other flavors in her line of tamales include the following:
Smothered Pork Chops
Smoothered Chicken
Caribbean Jerk Chicken
Curry Chicken
Nacho
Red Beans and Rice
Jambalaya
Boudin
Creole Sausage
Vegan Beef Taco
Vegan Collard Green
Jamaican Moxtail
Seafood Dressing
Loaded Shrimp Etouffee
Loaded Crawfish Etouffee
Loaded Red Beans and Rice
Collard Green
Crab Tamales
I know that looks like a lot and it is but trust me the visit to the Mango Deli and Café: Black Girl Tamales was absolutely worth it. But don't take my word for it, see and even more importantly taste them for yourself. I promise you won’t be disappointed. I stand by it, I guarantee it. Again, the name of Chef Larkins establishment is Mango Deli and Cafe: Black Girl Tamales and she’s located in the Penn-Wood branch building on 12012 Wickchester Ln, Houston, TX 77079.
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