Picture this: A tamal that weighs as much as 50 pounds.
Called “zacahuil,” the giant food comes from the northeastern Mexican region of La Huasteca.
It can be up to about 3 1/2 feet long, according to Lú Ferreira. She’s a native of La Huasteca and a regular customer at El Catrín, one of the few restaurants in Dallas that makes the dish.
“Originally, it is wrapped in a leaf from a plant called papatla, but here people make it with banana leaves and it works,” Ferreira said.
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Nowadays it is eaten at large gatherings, like parties, weddings, quinceañeras and baptisms, but its origins are more than 600 years old — and rooted in revenge.
Jenny Garcia (center) reaches for a large portion of pork to place into a traditional batter while preparing a large portion of zacahuil, a huge tamal, which has a long history dating back to the Aztecs. The restaurant, at 835 W. Jefferson Blvd. in Dallas, prepared the food on June 27 before it was placed into an oven to cook overnight to be served the next morning, June 28, 2025. Also pictured are El Catrin Restaurant owner Anselma Betancourt (left) and Maria Gonzalez (background right).(Steve Hamm / Special Contributor)
It’s important to know zacahuil originally wasn’t huge solely so that it could be a shareable dish. It also needed to fit entire human body parts. The dish’s origins date back to the 1400s, when an envoy of Emperor Moctezuma, who ruled the great Tenochtitlán, was executed, dismembered and cooked in a tamal after being accused of raping young people in Huasteca. Enemies and other criminals faced a similar fate.
Today, the filling has (obviously) shifted, with chicken, turkey and pork being the most common stuffings. El Catrín sticks to pork.
“It had a cruel origin, but now we eat it during happy moments,” said Ferreira. “When we find it in a restaurant like this, it takes us straight back to our homeland.”
Where to eat zacahuil in Dallas
The walls of El Catrín, on Jefferson Street in the heart of north Oak Cliff, are packed with more than 50 paintings featuring Mexican motifs and characters. They range from singers, such as Juan Gabriel and Vicente Fernández, to popular wrestlers and actors from the golden age of Mexican cinema, such as Pedro Infante and María Félix.
The Mexican restaurant’s decor draws customers in, as does its food, with memories of home.
Anselma Betancourt, owner of El Catrin restaurant, right, works with staff member Jenny Garcia as the two prepare zacahuil, a huge tamal, with a long history that dates back to the Aztecs. The restaurant, at 835 W. Jefferson Blvd. in Dallas, prepared the food on June 27 before placing the dish into an oven to cook overnight until finished the next morning. (Steve Hamm / Special Contributor)
Anselma Betancourt, who opened El Catrín 11 years ago, draws especially from the Mexican food of Veracruz, a cuisine rich in tropical flavors and family recipes. Veracruz is part of La Huasteca, where zacahuil originated.
For Betancourt, preparing zacahuil starts with the corn, the basis for any good tamal.
“I cook the corn with lime,” she explained, “And once it’s cooked, we wash it and take it to the mill so that it comes out as it should: crushed, not finely ground.”
Next, it’s mixed with chile and meat before folding it into banana leaves and steaming it for several hours.
“We add raw meat so it releases its juices and flavor into the corn,” said Betancourt. “But the real secret is in the corn.”
A serving of zacahuil, a huge tamal, which has a long history dating back to the Aztecs, is garnished before being served to customers at El Catrin restaurant. The staff at El Catrin, at 835 W. Jefferson Blvd. in Dallas, prepared the food on June 27 before it was placed into an oven overnight to cook. (Steve Hamm / Special Contributor)
Betancourt said zacahuil is eaten in markets everywhere in La Huasteca. She learned to make it by watching people cook it in their stalls. That was decades ago.
“I am very proud that people like it and are trying something that reminds them of their town because we are so far away,” Betancourt said.
El Catrín is at 835 Jefferson Blvd., Dallas. El Catrin Restaurant.
D-FW Sabores logo(The Dallas Morning News)
This story is part of D-FW Sabores, a series dedicated to finding authentic Mexican cuisine across North Texas, dish by dish, region by region.