Factory Tamal Moves To A Bigger Space On The Lower East Side

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — A Lower East Side joint with handmade tamales has expanded to a bigger space just a block away from its original storefront.

Factory Tamal, where chef Fernando Lopez makes each tamal by hand, is now open at 34 Ludlow St. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

The New York Times stopped by the new space and looked at the time-intensive process they use to make tamales.

Into a vast pot of warm water goes cal — food-grade calcium hydroxide, the modern equivalent of the slaked lime the Mayans extracted while building their limestone temples. When this comes to a boil, Mr. Lopez tosses in dried white field corn, which he used to import from Mexico until taxes went up. (Now he gets it from California.)

A brief simmer, and the mixture is left to cool for four or five hours. “My grandma did it overnight,” said Mr. Lopez, 35, but at the shop, turnover is high and he can’t wait.
As it steeps, the corn intensifies in color and releases a scent like rain steaming off sun-baked earth. Afterward, it’s drained, rinsed and rubbed by hand to remove the hulls. More time passes while it dries. Then it’s ground coarsely in an old stone mill, sifted through again for any stray hulls and finally made into masa.

The restaurant opened early this year at 13 Essex St., where it mostly served take-away meals. The Ludlow Street space has more room for customers to sit and dine in.

Lead image via Shutterstock.