leaves than corn husks. Additionally Guatemalan tamales use cooked masa, which is prepared in a time-consuming process that requires a significant amount of work. Tamales colorados ("red tamales") owe their name to the tomato and achiote (annatto seed) that give them their color, wrapped with corn masa and are stuffed with tomato recado (a flavorful thick sauce), roasted red bell pepper strips, capers, green olives, and chicken, beef or pork. Tamales negros ("black tamales") are darker and sweeter than their red counterparts due to the chocolate, raisins, prunes and almonds which are added to them. Other black tamales are not sweet but are simply made out of blue/black corn. Tamales de elote ("sweet corn tamales") do not use the typical masa but instead are made out of sweet corn. These may contain whole kernels of corn in the masa and do not generally contain meat. Chuchitos ("small dogs") are a very typical kind of Guatemalan tamale made using the same corn masa as a regular tamale but they are smaller, have a much firmer consistency and are wrapped in a tuzas (dried corn husks) instead of plantain leaves. Chuchitos are often accompanied by a simple tomato salsa and sprinkled with a hard, salty white cheese traditional from the Zacapa region. Chuchitos are a very common and are commonly served at luncheons, dinners and celebrations. The masa can be mixed with tomato recado or with a meat broth. Tamalitos de masa ("small dough tamales") are smaller than the typical tamales because they are usually plain in taste, with no filling and are used to dip in other foods such as soup, salsa or beans, rather than eaten alone. These tamales are a staple of western Guatemalan cuisine which are favored over the typical tortilla. Tamalitos de chipilín and tamales de loroco are other variants of the aforementioned tamales de masa, that have said ingredients added to the mix. Paches are a kind of tamal made from potatoes instead of corn. List of typical foods Main dishes Tapado, seafood soup with green plantain and coconut milk Chiles rellenos, a blend of shredded meats and peppers, covered in egg batter and fried Gallo en perro, spicy stew ("perro" being slang for "hot/spicy") Gallo en chicha, hen/chicken stew Garnachas Pepián de indio (19th century recipe), meat and vegetable stew in a thick recado sauce Subanik, meat and vegetable stew in spicy sauce Kak'ik, turkey