Sacramento Eats Up "World's Largest Tamale"

The "world's largest tamale" was the centerpiece of the 5th Annual Tamales Festival Sunday at Sacramento's Cesar Chavez Park, billed as Sacramento's biggest Mexican independence celebration.

Organizers began assembling the mammoth meal at 5:30 a.m. Sunday. Once it was heated and ready, representatives of Sacramento service group Clean & Sober began selling off portions of the giant tamale to hungry festival goers.

The cooks behind the tamale said they intended to be back again next year -- this time, to cook a 43-foot tamale.

Proceeds from the sale went to Clean and Sober efforts to provide drug and alcohol recovery programs for substance abusers.