February 2 is la Día de la Candelaria in Mexico, a religious holiday celebrated with parties, dancing and processions. It is also often celebrated with tamales, the traditional snack made from corn dough sometimes stuffed with meat or vegetables, wrapped in a leaf and steamed.

Tamales, which have been eaten here for seven millennia or more, are beloved fare in Mexico, even on days that aren’t festivals which specifically celebrate them. Which makes it all the stranger that fast food giant McDonald’s chose the day after the tamale festival to go to war with the humble snack.

“Tamales are a thing of the past,” read an advert posted in Spanish on Tuesday to the Facebook page for McDonald’s Mexico which has more than 55m “likes”. “McBurrito Mexicana also comes wrapped.” Accompanying the text was a picture of the menu item.

The post caused immediate uproar on social media.

One user summed up the situation: “Look @McDonaldsMexico, if you mess with tamales, you mess with everyone! Get a grip or you’ll get your ass kicked!!”

Still more users took the opportunity to pile in on the fast food franchise with other grievances they had clearly been saving up. “@McDonaldsMexico please don’t let your employees put on reggaeton! It’s super unpleasant,” tweeted one user.

Joaquin Lopez-Doriga, a Mexican TV personality with a Twitter following of 4.5m, tweeted a link to a screenshot of the ill-judged ad, saying in Spanish: “The latest nonsense from McDonalds. Now I understand why their sales have fallen.”

In response to the avalanche of criticism, McDonald’s swiftly withdrew the ad and posted an apology to its Facebook page.

“McDonald’s respects the traditions and beliefs of all the countries in which we have had the opportunity to work,” it says in Spanish.

A further statement, in English, says: “It was never our intention to offend, and we apologize.

“We are proud to celebrate Mexican traditions and cuisine in our restaurants. Our menu includes local specialities, such as McMolletes, Mexican Ranchero eggs, and churros pastries, as well as traditional Mexican salsas to condiment all our burgers.

“This year we will celebrate 30 years in Mexico, and are grateful to be a part of the lives of thousands of families who choose us every day.”