The History of the Tamale

Tamales are steamed rolls of corn dough ("masa") containing filling and usually wrapped in corn husk. Tamales have been around for thousands of years and are now prepared with regularity throughout North, Central and South America.

Origins

Tamales derive their name from the Nahuatl word "tamalii," which means "wrapped food." No one is certain when and who invented tamales. However, some historians trace it to as far back as 3000 B.C, when the people of the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico hybridized wild grasses to produce what we know today as corn. The cereal grain, eventually gaining significance in the region as a sacred plant and the main source of food in Meso-American civilizations (particularly that of the Mayans and Aztecs), was used to make tamales.

Spanish Arrival

The making and consumption of tamales was well established by the 16th century in the Aztec empire, around which time the Spanish conqueror and explorer Hernan Cortes (c. 1485-1541) arrived in that section of the New World presently known today as Mexico. Franciscan Friar Bernardino de Sahagun (c. 1499-1590) mentioned tamales in his compilation of Aztec diet features in his 12-volume history series on the Aztec civilization, "Historia General de las Cosas de Nueva Espana" ("General History of the Things in New Spain").

How Tamales Are Made

Corn kernels, plucked from the cobs, are soaked or cooked in a lime-water solution to shed the husk, then ground on a stone slab with a grinding stone to produce corn dough ("masa"). It is the same process used to make tortillas, but the dough for tamales is meant not to be as smooth. The dough is spread on the smooth side of a corn husk, then the mixture for the filling is applied to the center. The dough, husk and filling are then folded up and steamed in a pot lined with corn husks, cooked until the dough no longer sticks to the husk when peeled.

Types of Tamales

Mainstream or traditional tamales are known for their homogeneity, usually containing fillings primarily made from beef, chicken or pork in a red or green chile sauce. However, several other tamale recipes feature chocolate, apple, sweet potato, pineapple, corn and cheese fillings.

Regional Tamale Names

Tamale names vary from one country to another. Some of them are "nacatamal" (Nicaragua), "paches" and "Chuchitos" (Guatemala), "humita" (Bolivia and Ecuador) and "hallaca" (Venezuela).