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= Tamale = From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Tamal" redirects here. For the town in Ghana, see Tamale, Ghana. For other uses, see Tamal (disambiguation). A tamale A tamale (Spanish: tamal, Nahuatl: tamalli) is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa or dough (starchy, and usually corn-based), which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf. The wrapping is discarded before eating. Tamales can be filled with meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, chilies or any preparation according to taste, and both the filling and the cooking liquid may be seasoned.

Tamales originated in Mesoamerica as early as 8000 to 5000 BC. Aztec and Maya civilizations, as well as the Olmeca and Tolteca before them, used tamales as portable food, often to support their armies, but also for hunters and travelers.

The diversity of native languages in Mesoamerica led to a number of local words for the tamal, many of which remain in use. The Spanish singular of tamalesis tamal. The English word tamale differs from the Spanish word by having a final vowel.

Contents
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 * Origin
 * Etymology
 * 1Mexico
 * 1.1Aztecs
 * 1.2Pre-Columbian Mayas
 * 1.3Modern Mexico
 * 2Central America
 * 3South America
 * 4Caribbean
 * 5United States
 * 6Philippines and Guam
 * 7See also
 * 8References

Origin
Tamales originated in Mesoamerica as early as 8000 to 5000 BC.

As making tamales is a simple method of cooking corn, it may have been brought from Mexico to Central and South America. However, according to archaeologists Karl Taube, William Saturn and David Stuart the tamales date from the year 100 a. C. They found pictorial references in the Mural of San Bartolo, in Petén, Guatemala. Although the tamales may have moved from one country to another, there is no evidence of where the migration of the tamales went from north to south (Mexico to Central and South America).

The Aztec and Maya civilizations, as well as the Olmeca and Tolteca before them, used tamales as easily portable food, for hunting trips, and for traveling large distances, as well as supporting their armies. Tamales were also considered sacred as it is the food of the gods. Aztec, Maya, Olmeca, and Tolteca all considered themselves to be people of corn and so tamales played a large part in their rituals and festivals.

Etymology
The diversity of native languages in Mesoamerica led to a number of local words for the tamal, many of which remain in use. The Spanish singular of tamales is tamal. The English word tamale differs from the Spanish word by having a final vowel.

Aztecs
In the pre-Columbian era, the Aztecs ate tamales with these ingredients: turkey, flamingo, frog, axolotl, pocket gopher, rabbit, fish, turkey eggs, honey, fruits, squash and beans, as well as with no filling.

One of the most significant rituals for the Aztecs was the feast of Atamalcualiztli (Eating of Water tamales). This ritual, held every eight years for a whole week, was done by eating tamales without any seasoning, spices, or filling which allowed the maize freedom from being overworked in the usual tamale cooking methods.

Pre-Columbian Mayas
In the pre-Columbian era, the Mayas ate tamales and often served them at feasts and festivals. The Classic Maya hieroglyph for tamales has been identified on pots and other objects dating back to the Classic Era (200–1000 CE), although it is likely they were eaten much earlier. Several different types of tamales are mentioned in Dresden Codex: iguana tamales, turkey tamales, deer tamales, and fish tamales.

Modern Mexico[edit | edit source]
A batch of Mexican tamales in the tamalera

In Mexico, tamales begin with a dough made from nixtamalized corn (hominy), called masa, or a masa mix, such as Maseca, and lard or vegetable shortening. Tamales are generally wrapped in corn husks or plantain leaves before being steamed, depending on the region from which they come. They usually have a sweet or savory filling and are usually steamed until firm.

Tamale-making is a ritual that has been part of Mexican life since pre-Hispanic times, when special fillings and forms were designated for each specific festival or life event. Today, tamales are typically filled with meats, cheese or vegetables, especially chilies. Preparation is complex, time-consuming and an excellent example of Mexican communal cooking, where this task usually falls to the women. Tamales are a favorite comfort food in Mexico, eaten as both breakfast and dinner, and often accompanied by hot atole or champurrado and arroz con leche (rice pudding) or maize-based beverages of indigenous origin. Street vendors can be seen serving them from huge, steaming, covered pots (tamaleras) or ollas.

The most common fillings are pork and chicken, in either red or green salsa or mole. Another traditional variation is to add pink-colored sugar to the corn mix and fill it with raisins or other dried fruit and make a sweet tamal de dulce. Commonly, a few "deaf", or fillingless, tamales (tamales sordos), might be served with refried beans and coffee. Most recently the roasted pepper and Monterey Jack cheese (chile con queso) tamales have become a favorite recipe.[citation needed]

The cooking of tamales is traditionally done in batches of tens or sometimes hundreds, and the ratio of filling to dough (and the coarseness of the filling) is a matter of preference.

Instead of corn husks, banana or plantain leaves are used in tropical parts of the country, such as Oaxaca, Chiapas, Veracruz, and the Yucatán Peninsula. These tamales are rather square in shape, often very large— 15 inches (40 cm) or more— and thick; a local name for these in Veracruz is zacahuil, and these larger tamales are commonly known as "pibs" in the Yucatán Peninsula. Another less-common variation is to use chard or avocado leaves, which can be eaten along with the filling.

Tamales became one of the representatives of Mexican culinary tradition in Europe, being one of the first samples of the culture the Spanish conquistadors took back to Spain as proof of civilization, according to Fray Juan de Zumárraga.

Tamales are usually eaten during festivities, such as Christmas, the Day of the Dead, Las Posadas, La Candelaria Day (February 2) and Mexican Independence Day.