History

  The tamale is recorded as early as 5000 BC, possibly 7000 BC in Pre-Columbian history. Initially, women were taken along in battle as army cooks to make the masa for the tortillas and the meats, stews, drinks, etc. As the warring tribes of the Aztec, Mayan, and Incan cultures grew, the demand of readying the nixtamal (corn) itself became so overwhelming a process, a need arose to have more portable sustaining foods. This requirement demanded the creativity of the women…..hence the tamale was born.   The tamales could be made ahead and packed, to be warmed as needed. They were steamed, grilled on the comal (grill), over the fire, or put directly on top of the coals to warm, or they were eaten cold. We have no record of which culture actually created the tamale but believe that one started and the others soon followed.   Over the millennia, the varieties were minimized to the most common now being red and green chile, chicken, pork, beef, sweet, and cheese. Also changed was the every day occurrence of making the tamales. With the preparation being so labor and time intensive, tamales became a holiday fare, made for special occasions. This tradition remained for thousands of years, with the women of the family working together to make the sauces and meats, preparing the masa, and finally assembling and wrapping the tamales before steaming them in large pots on the stove. The process takes all day, the preparation often starting one or two days in advance. It is virtually unheard of to make a few tamales. In most cases, when they are made, hundreds are made at a time. Everyone, young, old, family and friends, is invited to tamale feasts where they are enjoyed, savored and loved by all.