Tamale Pie and Tamale
A Great Hispanic Tradition
Many names and many preparations. This magnificent dish from Latin America helps keep
traditions alive. Making tamale recipes is a family affair. If you make it "old style" it may take hours while involving
parents, cousins, brothers, sisters, and friends. If you make it "new style," it may just take a kit or a
steamer, and less time.
Many people ask me what are the main differences between a tamale and a tamale pie.
I think the most important difference is that the first one is wrapped in plantain,
corn, avocado, bijao or maguey leafs and uses a special dough made from the kernels
of the corn that are dried and processed with lime.
Plantain Leafs
Picture by Davichi
Instead the pie is like a casserole that uses cornmeal. Another major difference is that the pie
is baked instead of steamed or boiled.
This food has all kinds of names depending on the country you are referring to. In Colombia, Cuba, Costa Rica,
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Peru it is tamal. Americans call it tamale.
In Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, and parts of Peru they call it "Humita." In Venezuela is the "Hallaca." In Belize it is "bollo."
In Puerto Rico "ganime" or "pastel." Dominicans call it also "pastel" and Mexicans call it many names, some are corunda, pata de burro, zacahuil,
chak chak wah, and chanchamito.
This food has a special place in Hispanic culture. It is a central dish in many countries during Christmas, and
its fame reaches many places in North, Central and South America as the most representative meal of the Latin culture.
A Bit of History
According to "La Historia General de las Cosas de la Nueva Espa�a" by Fray Bernardino, in the XVI century
Monctezuma had servants preparing many kinds of pasteles, not only of different shapes but also with many fillings.
The Spanish name "tamal," comes from the word "tamalli" -the N�huatl, a language which is a dialect of the Aztecs.
It means food made with corn dough.
Many may say the the word comes from Mexico just like the corn, but there is no specific evidence to
conclude so.
Ingredients for Pasteles
Picture by P_R_
What I've learnt by reading and researching is that many say the tamales date from the Spanish colonization in the XV and XVI centuries. Stories tell
about slaves who used to take leftovers of the ingredients used to cook wrapped in leafs to their homes.
In the book "La Lenta Emergencia de la Comida Mexicana. Ambig�edades Criollas, 1750-1800" by Jos� Lu�s Ju�rez L�pez
the author refers to the book "Historia Antigua de M�xico" by Mariano Veytia which talks about a very known food specially used
by the indigenous inhabitants. The author describes the food as small "pastelillos o cubiletes" made with corn dough
filled with meat and fish in round form, wrapped in corn leafs and cooked in a clay pot without water.
The Peruvian anthropologist Humberto Rodr�guez Pastor describes the tamale as an Afro-Peruvian legacy in his book "La Vida en el
Entorno del Tamal Peruano" which translates the life surrounding the Peruvian tamal. The author talks about the tamale
being introduced in Peru with the arrival of the Spaniards who came with their slaves, originally from the Atlantic coast in
the African continent.
 Mexican Tamale Making Kit
Sometimes I feel in the mood and want to enjoy authentic tamales. After many times of trying different grocery
stores and buying ingredients separately I became a lover of this Mexican Tamale Making Kit
This set has all I need for making delicious tamales Mexican style. It comes with corn husks, tamales masa mix, a can of Salsa Verde with
tomatillos and a bag of dry chile peppers, and a 16 qt tamale steamer good for making up to 7 dozen tamales.
What else can I ask for?
Now that we know a bit more of the history of tamales lets Make Tamales with Sandra Vasquez.
Follow the simple recipes and enjoy authentic Mexican tamales. Sandra Vasquez shared some of her recipes with us and helped us in the
process.
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