While more people may recognize the taco as the premier portable Mexican meal available today, this was not always the case. When the Chili Queens first set up their stalls in San Antonio and Los Angeles, many Americans were coming for their variants of the tamale along with the chili. These tasty foodstuffs worked as a vehicle for anything from wild game to fire-roasted vegetables.
Tamales have endured the test of time and remain an essential part of Mexican cuisine. Yet, the history of tamales is often under-appreciated. Today, tamales are frequently eaten at restaurants and during holidays and seen as a symbol of Mexican nationalism, though that was not always the case. We’re going to review the evolution in this blog post.
Tamales were the first dish made from corn in Mesoamerica. Evidence of tamale cooking dates back to ancient civilizations in Mexico as early as 8000 BC. Although the exact history is not entirely clear, many historians believe that tamales were first made by the Aztecs ten thousand years ago.
Tamales have been around for a very, very long time. The tamal is recorded as early as 5000 BC, and may date back to as early as 7000 BC. But, first to come were corn tortillas, made by soaking corn kernels in a lime/water solution to remove their skins, and then grinding them into corn dough (masa). They were then cooked and served alone or with various fillings. When the Mayan, Aztec and Incan warriors went off to battle, the women came along to feed the troops making tortillas, meats, stews and drinks. Then, the women got smart and creative. They decided to stay home and let the men go off on their own. But, they still had to eat! So they spread the tortilla masa on corn husks or banana leaves, filled them, packed them up and sent them on their way. The men out on the war fields then steamed or grilled them over the fire and the tamal was born! Fillings varied greatly throughout the years but most likely consisted of what was most commonly eaten at the time. Aztecs were primarily vegetarian and added protein to their diet consuming insects such as crickets, maguey worm, ants and larvae. The Incans feasted on the meat of llamas, alpacas and guinea pigs. The Mayans, were the biggest meat-eaters. They ate domesticated dogs and turkeys and hunted for meat such as deer, tapir, peccary, monkey, turtle, and iguana. Their diet was also supplemented by fish, lobster, shrimp, and other shellfish. When the Spanish conquistadores arrived in the New World along with their horses they brought cows, goat, sheep and pigs. Finally pork tamales!
Nowadays sizes, colors and shapes vary as much as the fillings. Every country, region and family has its own unique variety ranging from a basic tamal reminiscent of the ones eaten 1,000 of years ago to fancy gourmet tamales that will cost you $8 each. So, before you go out to fight traffic, mall crowds or perhaps the economy fill up on tamales, the Breakfast of Warriors.
Where Do Tamales Come From?
Archaeological evidence for the consumption of tamale stretches as far back as 8000 BCE. A hieroglyph for tamales shows that they quickly spread through the indigenous cultures of the Mexican and Yucatan peninsula. Multiple native peoples have adapted the tamale to their local cuisine. Yucatan called them “pibs,” the Maya referred to them as “uah,” but it was the Aztec Nahuatl word, “tamal,” which the Spanish conquistadors adopted into their language.
The tamale even predates the technique of nixtamalization, wherein native populations would cook maize with an alkaline solution to create wet nixtamal. They would use lime-slake or wood ash to infuse amino acids to increase the nutritional value of the maize. This ingredient would then be ground upon a metate to create the corn-dough masa (also used to form tortillas) and boiled in corn husks or plantain leaves to make tamales. This process would soon spread across many of the great native empires of South America.
The entire cooking process would take days and require massive amounts of work and long hours, resulting in batches of hundreds of tamales. Today, the tradition lives on; the humble tamale continues to be the food for communities and families alike during special holidays.
When the Spanish colonizers brought wheat to the Americas, it would represent a shift in political denominations. The metropolitan upper class would begin to use wheat instead of maize as a sign of “civilization.” In contrast, the lower classes (often consisting of rural, native populations) would continue with the much cheaper masa.
The History of Tamales – Glorious Food – One Minute History
FAQ
Are tamales Mayan or Aztec?
Are tamales pre hispanic?
Did Native Americans make tamales?
Are tamales the oldest food?
Who made the first tamales?
Legend says that the first tamales were made from the flesh of a god. The Aztecs believed that Tzitzimitl, grandmother of the god Chicomexóchitl, created the first tamales. Tzitzimitl sacrificed her grandson to create the tamales; the first corn sprouted from his grave.
Did tamales originate from a god?
While archeologists have yet to discover evidence that the first tamales were created by a god, records do suggest they may date back 10,000 years — making them one of the oldest dishes still eaten today. These early tamales even predate corn: They were made from teocintle, the plant that would later become corn.
How are tamales made?
For each tamale, the masa is spread on a corn husk, a small amount of filling is added, and the whole is wrapped into a package and tied with a strip of husk. The tamales are steamed until cooked through. There are dozens of local variations in the dough and filling for tamales. Banana leaves form the wrappers on the Gulf Coast and in the Yucatán.
Why did Americans eat tamales in 1893?
As Gustavo Arellano writes in Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America *, tamales made a splash at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, and more and more Americans were moving West into what had previously been Mexican territory. There, they encountered cheap, filling tamales, and they liked them.