Although it is said that tamal originates from where maize was born, it is believed to have begun in the central region of Mexico.
The word tamal comes from Nahuatl, meaning 'wrapped'.
This delicious dish is of indigenous origin, consisting of a cooked maize dough wrapped in leaves of various vegetables, including maize, banana, maguey, among others.
Nowadays, tamales are used during festive days such as Christmas, New Year, baptisms, and the days of November 1st and 2nd, which are the Days of the Dead.
As an interesting note, there is the Latin American Tamale Fair, celebrated in the early days of November to coincide with the Day of the Dead.
In Mexico City, you can always find classic tamales with red or green sauce, accompanied by pork or chicken. Due to the popularity of this classic dish, its production has begun to be carried out in companies.
Mexico boasts the greatest diversity of tamales, such as:
Tamales in red or green sauce:
As mentioned earlier, the red and green sauce tamales are the most popular or classic, served with pork or chicken. For many, a tamale in red or green sauce makes a good breakfast.
Oaxacan tamales:
Wrapped in banana leaves with a thin layer of maize dough and topped with mole, red or green sauce, and finally pork or chicken.
We have only presented two very well-known variants, but Mexico has countless other tamale varieties.
