Tamale

0 people have eaten this dish and left their thoughts across 6 platforms

Synthesised from Google · Yelp · TripAdvisor · Reddit · 2 food blogs · Updated August 2026

The story the reviews tell

A tamale is a pocket of possibility: nixtamalized corn dough wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves, then steamed until tender. What goes inside is up to you—meat, cheese, fruit, vegetables, chilies, herbs—and the cooking liquid itself becomes seasoned. The wrapping serves double duty: it steams the masa from outside in, then becomes your edible plate, or you peel it away to eat what's inside.

What makes this version distinct

A tamale is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn, which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaves. The wrapping can either be discarded prior to eating or used as a plate. Tamales can be filled with meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, herbs, chilies, or any preparation according to taste, and both the filling and the cooking liquid may be seasoned. Tamale is an anglicized version of the Spanish word tamal (plural: tamales). Tamal comes from the Nahuatl tamalli. The English "tamale" is a back-formation from tamales, with English speakers applying English pluralization rules, and thus interpreting the -e- as part of the stem, rather than part of the plural suffix -es.

Signature elements