Hot Tamale Trail

Southern Foodways Alliance ^ | Undated | Amy Evans Streeter, SFA Oral Historian

[wizkid]

In Latin America, hot tamales are as ubiquitous as the sandwich. This holds true in, of all places, the Mississippi Delta. Better known for its association with cotton and catfish, the Mississippi Delta has a fascinating relationship with tamales. In restaurants, on street corners, and in kitchens throughout the Delta, this very old and time-consuming culinary tradition remains vibrant. But how and when were hot tamales introduced to what has been called “the most Southern place on earth”? And why have they stayed? There are as many answers to those questions as there are tamale recipes. Oral history interviews with tamale makers and vendors in the Delta today offer us some answers. They reveal the various ways in which tamale recipes have been acquired and how they have evolved, helping to explain the persistence of hot tamales in the Mississippi Delta.

[JouleZ]

Yep. Baked ham, black-eyed peas (for good luck) and collard greens on New Years Day.

Tamales and posole are for Christmas Eve in the Southwest but good all year long, too.

It’s all good anytime and anywhere. Happy New Year FR!

[txhurl]

And, if you can make friends with a Tex-Mex family where the women get together every holiday season and make literally hundreds of tamales,

---

BTDT, it’s quite the chore. But everybody scootin off with 3 dozen tamales is worth the work.

And I have learned one word: Gerhart’s. ONLY.

[txhurl]

typo.. Gebhart’s.

[vetvetdoug]

Corinth, Mississippi, has a lineage of tamale makers dating back to WWI. The railroads passed through this town and the black tamale makers would sell them to the soldiers passing through. Several tamale makers had a small wagon where they made them and kept them hot to sell. Twenty years ago there were still four tamale stands in the town that were owned by the same families that made them in the 1900’s, now there is only one left. Twenty years ago tamales were peddled from a box mounted on the back of a bicycle by the makers and they'd sell them all over town.

[virgil283]

Good article Wizkid....It is mysterious the number of tamale joints up the Mississippi into TN. I've tried a number of tamales from different regions of Mexico which vary widely. Some are the familiar tubular shape and some are formed like a little pumpkin. Also one man here has a Cuban tamale where the meat is mixed with the masa. However the are mild and need Tabasco. The hot tamale of this region of MS. are spicy, requiring a cold drink along side and after dinner mints later [i.e. Tums]

[Arrowhead1952]

Yeah, I bet that was not a good first impression of a great food. That would be about as unpleasant as eating the cheese cloth and wax on the outside of a cheese wheel.

[Arrowhead1952]

Try Marias Bar and Grill next to Oskis in Lago Vista for good tamales. $12 for a dozen with chips and salsa. We got some carry out there when our daughter was in town and also three dozen from our friend.

[JouleZ]

As a kid I used to buy those wax bottles of juice, drink it down and then chew the wax so maybe it’s hereditary. HaH

[SWAMPSNIPER]

[wizkid]

If my wife was online she would kill me. She hates it when I switch from one food to the next. For example, I will say I am going to take her out to BBQ then change my mind and decide on Italian. In this case, the switch is from tamales to classic Southern style feasts.

I would be remiss without a picture of some black eyed peas (alas with no snaps in them).

Southern style veggies can't be beat that's for sure. One thing about Southern cafeterias is the sheer variety of vegetables. Here is one of my all time favorite spreads from Bryce's in Texarkana (It is a shame what the new freeway overpass did to them.)



Check out these salads:



Jellies too, including that Southern delicacy, Tomato Aspic stuffed with mayonnaise.



and what meal would be complete without some pie (and, no, that is not a mirror image of pies but a double decker stack of pie shelves):

[Rebelbase]

A lot of the Mex stores here in NC sell hot food despite not being licensed by the county.

It’s all a back room deal and they only serve to those they know.

I came into one I’d purchased tamales from a few times before and they were out, but the owner said he could hook me up and made a phone call. A few minutes later a car pulled up in the parking lot and the lady in the passenger seat had a large on the floor and proceeded to dish out and bag a dozen.

Money and goods changed hands. First food dope deal I’ve ever done.

[elcid1970]

Holy frijoles! That chiquita, she chili today but hot tamale!!

(sorry)

;^)

[JoeProBono]

Yo no soy marinero, soy capitan. Soy capitan, soy capitan. Bamba, bamba. Bamba, bamba. Bamba, bamba, bam. Para bailar La Bamba Para bailar La Bamba

[wizkid]

My guess is the tradition started with Cuban (maybe slaves) in the South.

Tamales does seem to be a family type business and it comes with all the usual family business type problems.

For example, there is, apparently, a feud going on in Vicksburg between Solli's and the Tamale Place (In fact, one of those little signs in the "hole on the wall" picture that I posted states that Solly's is the place blessed by Solly although I do not take sides):

Adventure Rider - Ride to Eat Tamales Tour (RTETT)

In Vicksburg we have The Tamale Place and Solly's. Both started from a one man operation. A native of Cuba, Henry Solly, moved to Vicksburg and started selling tamales from a cart. He later opened up a small cafe to house his business. After his death there was some family fight that resulted in the two current tamale places in town, The Tamale Place and Solly's. They both use Solly's recipe and are quite good.

It is crazy how close they are to each other:

Directions from Solly's to the Tamale Place

Heck, it would not be the South without a little bit of feudin. It probably makes them both up their games just like all those whiskey distillers.

I must confess that the Tamale Place does have a bit more ambiance than Solly's:



It is also home to the infamous Tamale Supreme:



I borrowed the pics from Yelp because I misplaced mine. Here is a pic of their menu (May I suggest the saltine crackers as a side):

Yelp - Tamale Place Menu

Here is a great review of the Tamale Supreme (good pics too at the link):

The Cynical Cook: The Tamale Place - Vicksburg

If you thought the Frito Pie looked like a heart stopper, you’ll be floored when you see the Tamale Supreme. Filling a whole quart container, there’s a sense of foreboding just looking through the lid. Floating on that ocean of nacho cheese is a few jalapeno boats and a oil slick. With a little digging, I found there were actually tamales in this Tamale Supreme.

The reviewer does fail to mention the beans at the bottom but there are some frijoles in there too (for a complete meal).

The reviewer does mention that they also sell Boudin (Boo Dan) sausage there too, which I somehow missed on my trip there.

[Nifster]

I think the O admin has taken it over ;)

[Nifster]

A classic story… some folks just don’t know what they don’t know

by the way the food pics look fantastic…. made me drool

[discostu]

I’m probably the only person in Tucson that doesn’t like tamales. For my palate masa is at best bland and often times down right nasty.

[Nifster]

Maybe she used too much masa. I love a good home made tamale…. but then I love corn meal and I love chopped pork and green chiles

[wizkid]

You are lucky to be in Tucson with all its fine Sonoran style Mexican restaurants. I have been there many times but, to my great regret, have never made it to El Charro yet (home of the Chimichanga and oldest Mexican restaurant in the US):

El Charro Cafe

Featuring Sonoran and innovative Tucson-style Mexican food, El Charro has won the Tucson Lifestyle Reader’s Poll Gold Medal as Best Mexican Restaurant nine years in a row or since the award was began in the local lifestyle magazine and was named in 2010 as one of America’s Top 50 Restaurant Icons by Nation’s Restaurant News.



El Charro Cafe, Street View

I spent my high school years in Phoenix and used to visit Tucson quite a bit. In Phoenix, my brother and I used to go to a place called La Tolteca a lot back when Van Buren was the preferred haunt of crack ho's. It was quite a trip: Part tortilla factory, Mexican pastry shop and deli that also served BBQ chickens for the brothers and sisters. The owner was Greek and packed a 38 in a holster. He would always greet us warmly and tell his kids to look at us because he respected two brothers that hung out as family (Some family, my mother and father were divorced but it sure was nice to see a father figure with some respect for family.). In any case, the super burrito must have weighed about five pounds, cost only a few bucks and my brother and I could live off one for a day (Good food too). It just goes to show that you do not have to be rich to eat well.

I revisited Phoenix about ten years ago and it was great to see how much they have benefitted from the revitalization of Van Buren.

La Tolteca

[Osage Orange]

El Rio Verde in Tulsa Town...ain’t bad!!