Posted on 03/23/2023 6:15:47 AM PDT by Red Badger
(Last Updated On: March 16, 2023)
NATIONAL TAMALE DAY
Sweet or savory, National Tamale Day on March 23rd celebrates a traditional Mexican dish made from a cornmeal dough and filled with a variety of meats, vegetables, or fruit.
#NationalTamaleDay
Traditional tamales are made with a dough called masa. When making tamales, you spread the dough on a corn husk or banana leaf before adding the fillings. Then you wrap the leaves around the entire package and steam it into a fragrant, mouthwatering meal. While they are popular street food in South America and the southern United States today, the tamale likely has its origins in Mesoamerica as early as 8000 to 5000 B.C.
Masa is made from nixtamalized cornmeal. Nixtamalized corn has been soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution such as limewater or hardwood ash to remove the seed husk.
Savory tamales consist of beans, rice, cheese, pork, chicken, turkey, and various vegetables and seasonings. Traditionally, people enjoy the tamale fresh from its steamy package, unenhanced by salsa and crema. However, that isn’t to say that you shouldn’t drizzle a little hot sauce or guacamole if you choose.
Dessert tamales satisfy sweet tooths of every kind. Think fruity, caramel, and creamy steamed hand pies. Usually a smaller version of the hearty, savory tamale, these dessert tamales provide a little indulgence at the end of a meal.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL TAMALE DAY
Discover a delicious new recipe on National Tamale Day.
Take a cooking class to learn how to make authentic tamales.
Share your favorite tamale recipe with others.
Teach others how to make authentic tamales.
Visit your favorite street vendor or restaurant for savory and dessert tamales. Be sure to give them a shout-out on social media.
Let us know what your favorite kind of tamale is.
Attend a tamale festival or celebration. There are over 40 across the nation.
Try this delicious tamale recipe from Tastes Better From Scratch.
https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/mexican-tamales/
When you celebrate, use #NationalTamaleDay to share on social media.
NATIONAL TAMALE DAY HISTORY
In 2015, Richard Lambert, owner of Santa Barbara-based Tamales-To-Go, founded National Tamales Day to celebrate the family’s love of tamales and his signature dish. They chose March 23rd to encourage the enjoyment of tamales all year long and because the only food competition on the calendar was Melba Toast.
Tamale FAQ
Q. Are tamales sweet or savory?
A. Tamales are versatile and can be made either sweet or savory.
Q. Can tamales be frozen?
A. Yes. It’s important to allow the cooked tamale to come to room temperature before sealing in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
It's CHILI today but HOT TAMALE!....................
Hot Tamale Ping!..............
Word of advice to folks, do not buy Tomales already made in a can- wow are they disgusting. I got lazy once and bought some- as I bought it, my sibconscience kept saying “bad idea- bad idea” lol, and it was right.
[[It’s CHILI today but HOT TAMALE!....................]]
Oy vey! 😆
Depends on the brands. Some are ‘ok’................
“”Word of advice to folks, do not buy Tomales already made in a can- wow are they disgusting.””
I eat those routinely because they are cheap and part of my easy food stocks, they aren’t tamales anymore than the Chef Boyardee ravioli is ravioli, and I don’t expect the cans of ‘Chef Boyardee Lasagna Pasta With Chunky Tomato & Meat Sauce’ that I just ordered to be lasagna.
All of those products suck, as does canned chili and all the other such types, they use the names but they are some sort of food product of their own, you can either tolerate them or not but surely no one accepts them as the food they are named for.
One thing that a lot of us do like which is weird, is the Jack in the Box taco, is it a taco? Of course not, but it is popular and tasty, whatever it is.
FRUIT tamales? Please God, save me!
Maybe, but after serving a 15 year sentence as a Tier One supplier to GM, you will NEVER see me in Detroit ever again.
True, canned anything doesn’t taste, look or smell like fresh anything.
It’s just another version..............
The Reverent Doctor Jill Biden: They're tacos, dear. Not tamales.
I musta got a bad can or something, but it didn’t even smell right. I didn’t get sick on it, but the aftertaste was terrible.
Yeah I guess- the one I bought still gives me the shivers.
Buying canned tamales from a thrift store is never a good idea.....................😉
Lol- even I’m not that dense.... now, sushi from a gas station? Delicious 😆 j/k I woild never buy it there lol
I describe them in my post, they suck, they aren’t tamales but they are a canned food and I eat them the same way I eat canned chili or canned spaghetti, they are just a convenient canned food with little resemblance to the food name they put on the can.
I always get my sushi at convenience stores........... Right next to the three day old polish sausages................
to your entire post!
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