Legend has it that the earliest tamales were made from the meat of the gods. The Aztecs believed that the grandmother of the god Chicomexóchitl created the first tamales. Tsitsitemit sacrificed her grandson to make tamales; The first corn sprouted from his grave. While archaeologists have yet to find evidence that the first tamales were created by gods, records do suggest that they may date back 10,000 years – making them one of the oldest dishes still consumed today. These early tamales even predate corn: they were made from tamales, a plant that later became corn.
You might think that one of the oldest recipes in the world is simple, but tamales are very labor-intensive. To make tamales, ancient cooks treated corn kernels with a solution of alkali to break down the tough cell walls and bind the dough together. This process is known as alkaline cooking and makes the heavy lifting of grinding corn much easier. But chefs still have to prepare the stuffing and dough, wrap the tamales, and take care of them for hours while cooking. It's hard work, especially with traditional tools.
For the ancient Mesoamericans, the pros outweighed the cons. Tamales have a practical use: hunters and soldiers carry this nutritious, filling, and easy-to-carry cake with them when they leave home, a bit like an old cliff bar. Over time, tamales evolved from a carry-on snack to a culturally significant dish, eaten at banquets, and used in religious ceremonies. Tamales have changed over time, but they have also remained the same.
Tamales in pre-Columbian cultures.
For the Aztecs, tamales were an important part of religious celebrations, providing special recipes for different festivals. To celebrate the festival of the jaguar god Tezcatlipoca, the Aztecs stuffed tamales with beans and peppers; Shrimp and Chilean tamales are in celebration of huehueteotl, the god of fire. Tamales play an important role in weddings and funerals, and they are offered to the poor during the House of Lords feast.
On special occasions, pre-Columbian cultures folded tamales into delicate shapes and decorated tamales with patterns made of flowers and seeds. Elaborately decorated tamales are seen as a sign of skilled craftsmen, on an equal footing with sculptors and painters.
While pork and beef are the most popular tamales stuffing today, the tradition only dates back a few hundred years: pigs and cattle were first introduced by European colonizers. Pre-Columbian chefs weren't short of fillings, though. They use meat from deer, salamanders, rabbits, turkeys, armadillos, fish, and frogs; They season tamales with peppers, tomatoes, beans, flowers, and mushrooms. Tamales are not limited to savory flavors but also use honey and fruits.
Like many aspects of the local culture, the Spaniards tried to wipe out tamales. They tried to replace corn flour with wheat flour, but it turned out impossible to eliminate this staple food culture that had existed for a long time. Tamales haven't gone away, they're constantly evolving – incorporating new flavours from Europe along the way.
Tamales from Mexico.
While European colonizers wiped out many ancient traditions, tamales remain an integral part of almost every major Mexican festival. Tamales are popular on Day of the Dead, weddings and birthdays, New Year's celebrations, and Christmas**. Many Mexican families host tamales or tamales-making parties in preparation for Christmas. Family members travel to the event because tamales are prepared in shifts or on an assembly line.
Mexico is home to more than 500 different types of tamales, but considering how food has shifted over time, chef to cook, and home to home, the actual number could be close to limitless. Mexico's Vastek region is famous for zacahuil, sometimes referred to as "party tamales." The name zacahuil is taken from the Mayan word meaning "big bite," and the name aptly describes a tamale, 1 to 5 meters long, that can be eaten by 50 to 150 people.
Today, tamales have become a source of pride and national identity, and people celebrate them through festivals and events. But for many years, they were ostracized as an underclass, even as morally corrupt. Wealthy Mexicans opt for European cuisine, at least in high society. But tamales are still there – not only among the lower classes, but also for the elites as a sinful pleasure. At the end of the 19th century, the Mexican Revolution brought a new sense of pride to traditional culture. Mexican society not only began to accept but also celebrate this culture, as well as tamales.